Wolverine tenacity

Tom Howard

37

Running Experience:
Intermediate

Why should we pick you to go to the North Pole?:
In terms of running pedigree, I'm probably not the most impressive or worthwhile of applicants. I'm strictly middle of the pack (4-hour marathoner), although I like to think that I've been progressing steadily toward the front of the middle of the pack, and that someday I might make it to the back of the front of the pack. My point is only that I'm not likely to ever be a real threat to win any marathon, sub-freezing or not. I still get a big thrill from getting a finisher's medal, a reaction that I assume most elite marathoners don't share. (But I could be wrong.) Still, I think I make up for a lack of world-class speed with my wolverine-like tenacity; my irrational belief that winning isn't a total impossibility; my love of all things related to the North Pole (one of my two favorite poles); my ability to document every aspect of the experience, including hallucinations, through gritty journalistic reporting, pithy dispatches and artsy black and white (mostly white) photography; my commitment to finding unusual metaphors; and my genuine love of free travel.

Offer some evidence that you can complete a marathon in harsh, sub-zero conditions at the North Pole:
See wolverine-like tenacity, above. I guess I don't have any real evidence, actually. I love cold weather running, although admittedly it hasn't been in sub-zero temps, and the Washington, DC climate isn't very similar to the Arctic. I'm extremely fit and healthy and an experienced skiier, and I've never had difficulty adjusting to or functioning in the cold weather in the Rockies during my trips there -- but again, I know there's no comparison.

Tell us about your cold-weather race experience:
Very little, by which I mean none. A few shorter (10 mile or less) road races in downtown Washington with temperatures in the upper teens and twenties, but that's it.

Tell us about your marathon experience, including times, results, etc.:
Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC, 4:04:16, top 25% overall; Shamrock SportsFest Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA, race coming up

What do you expect your North Pole Marathon time to be?:
6 hours sounds about right

Can you write well? Explain:
Yes, I can write. Sometimes well. Although I can write in more of a formal journalistic style, the kind of writing I do best (I think) is less formal, more suited to quick, stream-of-consciousness dispatches. I think I could put together a good mix of insight, observation, and pointless digression.

Tell us about your media experience:
I have no professional audio or video experience, although I've used tape recorders and video cameras, obviously. Last year I published a long, first-person, feature-type article on the Marine Corps Marathon in the Loudoun (Virginia) Easterner. Like last year's NPM winner, I'm also a novelist, although unlike him, no one's heard of me. Or paid me, just yet.

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