Yearning to leave the comfort zone

Posted by YourRunning on 1/17/2007 on YourRunning's blog

Tim Eskut

Fayetteville, Georgia

Running Experience:
Guru

Why should we pick you to go to the North Pole?:
I would love to be picked for this marathon because it is the experience of a lifetime. I have been running for 26 years without an injury, and I know how to finish what I start. I'm dedicated to reaching any and all goals I set for myself. In addition to running, I have lived overseas for 5 years and traveled to numerous countries where I have run in all of them. I lived in Guam, South Korea, and Lima Peru. I am used to living out of my comfort zone. Change does not scare me. If given the opportunity I will succeed in this challenge.

"I can remember icicles hanging from my beard when I finished a race. Many days and early mornings were spent running in snow as deep as my knees. This never discouraged me."

Offer some evidence that you can complete a marathon in harsh, sub-zero conditions at the North Pole:
I have entered and completed 16 marathons so far. The coldest marathon that I have finished was in South Korea. The temperature was 28 degrees farenheit. However, I have run in colder temperatures growing up. I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio where I ran and trained for 12 years during all weather. I remember running in temperatures as cold as 15 degrees below zero in February with wind chill. I can remember icicles hanging from my beard when I finished a race. Many days and early mornings were spent running in snow as deep as my knees. This never discouraged me. I welcomed snow and cold each year. Currently I live in Georgia so I do not run in very cold weather now. The coldest mornings can get here is 20-30 degrees.

Tell us about your cold-weather race experience:
My cold weather race experience varies from 15 below zero temperatures while I lived in Cleveland to 100 degree temperatures in Arizona. I grew up in Cleveland and lived and ran there for over 20 years. I have additional cold weather experience while living and running in Michigan for 3 years. Finally, I lived in South Korea and ran for 2 years where temperatures were similar to the ones in Michigan.

Tell us about your marathon experience, including times, results, etc.:
I have completed 16 marathons so far. I have run the Cleveland Revco Marathon several times. My fastest time was 3 hours and 26 minutes and my slowest time was 4 hours and five minutes. My other marathons include the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington D.C., Guam Marathon, Eriesistable Marathon in Pennsylvania, Sunburst Marathon in Indiana, South Korea Marathon, Houston Marathon, Santiago Marathon in Chile, Dallas White Rock Marathon, a trail marathon in Michigan, Cowtown Marathon in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Columbus, Ohio Marathon. The last marathon that I completed was in 2002 in Santiago Chile. I finished this marathon in just over 4 hours. I am very anxious to do another marathon, and I will compete in one in 2007. Majority of my marathons have been around 3:45-3:55.

What do you expect your North Pole Marathon time to be?:
7 hours 45 minutes

Can you write well? Explain:
Since this marathon would be one in which very few runners and non-runners have experienced, I would want to share it with as many people as possible. The ways that I would do this would be to contact local community papers and the Atlanta Journal Constitution to see about writing articles before the race and after it is over. I would also include photos and video of the experience to share. In addition, I would contact Atlanta TV stations to see about doing television interviews about this experience. The Today Show on NBC would be a great way to share this experience with the entire country after the race is complete.

Tell us about your media experience:
I have a Bachelor's degree in Education with a major in English and a minor in Speech Communications. Additionally, I hold a Master's Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Alabama. I have been teaching for 16 years so I have a lot of experience speaking in front of students and parents on a daily basis. I have taught educator workshops to large groups in Ecuador and Nebraska.

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