It started as a private time when a commander and his first sergeant could free themselves from distractions and catch up on the issues affecting airmen in their squadron.

It turned into a sweeping movement that changed lives, lifted morale, trimmed pounds from waistlines and changed the way some look at the military leadership structure.

Through it all, Maj. David Walter and Senior Master Sgt. Jon Conway just kept running - eventually piling up 750.8 miles during their six-month deployment.

Walter and Conway, both reservists with the 446th Civil Engineer Squadron at McChord Field, deployed together to Kirkuk Air Base, Iraq, in September 2009.

Having previously teamed up to kick-start a running program implemented into their physical fitness program during their reserve weekends, the pair was accustomed to running together. Each saw no reason to stop once they set foot in the desert as commander and first sergeant of the 506th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.

"It gave us one hour to talk about what's going on," said Walter, who lives in Richland and works as a mechanical engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

The two didn't set an initial goal of how many miles they wanted to cover; the quest just took on a life of its own.

"As we got in better shape, the bar kept moving," Walter, 51, said. "The number kept changing."

Walter and Conway would run a different course around the base for three days in a row, then take a day off before starting back up again, all while averaging about seven miles a day. Sticking to the regimen sometimes meant braving the desert's harsh conditions. But not searing heat, pouring rain or even sandstorms could derail the two.

"When we were running during the sandstorm, people were driving by yelling, ‘Idiots!'" Walter said with a laugh. "When we took our goggles off, there were rivers of mud (from the dripping sweat) on our faces."

In addition to catching up with happenings within the squadron during their run, the two would stop in and check out the progress of various projects the squadron was overseeing all over the base, which housed about 10,000 people.

"It was an embarrassment of riches for us ... being able to scout the base at the same time," said Conway, a 48-year-old Multnomah County sheriff's deputy who lives in Vancouver, Wash.

The runs also enabled the pair to get out and see their airmen in their element and show them that their own leadership wasn't just barking out commands about staying fit, but actually pounding the pavement themselves.

"When people see you doing that it changes their perspective," Walter said.

It also has the potential to break down communication barriers.

"When airmen see their commander out there running, suddenly he's a bit more approachable," Conway said.

On certain weeks, Walter and Conway would substitute a base marathon for their mileage instead. The movement had an infectious result, as other airmen in the squadron often joined the pair on some runs. Traffic patterns also started to change in the wake of the pair taking over the roads as fellow servicemembers became more cognizant of sharing the roads.

Although the two struggled mightily to close out their goal of 700 miles in the final days of their deployment, they kept pushing. Even after reaching the goal, the deployment got extended five more days. So the pair tacked on another 50 miles.

Walter went through three pairs of shoes during the quest, and the two lost about 25 pounds apiece. But even after long careers in the Air Force, both still learned a lesson on the deployment.

"It made us realize that some of the limitations we put on ourselves are false," Conway said.