Junkie looking for a fix on the North Pole

Chuck Engle

Running Experience:
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Why should we pick you to go to the North Pole?:
Why ME? You are looking for someone who will win? Now you have him. I won more than 20 marathons in 2006. I ran 52 total marathons with an average finish of 2:43. While traveling around the country this past year I have appeared in more than 30 newspapers and several nationally published running magazines. Selecting me to run the NPM would exploit my running notoriety and set the race up with a huge pre-existing fan base. My ability to capture the essence of the run has been duly noted in my weekly running recaps. The recaps are thought provoking and get inside the mind of running. I write more than just the mile splits. I discuss memories, pain, environment, and draw my audience in to live and paint my race with me step by step. I also have carried a video camera and a voice recorder during the 2006 Boston marathon and still ran 2:48. My ability to race and document simultaneously has drawn a multitude of people to attempt the marathon distance this year. They saw and heard my footsteps, pain, and sweat. My running in 2006 goes beyond a charity. My running has compelled others to challenge current running practices and push into new areas of endurance. Winning the North Pole race, while setting a new course record, would only further propel others to challenge conventional wisdom about what the human body is truly capable of doing in any condition or climate. I am a leader and have been at the forefront of racing on the edge week in and week out. The NPM would be an honor to add to my list of marathons I have won. I have and will continue to race in any conditions, train like an Olympic hopeful and offer an inside perspective to my running that few have seen or considered. Those are my bragging points....and having said that I humbly ask for the entry. It was 24 degrees last night and I ran 10 miles in shorts and gloves to begin my training. I am already a little crazy. Running the NPM would just confirm what many already believe.

I grew up in Northern Ohio and thus running in the snow, sleet, rain and wind is common practice for me. I train and run regardless of conditions. If the weather isn’t enough to detract most people then what if they get injured or hurt? At mile 20 of the Pocatello, ID marathon this year I ruptured my shin muscles. More commonplace runners will bail into the heated tent and call it a day only to waste your entry fee. I went on to win the Pocatello marathon in 2:47 by dragging my foot for 6 miles. It takes more than training and jogging a few marathons to do what most think would be impossible.

Tell us about your cold-weather race experience:
The NPM would be unique, but I have crushed several marathons in snow, sleet, rain and hills. When I finished the first lap of Callaway Gardens Marathon the race director said 'no shot at a course record today Chuck, the rain and wind have you beat I think.' I went on to solo through the torrent of rain and tropical storm force winds to smash the course record by over 3 minutes with a 2:37. I have finished NCAA steeplechase races in sub 32 temperatures when others would not even start the race. I am a hearty and steadfast individual and most will approach this particular race with timidity. I will assault the training like an Olympic hopefull and I will traverse the course like it was a Gold medal race.

Tell us about your marathon experience, including times, results, etc.:
This is a list of what I have done this year. I hold several records for sub 3 marathons and a multitude of course records across the states.
Run 4 the Ranch 12/31/06 SpringfieldMO 2:48:18
Christmas Marathon 12/23/06 Olympia WA 2:52:42
Pig Tails Trail Mar 12/22/06 Renton WA 2:37:52
Kiawah Island Marathon 12/09/06 Kiawah IslandSC 2:37:50
Baton Rouge Marathon 12/02/06 Baton RougeLA 2:41:15
North Central Rail Thon 11/25/06 Sparks MD 2:37:30
Oklahoma Marathon 11/18/06 Tulsa OK 2:42:58
Harrisburg Marathon 11/12/06 HarrisburgPA 2:45:14
NYC Marathon 11/05/06 New YorkNY 2:49:54
Polar Treadmill Mar. 11/03/06 New York CityNY 2:58:37
Ridge to Bridge Mar 10/30/06 MorgantonSC 2:55:09
CHICAGO MARATHON 10/22/06 CHI-TOWNIL 2:59:08
Indianapolis Marathon 10/21/06 LawrenceIN 2:48:51
Columbus 10/15/06 ColumbusOH 2:47:07
Towpath Marathon 10/08/06 Hudson OH 2:54:54
Johnstown YMCA Marathon 10/01/06 JohnstownPA 2:48:53
Pocatello Marathon 09/02/06 PocatelloID 2:42:41
Self Transcendence Mar 08/25/06 Nyack NY 2:49:41
Silver State Marathon 08/20/06 Washoe CityNV 2:44:51
Paavo Nurmi 08/12/06 Hurley WI 2:46:06
Franki Maier Marathon 08/05/06 Juneau AK 2:43:31
Carrollton Cty. Races 07/30/06 Saginaw MI 2:45:48
Gateway to the Pacific 07/23/06 Elma WA 2:54:59
Paul Bunyan Marathon 07/16/06 Bangor ME 2:41.39
SeaFair Marathon 07/09/06 Bellvue WA 2:45:59
Foot Traffic Flat Mar 07/04/06 Sauvie IslandOR 2:32:28
Pacific Crest Marathon 06/24/06 Sun RiverOR 2:48:09
Mayors Midnight Sun 06/17/06 AnchorageAK 2:44:39
Lake Placid Marathon 06/11/06 Lake PlacidNY 2:34:39
Sunburst Marathon 06/02/06 South BendIN 2:34:18
Coeur D'Alene Marathon 05/28/06 Coeur D'AleneID 2:37:58
Delaware Marathon 05/21/06 WilmingtonDE 2:34:21
Lake Geneva Marathon 05/13/06 Lake GenevaWI 2:42:11
Ave. of the Giants Mar 05/07/06 Eureka CA 2:35:30
New Jersey Marathon 04/30/06 Long BranchNJ 2:37:29
Katrina Relief Marathon 04/23/06 Clinton MS 2:45:59
Boston Marthon 04/17/06 Boston MA 2:48:16
Charlottesville Marat 04/15/06 Charlottesville VA 2:48:37
Eisenhower Marathon 04/08/06 Abilene KS 2:40:03
Whidbey Island Marathon 04/02/06 CoupevilleWA 2:44:19
Ocean Drive Marathon 03/26/06 Cape MayNJ 2:43:32
Cherry Blossom Marathon 03/18/06 Macon GA 2:53:20
Piney Point Marathon 03/12/06 Piney PointMD 2:39:40
Sarasota Marathon 03/05/06 SarasotaFL 2:31:34
Cowtown Marathon 02/25/06 Ft. WorthTX 2:36:24
Pensacola Marathon 02/19/06 PensacolaFL 2:38:09
Valentine's Day Mar 02/12/06 Millersvania State Park WA 2:37:28
Tybee Island Marathon 02/04/06 Tybee Island GA 2:41:08
Callaway Gardens Mar 01/29/06 Pine Mountain GA 2:39:27
Orlando Xtreme OffRoad 01/21/06 Orlando FL 2:36:28
Mississippi Marathon 01/14/06 Clinton MS 2:41:30
Texas Marathon 01/01/06 Humble TX 2:52:00

What do you expect your North Pole Marathon time to be?:
3:48

Can you write well? Explain:
I think one of my many blogs this year will be the best way to document my writing and one of my experiences this year. I want people to live the race with me and I want to inspire them to challenge their own limits. The NPM will be a monumental platform for motivating people and challenging them as well as drawing a detailed awareness to the disappearing environment. Below is a sample of what I can do for the reader of my North Pole Marathon Journey.

Excuses and perseverance at the Self Transcendence Marathon

Have you been to a race lately and heard your fair share of running excuses? How about 'I got lost on the course' or 'I haven't been training for this race.' As a former coach I heard them all. Statements like 'I forgot my shoes‚''My shoes are too heavy‚''I couldn't breathe, coach‚' are among a few of my favorites. A young man running an NCAA Regional race stated the later as he dropped out of the race. I had a guy last week tell me that he would have done better but he ran a hard 10K last weekend. I just smiled.

As an athlete I have even used my fair share of excuses. Sometimes it feels good to tell someone that you know you are running horribly and offer some weak excuse as to why you need a new sundial to time this performance. There may be something to the Catholic faith and the idea behind confession. It is good for the soul. I'll bet that any psychological study would reveal that it makes us feel better to have the excuse. The excuse somehow decreases the amount of self humility we will suffer by giving up. Most people can't wait to tell the story of their demise. Sometimes they even have the audacity to utter excuses before the race is over. Hey let's face it...a marathon is a long race with a plethora of opportunities to chat. I will forgo the standard excuses and just tell you that it rained hard for most of the race. All the runners and spectators had to deal with the flood. This eliminated my first attempt at a valid excuse. I did forget my drymax socks and my racing flats. Thus I wore some training shoes and smartwool socks. This actually turned out to be a helpful excuse as the wool socks did not soak up much water at all. Nine laps of the same course might also cause most runners to talk of boredom and monotony. Here again we all had to suffer through the same tedious course. Other outlandish obstacles that each runner encountered included a 30 minute delayed start, plastic cups on the course, lapping walkers along the 9 lap course, and an open path that allowed other local runners and walkers to traverse the course freely. Fortunately I ran steeplechase in college and didn't mind hurdling the occasional child or walker. Not withstanding the aforementioned excuses, which all runners endured, I did have a slight nagging foot issue from the previous sand ordeal last weekend in Nevada. But that is not what caused me to come to a complete stop at mile 10. I just stopped. 34 and ¬? marathons into the year and my body seemed to finally be rejecting my weekend excursions. I was rain soaked and dead legged and looking right down the barrel at 16 more miles.

I was in fourth place for the first few miles and slowly watched as my mile splits faded into the high 7 minute range. I found myself a little disoriented and ready to go home to my soft down comforter and a long deep sleep. The negative energy slowly built in my mind. The pain in my foot began to throb and echoed throughout my lower extremities. The thought of having only four days of recovery from my last race enveloped my brain and caused my eyes to close heavy with no energy to reopen. It is in this quietness where the rain stopped and all motion and thoughts ceased. Had I passed out? Had the one thing on this world that I loved given up on me? I remember feeling nothing and it felt good to be absent of pain. I think this is probably what goes through any athlete or competitors mind when they offer excuses. The same must be true with any difficult situation in life that we face. The option to give up and quit is always there. The nagging pain or emotional hurt seems to beg us to cough up an excuse and throw in the towel. These excuses are from some evil force that has some how infected our minds. How long had I been building up to this moment in time and over how many weekends had I wanted to walk away even if it were subconsciously? To walk away from the adversity, the rain, the pain, the crowded course was so much easier than sticking around and seeing it through. I did not feel that I had the energy to push through any more pain. It felt so good to think that I was done and that finishing this marathon was no longer in my control. I saw myself being escorted to the medical tent and wrapped in wool blankets to warm my limp unresponsive body. This peaceful solitude, which seemed to last for hours, was violently interrupted by an unexpected shove from behind. My peaceful delusion of warmth and rest came to an eye popping abrupt end. I was suddenly aware of my legs, the heavy rain and the looming task ahead of me. A walker chatting with others did not see my slumped over body and plowed into me like a wrecking ball. I am not sure if it was this physical jolt or the sight of my great friend John coming toward me with soaking wet hair, rain soaked jacket and a gel in his hand that caused me to raise my head. I felt like Noah must have felt seeing the freshly plucked olive tree branch in the mouth of that dove. I was hungry, wet and had, for the most part, given up on finishing. I quickly reminded myself that I have been through far more grueling and demanding situations. I stood and steadied my physically withdrawn body and allowed gravity to pull me to the finish line. After coming through the first half marathon in 1:17 I plodded through the second half to finish in 2:49.41.

Although I may ponder not finishing a project, journey or commitment, if it is left up to me, I will see it through. I will hopefully fight stronger should this same scenario happen again. I have even considered the mistakes along the way, like putting on the wrong shoes or getting caught up in the storm, but I will finish. Some may say that finishing a race with an injury is ignorant. I say it builds character. Others may bail on a race or situation that seems too difficult or painful and spout out hopes for another opportunity tomorrow. This is a thought I had often in my early running career. You and I are not guaranteed tomorrow much less another opportunity like the one that is right in front of us. Take hold of today and run with it. Literally. Run a marathon and find out what true perseverance is like. If you have run one, run the second….the next weekend. You and I may even make mistakes along the journey. If we sign up for it and put our bodies on the starting line we will drag, scrape and claw our way to finish line. Running is one of the few sports where no other person can legally prevent you from crossing the line.

What you face tomorrow might be your last mile, your last chance at a relationship, or your last chance for that new job. Run to it and finish the race. You started it and you can persevere. Anyone can create excuses, point fingers and act critical to justify how badly things went. As bad as it is, rejoice that this is not as good as it gets.

MarathonJunkie

Tell us about your media experience:
I have done countless interviews with magazines and newspapers. I am fortunate that my numerous podium visits (over 75 in 100 races) has afforded me the opportunity to hone my skills during interviews. My experience while filming and recording my Boston race was one for the record books. I had a throng of people flabbergasted at my running with a camera and recorder. Even more so when they found out that I had run one other marathon in the same weekend and was headed for two sub 3 hour marathons. I have also done numerous TV interviews and use these opportunities to get people to grasp the concept of conquering their own limits. Most people view me as a normal runner who just got tired of sitting on the couch thinking that is what life was all about.

Websites:
www.chuckengle.com has a multitude of links and reports.
Just put my name on a google search and sit back for the show. I have been featured on a multitude of websites including Marathonguide.com and marathonmaniacs.com. The website director of both sites would probably be willing to help publicize the event. Both groups followed my journey this year religiously and are intrigued as to what 2007 holds. I am in search of the next challenge and the North Pole will hopefully be the next conquered course.

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