Half century accomplishment of Everest-proportions

James Godfrey

Running Experience:
Advanced

Why should we pick you to go to the North Pole?: What a way for a long time runner to celebrate his 50th birthday! I have been a runner for 30 years. After running traditional marathons over the years (finishing around 3:30) I need a challenge.

I turned 50 in Dec. 06 and want something even more challenging than the Volcano Marathon I ran in 2005 (see below). I'd also like to pursue the 7 continent/7 marathon challenge; the North Pole would be a fun first step. I've always dreamed of an Everest-scale accomplishment. Since running, not mountaineering, is my skill, the NorthPole marathon would be a realistic, lifetime landmark.

Offer some evidence that you can complete a marathon in harsh, sub-zero conditions at the North Pole:
My body is built for marathoning--it's easy for me and I run purely for fun. I once ran a 3:09 marathon on only 18 miles/wk training. I am currently in marathon shape, meaning that I can, if needed, run a 3:30 street marathon upon a week's notice. I am currently training around 40 miles a week, which includes a 16-18 mile trail run and a 6 mile tempo each week. My last race was a hilly 5k in Nov., where I tripped at the start, got up and ran the entire race bleeding profusely from the nose. I finished at 21:30, fourth in my age group, 48th out of 1,000 finishers, and smiling through the blood like horror movie monster.

Tell us about your cold-weather race experience:
None, but its a doable challenge. I live only 3 hours from Lake Tahoe and if selected, I intend to spend this winter training long runs in the snows instead of skiing. In 2005 I ran the Volcano Marathon, ranked one of the 5 most difficult marathons in the world. It was over broken lava fields, live craters, and a desert of pumice dust. Winds gusted at 40 mph, blowing away trail markers, leaving the few runners on their own to pick out the trail, over cracks and boulders. I finished in 5:50 (equivalent to a 4:00 street marathon), ecstatic and unscathed. I trained only 30 mpw for that race and felt great. Now I want something more extreme than that.

Tell us about your marathon experience, including times, results, etc.:
Honolulu 1975, 3:21. Honolulu 1977, 3:10, Honolulu1978, 3:09 (on 18m/w training), Maui 1999 3:30, Marine Corps, 1998, 3:27, Honolulu 2004,4:50 (helped a cousin finish his first marathon to celebrate his birthday), Volcano: 5:50 (extreme, trail event over lava and desert, finishing 13 miles uphill 2,000 elevation). Current shape: 3:30 for a late winter/early spring street marathon. Future goal: I'd like to get a Boston qualifier this year (3:35 for a 50 year-old), then really work hard and break 3:00 in 2008.

What do you expect your North Pole Marathon time to be?:
6.5 hours

Can you write well? Explain:
I'm an English major from University of Chicago. My jobs have always included editing and writing. Currently I am a homeland security consultant with URS, writing proposals for large projects, writing reports and plans. I've written a few restaurant reviews for the web forum, egullet.com.

Tell us about your media experience:
My first job out of University of Chicago was a copywriting job for a radio station (around 1980). My various jobs have required me to speak publicly and convince people to take action. I was an advocate for fighting poverty in the 1990s and currently market highly sophisticated consulting services to clients that include governments and major corporations.

I keep a daily, private journal of observations about street people and scenes, writing an hour each night, hoping (as many do) to put it all together into a novel soon. Blogging on yourrunning.com about training for a nutty, but serious event like the NorthPole would be pure pleasure. Writing a magazine article on this lifetime event will be a fun. There's a good story if I'm selected: Asian 50 year old, solid family man, grew up in sunny Hawaii, running an extreme arctic race to celebrate the middle of his life.

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