New York state of mind

John Comiskey

42

Running Experience:
Advanced

Why should we pick you to go to the North Pole?:
Biography: Fourty-two years old male, born and raised in New York City, life long New York City Resident, married to wife Maureen for eighteen years, father of two John (13), and Erin (11). Twenty Year veteran of the New York City Police Department, Sixteen Year Veteran of the United States Coast, and New York City High School Teacher. I retired from running after high school track (1982). Therafter, I ran on and off,but mostly off. In my capacity as a NYC Police Officer I had worked the NYC Marathon on about ten ocassions. I thought the marathoners were out of their minds. Just the same I said one day I would run one. Year after year I gave myself an excuse as to why I couldn't run one. On 9/11/01 I was a first responder to the World Trade Center Bombings. When the towers came down I got a good scare. I managed to escape unharmed with 28 other police officers. One of the Sergeants with me remarked: 'Tonight and every night I am going to drink beer and eat pizza ....I am on borrowed time.' I, too, like beer and pizza, but there are other things in life.In the days and the events that followed I knew somehow things would be different for me. Shortly therafter, I was activated by my Coast Guard Unit and performed harbor patrols in the Port Of New York. During my active duty, I attended a leadership school. The main idea of that school was: for every goal you have, you can provide yourself with a perfectly good reason as to why it is not attainable or you can just do it. Two months later, I ran a half-marathon. Four months after that I ran the NYC Marathon. These days I run about fifty miles a week and couldn't imagine my life without running. My first marathon was 2003 and I have since completed fourteen full marathons,twenty eight half-marathons, and one tower climb (Empire State Building). I am on a quest to run a marathon on the seven continents and the Grand Slam North Pole,the Fifty States, and every 'major' tower worldwide. I have completed three continents: North America, Asia (China), and Europe (Greece & Ireland). I am scheduled to do Kenya (June 07), Antartica & Ushisha (Feb 08), and Australia (July 08).

Tell us about your cold-weather race experience:
I ran the Albany, NY Marathon in Febraury 06. It was 10 degrees farenheit and windy. I did my homework for this event: blog and personal inquiries and experimental 'dressouts' prior to the event. My final 'dress out' included two tech-undergarments, two tech-sweathirts and a gortex outerlayer. I wore a bacalava throughout the race and two layers of gloves. The wind was the biggest problem-the gortex did its job. I was well rested and 'carbed.'

Tell us about your marathon experience, including times, results, etc.:
NYC 2003 (3:58)my virgin race. I didn't know what to expect,the crowd was awesome. I was sore for two days. Dublin, Ireland 2004 (3:59), on foreign ground (learned that jet-lag and travel are considerations),dedicated the race to my father. NY 2004 (4:04) thirteen days after Dublin, I just wanted to finish-I did. NJ Long Branch 2005 (3:59) flat course and boring. Long Island, NY 2005 (4:09) two weeks after Long Branch, took it easy, the race was on a highway-boring. Athens, Greece 2006 3:52 awesome, historical overview awesome, met members of the Seven Continents Club-great people. Albany, NY 2006(4:23) it was cold and the mile markers were sometimes nonexistent-I will run this race again this February (07)in prepartation for the Antartica and North Pole. Long Branch, NJ 2006(3:58) two laps-boring. Great Wall, China: awesome-awesome-awesome. I 'literally' hit the wall,the steps were daunting ....some were as much as two feet high(5:51) the race directors told us to add two hours to our time they were right-incredible experience. San Francisco, California (2006) good race but heavy congestion at the Golden Gate Bridge. Yonkers, NY 2006(4:32) my worst race- I was tired before the race because of my work schedule,but I learned a great deal from this defeat (4:32) 'that which does not kill you will make you stronger.' Westchester, NY 2006(4:02) good recovery run from Yonkers (three week interval). Marine Corp, Washington, DC 2006(3:46) My PR great crowd, history flat course. NYC 2006(3:55) I did this race seven days after NY, I wanted a sub-4; I got it.

What do you expect your North Pole Marathon time to be?:
6-7 Hours

Can you write well? Explain:
I hold a Bachelors in History and a Masters in Secondary Education, Social Studies. I have written two master's thesis. I am presently writing a book about my experiences in the NYPD. When I finish my seventh continent and the Grand Slam North Pole, I plan to write about my running expereinces. I correspond with several runners that I met in Ireland, Greece, and China. We exchange information about races, trips, equipment, training, and experiences. Runners who read runners blogs want first hand information. My blog would facilitate this desire. I would blog my running experiences, location, travel needs, training, equipment, nutrition, and my personal reflections of the entire experience. I would likely compare and contrast my previous running experiences.

Tell us about your media experience:
I have taught at the New York City Police Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy, and in several New York City High Schools. Moreover, In my present capacities, I routinely make oral presentations to groups ranging from 10 to 150 people.

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