This is part II of a three part interview with mountain climber Garry Porter. Part I is here.

S&TT: DESCRIBE THE SUMMIT DAY: We wanted to be moving by midnight and so it was a 10:00 pm wake up call after 4 hours of trying to sleep. Inside our tent, with 3 of us, it was a minus 20 degrees and you know it’s colder outside. You can hear the sherpas moving about and the adrenaline rush is on. I have laid awake for the last four hours going over details in my head of what to bring and what to leave behind, even though I have gone thru the same mental discussions many nights before. I remember distinctly that my climbing partner, David Burger, is sleeping soundly while I am lying awake worrying. Sort of pissed me off, because he had taken a light sleeping pill and I had not. Go figure, he’s sleeping and resting and I’m thinking. I’m also asking myself whether I believe that I have the energy left to make this summit attempt and return safely and with all my digits intact. Questions, questions and questions to mentally answer and then it’s time to start getting ready to go. Since I slept in my down suit and on a low flow of oxygen, getting ready inside the tent doesn’t seem to take long but actually it took nearly an hour to finish packing and putting my boots on. Total food consumption on the climb from camp 3 to camp 4 and leaving at midnight was probably a granola bar and a cup of hot water. Not much for a summit attempt, but it’s what I could get down.

Outside the tent, it’s bitter cold but fortunately not much wind and already the sherpas are moving up the mountain thru the triangular face of Everest. Since I was the oldest in the group, my strategy was that I didn’t need to lead or be first or second or third, but that mentally I had to stay up with the group and that was very important to me. Don’t lag behind or fall back but stay with the group. And so I did and actually felt pretty good. The sherpas in front of me would take about 10 steps in succession and then stop and breathe heavily over their ice axes. Since we are not roped together, I used my old fashion rest step technique and would take a step, take 5 or six breathes, take another step and so on. I usually reached the sherpas while they were still trying to catch their breath, so I could stop and wait for them to move again. Above me, the sherpas were fixing rope on portions of the steeper slopes and so you clip into them or when you can, you look for older fixed rope from previous climbs. Because of the fixed ropes, there is a natural separation in time between the climbers and I was content to be in the rear as long as I stayed close to the group. And so we climbed. No one to talk to, and pretty focused on the next step and the next step and so on. Our guide had said we had a minimum ascent rate that we had to achieve or we were moving too slowly and the first benchmark was being at the balcony by 7:00 am which is roughly 2000 feet above camp 4. I arrived there at 5:30 am and I know others had been there already a half hour or longer. Time to change oxygen bottles, drink a little water, eat a granola bar and keep moving. At this point, I remember telling myself that we are really going to make it. We are way earlier than our guide’s time line, I’m feeling OK and maintaining the pace I want. Yippee, but then I cautioned myself not to get too cocky. But it sure seemed like we had a good shot at the summit. It is still incredibly dark and cold, but my feet and hands seem OK and we’re headed to the summit of Everest which is only another 1,000 feet above us. By $100 new high tech. gloves are frozen and makes it difficult to grip my ice axe and so I switch to some old O.R. mittens and wore them the rest of the time. So much for the high tech solution. But conditions are changing and the wind starts picking up. The sun finally arrives and you feel a little warmer because of it, but the wind is gusting stronger all the time. It’s now 7:30 am, we are standing on the South Summit at 28,600 feet and it’s blowing so hard you can’t hear anyone speak, even when you remove your oxygen mask. But we are on the second highest summit in the world with 400 feet of elevation to go to the highest summit in the world. One of our climbers and the sherpas are in a notch below the South Summit trying to clear a blue climbing rope that is frozen in the snow and which we need to cross over the final summit ridge. It’s not far across the ridge, but it’s a knife edge with a 8,000 foot drop on one side and a 5,000 foot drop on the other. The Hillary step is plainly visible as is the final summit approach to Everest but without a fixed line; it will be very risky to proceed. Our guide is on the radio talking to base camp about the weather conditions and around 8:00 am, he makes the call to turn around. And so the decision is made and we turn around. Hindsight being what it is, it was the right decision at the time, because the 40 mph winds at the South Summit were 100 mph winds at the South Col. When we returned to the camp 4 in the early afternoon, our tents were destroyed and there was no place to recover other than keep heading down the mountain. That’s another story for another time.

 S&TT: DESCRIBE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NEAR THE TOP OF EVEREST. So much has been written by people much more articulate than me, that it’s hard to add many more words, but I will give you my impression. In a single word, it was unbelievably AWESOME. I think the sunrise started somewhere around 6:00 am and the sheer darkness gave way to shapes and figures and more important the horizon. As we continued to slowly climb higher, I could see the surrounding mountains come out of the dawn and could only think that “damn, we are a long way up” as everything was below us. I thought I could see the slight curvature of the earth but that may not be an accurate statement. Even though I had a camera tucked into an inside pocket of my down suit, I never took it out to capture the moment. Max burn rate on our oxygen bottle was 4 liters per minute and I had deliberately set mine for below 3 liters per minute so as to conserve oxygen and still be able to crank it up if I felt I needed it. By the way, oxygen does not “enhance” your performance on the mountain. It’s not the Viagra of mountain climbing. It merely helps your toes and hands stay warm and hopefully your brain to think clearer. But what the heck, you’re here on Everest, so you’ve already demonstrated that you don’t normally think too clear, but it is nice that maybe you won’t freeze any digits. So it was plant the ice axe, take one step, take 4-5 breathes, look for the next step, plant the ice axe and so on. This is a long way of saying that I had plenty of time to reach into my down suit and snap a picture during those 5 breathes, but I didn’t. Could not have captured the grandeur of the mountains anyway. I remember watching the climbers and sherpas in front of me and knowing that there was only one way to go and that was up. And then everyone was stopped at a relatively flat area and I knew we were at the South Summit and only 400 feet in elevation gain to the summit. Never been more alive than in that moment. Oops, did I forget to mention that the wind was screaming like a banshee?

 S&TT: ANY REGRETS FOR TURNING BACK? I say that I have no regrets, but that’s a lie. I think about the decision frequently and although I know that at the time is was absolutely the right one and I’m alive to prove it, there is part of me that wishes we could have continued. But we had no more rope to fix lines to cross the summit ridge, the wind was at least 40-45 mph and it would have been very very risky. That and the fact that our camp 4 had been destroyed due to the same high winds while we were heading to the summit could have spelled disaster for us had we not turned back at the South Summit at 28,600. But everything else was so right for the summit attempt. We were there early in the morning, everyone felt pretty good, including me and I had no doubt that I had sufficient energy left to summit and get safely back to camp 4 to recover. I can still see the summit and Hilary Step ahead of us in my mind and know we could have made it except for the wind. Such is climbing.

 S&TT: ARE YOU GOING TO TRY AGAIN? Hopefully, yes. There are 4 of us, all who have been on Everest before, that are seriously considering an Everest attempt in the spring of 2007 from the Tibet side. We’re still working out the details like the cost and logistics but I think two of us are pretty well committed and the other two are as well. We just need to firm it up and put some money on the line. For me, cost is a major issue and that is partially why we are choosing the North ridge of Everest. That plus it will be a different side of Everest for the whole group.

S&TT: BESIDES EVEREST, WHAT WAS YOUR HARDEST CLIMB? It was probably Agoncagua in Argentina. It’s a tad less than 23,000 feet and not a terribly difficult or technical climb but it’s one of the Seven Summits. The last 1000 feet is in a rock/ scree field that is horrible. One step up and two steps sliding down. It was miserable climbing and at an elevation than I had not experienced before. I just plain ran out of gas on the ascent and only thru sheer will or stubbornness and a patient guide did I make the summit. But then I had nothing left to go down. Physically, my left leg just gave out. There was nothing that I could do other than pick myself up and keep going down. I obviously made it, but it was a long long day. On a positive note, it really helped me focus my training if I wanted to continue climbing big mountains.

S&TT: MOST DANGEROUS CLIMB? Other than Everest, it was Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska. We chose to do what is called the traverse route where you go up the standard West Buttress route but rather than summit and return the way you came, we carried everything up and over and came down the Muldrow glacier. It was absolutely thrilling. It took our group two attempts to finally summit, but then we headed down the other side of the mountain via Karstens ridge. Karstens ridge is a steep narrow ridge with sheer drop offs on both sides. We then had to descend miles of the Muldrow glacier which had hidden crevasses everywhere and then trek across 25 miles of tundra with grizzle bear signs everywhere. And to finish the climb we had to cross 4 rivers, the biggest being the mighty McKinley river. It was one exciting challenge after the other, and the summit of Denali was just part of it. We had a world class guide, a great group and of course, the spectacular Alaska Mountain range. Would I do it again, you bet.

S&TT: EASIEST CLIMB? From my bedroom to the bathroom

Tomorrow more climbing stories, including a summit of Mt. Rainer, the costs of climbing and some thoughts on David Sharp.

Interviews | Mountain Climbing

Tuesday, November 21, 2006 7:28:44 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Steve and the Tank caught up with Garry Porter, a mountain climber from the Seattle, Washington area. Steve met Garry at Mt. Everest Base camp in the fall of 2003 when Garry was attempting to summit the tallest mountain in the world. Garry lives on a small farm in Washington. His hobbies are mountain climbing (duh!), mountain biking, sailing, running and restoration of old cars. Married to Nadine Porter for 42 years. Two children, a daughter Danette and a son Christopher. Four grandchildren, 2 boys and 2 girls. Retired from Boeing after 34 years as an executive responsible for the NATO AWACS program. Masters degree in engineering from Air Force Institute of Technology, undergraduate degree from University of Nebraska. Climbing experiences: Multiple summits on Mt. Rainier, summits on Aconcagua (Argentina), Mt. McKinley/Denali (Alaska), Cotopaxi (Ecuador), Island Peak (Nepal), Cho Oyu (Tibet), Huayana Potosi, Alpamayo, and Illimani (Bolivia), Ama Dablam and Loboche (Nepal), and Ishinca, Urus, Tocllaraju, Chopicalqui, Ausangate (Peru).

This is the first of a three part interview.

WHY DO YOU THINK STEVE ASKED YOU TO WRITE FOR THE BLOG?   To be honest, I haven’t a clue.  I didn’t reach the final summit of Everest because we were turned back by high winds on our second attempt on Nov. 3, 2003.  But Steve and I trekked together to Everest base camp and the following year I took Steve and his friend Kevin to the summit of Mt. Rainier.  Maybe he thinks he owes me something.  So I guess my message is for those of you who read his blog, if summiting is your only criteria for “success” on Everest, then I’m not your boy.  So you just as well go watch reruns of Oprah.  However, if you want some reasonable information about Everest from someone who almost made it, then maybe I’ve got something to say.  But I also want to provide one overriding message.  I consider myself a pretty ordinary guy.  If I can do it, then anyone who trains, gets the prerequisite mountain climbing experience and has strong legs and lungs and a weak mind, has a reasonable chance at the highest mountain in the world.  As Steve will tell you, I am not a super jock kind of guy in size or strength, I’m relatively old by climbing standards (will be 65 in 2007) and I am of limited financial resources in that I am retired from the aerospace industry 7 years ago.  But I have spent the last 15 years gaining experience higher and higher on mountains, am in relatively good physical condition and am incredibly tenacious when it comes to sucking it up when you must in order to keep moving higher.  So with that short introduction, I will proceed to answer Steve and the Tank’s questions.

Steve and the Tank: Well we wanted you to write because you have a great story to tell! Anyway, let's start with an easy one. WHY DO YOU CLIMB MOUNTAINS? 

Where do you start to answer this question without sounding trite?  For me, the answer is not “because it’s there”.  For me, it’s a passion that has evolved and one of the major reasons I retired early. Mountain climbing exposes you to the most absolutely stunning environment in parts of the world that you would not normally get to experience.  It will expose you to different cultures, beliefs and religions (which always help me to put in perspective the over abundance that we enjoy (and take for granted) in our society).  It will also help you learn about yourself, what your limits are and how you respond to physical and mental challenges in an extremely hostile environment. 

S&TT: HOW DID YOU GET INTO MOUNTAIN CLIMBING?  From the time I was a kid in the Midwest, camping and backpacking was part of my life.  Living in the Northwest, with Mt. Rainier in my backyard, it was only natural to want to extend my love of the outdoors with mountain climbing.  When my son was growing up, we went on week long backpacking trips together, and when someone offered us a chance to join them on a climb of Mt. Rainier, we jumped at the opportunity.  My first mountain climbing experience was a summit of Mt. Rainier with my 14 year old son.  It was one of my proudest moments as a father. I was hooked on mountain climbing from then on.

S&TT: WHAT WAS GOING THRU YOUR MIND ON THOSE DAYS LEADING UP TO EVEREST BASE CAMP?  Trekking to base camp is a mixture of fun and anticipation of the struggle that lies ahead.  It’s a chance to enjoy the scenery, the people you met along the way and the rich thick atmosphere of lower elevations.  Good food, fun people to meet and share experiences and ideas, and the excitement of what lies ahead.  It’s also a time to get your mental and spiritual life in synch.  I don’t know why, but in the small mountain villages and ancient Buddhist monasteries I find  more spiritual connection than any church that I’ve ever been in. As part of the trek to base camp, we had a private meeting with Lama Geisha.  The lama is one of the most educated lamas in Nepal and spoke to us of the significance of our climb and said he would offer a prayer for us every day until he returned.  He also presented us a special small gift to be worn around our neck for good luck with the statement that we had to believe in order for us to be protected.  It was a really deep spiritual experience for me and our group and part of the mental preparation for what lies ahead.  Even Steve was unusually moved.  But the trek is mostly about playing, relaxing and enjoying life at its fullest.

S&TT: I WAS MOVED THAT DAY. I STILL HAVE THE STRING AROUND MY NECK 3 YEARS LATER. DESCRIBE BASE CAMP.   WHAT SUPPLIES DO YOU TAKE WITH YOU?  WHAT DID YOU LEAVE AT BASE CAMP?  Base camp on Everest is at 17,300 ft. elevation, and is essentially rock and scree on top of ice.  It is a moving glacier that creaks and groans and is constantly moving and changing.  It’s also an area where you hear avalanches crashing day and night.  It’s gray, cold and initially difficult to move around until you get acclimated to the elevation.  But it’s home for the next 60 plus days and it’s a luxury in comparison to what lies ahead.  It has a cook tent, a dining tent, a communication tent and an open shower tent.  You have your own tent so there is lots of room to get organized but since you are essentially sleeping on ice, the tent has to be moved periodically because your body heat is causing the ice to melt below your sleeping bag.  It’s also home to a lot of  trekkers that are visiting Everest base camp for the first time.  On good weather days, we could see 20-30 visitors to our camp each day.  Most respected that base camp was our home, others just walked in like they owned it.  I finally had to tell one trekker that I didn’t mind that he smoked in front of our dining tent if he didn’t mind if I farted in his face.  He got the message.  But base camp is a wonderful home for the time you are there. 

S&TT: DESCRIBE THE PROCESS OF ACCLIMATION.  Your body needs to get use to the effects of elevation gradually and this becomes more important the higher you climb.  So you use a technique called “climb high and sleep low”.  This means you carry gear higher on the mountain, leave it and then return to lower camp to sleep.  The next day, you climb to where you left your gear and spend the night or several nights there to acclimate.   Then you repeat this process to “leap frog” your way up the mountain.  Gradually your body acclimates to the higher elevations and what was once intolerable becomes acceptable to your body.  One other technique I use to acclimate is to climb using a “rest step” technique combined with what is called “pressure breathing” to help your body adjust to the lower air pressure of higher elevations.  By using the rest step technique you are trying to get your body into a rhythm that allows you to keep moving for hours, days, and weeks without burning out.  It’s not fast, but it’s consistent.  One thing that doesn’t get better is the loss of appetite and there is not much you can do about it.  If you are a runner, then you know that you burn about 1,000 calories per hour and probably more when you are climbing.  So, on a typical climbing day you may burn 8,000 or 10,000 calories and there is no way you are going to be able to eat enough to replace the calories, especially since your appetite decreases dramatically.  Consequently, you will experience a major weight loss on these longer expeditions.  I have lost as much as 28 pounds on climbing trips, which is significant because you know you are losing critical muscle mass and resultant strength and endurance.

S&TT: WHAT ROLE DO GUIDES AND PORTERS PLAY? On major expeditions, for me, guides make the difference between success, failure and safety. They know the environment, the safe conditions for climbing and when to go and when to hold up. I believe it is absolutely stupid to consider a major climb without the use of qualified guides (unless you have some form of a death wish). I know people who attempt major mountains without a guide, and if all goes absolutely perfect, then they do OK. But things going absolutely perfect is not the real world on major mountains and having the experience and expertise of a guide becomes critical to the success of the trip. I like to think that if I take care of myself, have prepared for the climb to the absolute maximum of my ability, then I can let all the decision making be done by the experts. Saves a lot of mental wear and tear on the climb. As far as the sherpas are concerned, they are absolutely the hardest working, most gentle people that you will ever meet. They laugh, they are extremely playful and in a sense, very innocent. They do all the hard work of setting up camps, fixing rope, hauling all the heavy loads and then we, Westerners, claim all the glory of the summit. I can not say enough good things about them. The success of the trip is absolutely dependent on good sherpas.

Interviews | Mountain Climbing

Monday, November 20, 2006 10:06:12 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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While taping interviews for Saturday's "Immortality Bowl", former Michigan Head Coach and Ohio State Assistant Coach Bo Schembechler passed onto the Coaches Corner of Heaven on Friday morning.  Coach Schembechler passed while doing what he loved -- talking and being college football.  Instead of seeing his doctor on his regular appointment on Thursday, Coach Schembechler addressed the Michigan players one last time before they left for Columbus since he was not well enough to travel.

He is respected so much that the pro-Ohio State punk band, "The Dead Schembechlers", will disband after Friday's "Hate Michigan" concert and donate proceeds to a charity the Schembechler Family names.

My college football picks are normally games where both teams are ranked. I don't consider it fair to pick # 3 Florida over Division I-AA Western Carolina. However, for Steve's girlfriend Kathleen, I make the following exception: #9 Rutgers wins a tougher than expected game at unranked Cincinnati.  Cincy will want to upset the Scarlet Knights who upset Louisville the week before and become bowl eligible with a sixth win.  Though I am a fan of Big East rival Syracuse, I give Rutgers their due because of the amount of money they have sunk into their program.  Head Coach Schiano has done a good job of keeping New Jersey's best high school football talent home as well as recruiting out of state.  James Gandolfini is a Rutgers alumnus and I want to stay on his good side as I have been mistaken for looking like Tony Soprano by Dominican Luis as well as the "Boys from Brasil".  (On my trip to the Great Wall Marathon last year, the "Boys from Brasil" called me "Soprano" for my leadership skills through Mao's Mausoleum, more in my upcoming book.)

College Football | NFL

Saturday, November 18, 2006 12:42:25 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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(1) Game Match up: Ohio State has the experience advantage at quarterback with Heisman Trophy candidate Troy Smith though Michigan's Chad Henne has come into his own this year. Michigan is tough especially with the return of Mario Manningham who will look to make a big homecoming as he is from Ohio.  He doesn't have as many catches as Buckeye receiver and returner Ted Ginn Jr. but keeping Manningham from making the big catch is one of my keys to the game. Steve Breaston and Adrian Arrington need to keep the Ohio State secondary honest.  However, Ohio State's kicking game didn't convert an extra point and field goal last week against Northwestern.  I am certain they are working on it this week.

(2) Personal Academic Match up: I have had academic relationships with both schools, attending the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research at the University of Michigan in the summer of 1993 and being accepted to graduate school in Eastern European Studies at the Ohio State University in 1994.  While at ICPSR, I met Professor Ronald Inglehart who is behind much of the polling research after each Presidential Election. Amazing for statistics geeks like me!  I did not go to Ohio State because funding in Eastern Europe had dried up as the countries in those areas, Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia were disintegrating and university teaching jobs and tenure were becoming harder to find.  Both Michigan and Ohio State are top academic institutions.

(3) Friends Toss-up: The game is even when it comes down to the fans as I have friends on both sides of the field.  Father figures like Detroit Dale attended Michigan and Columbus Craig lives in Columbus, Ohio.  I have already offered Craig "lots of beer and possibly a kidney to sell on eBay" if he comes across an extra ticket for me.  As for my contemporaries, I know former BGSU and European pro linebacker Vinnie Palko is from Ohio and rooting for the Buckeyes.  John Wood used to play for the Wolverines and John has the strongest handshake grip you will ever shake.  (John's dad Kim was a 28 year strength coach for the Cincinnati Bengals.)  Let's hope the sparks die down by the time of world martial artist champion Matt Furey's upcoming health seminar where the Tank is honored to be invited to talk about his Seven Marathon Continents (fourth from the bottom on the left) as well as Vinnie, John, and others will be speaking at Matt's seminar.

(4) Conclusion: I give Ohio State the edge because of (1) home field advantage and (2) The Dead Schembechlers will keep the joint jumping by playing inside the Horseshoe.  The Dead Schemblechers are a Columbus based punk band named after the former Michigan Coach Bo Schemblecher though they dress like former Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes.  (They are more conflicted than the Tank.)  The Dead Schembechlers sing songs like "Bomb Ann Arbor Now" and "Wolverine Destroyer" and are playing an all ages "Hate Michigan" show in Columbus the night before the game.  Rumors of former Michigan Coach Schembechler's demise are wrong as he is thankfully okay after a recent pace maker operation.  Get better soon Coach Schembechler!

College Football

Friday, November 17, 2006 12:55:50 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Was the question I posed to the nice checkout lady in the Penn Station McDonalds after she told me that this McDonalds does not have Dr. Pepper. As I wait to pick up my sister and her kids, Allison and Matthew (who I recently ran over his hand ice skating and he had to have 9 stitches) a fellow customer tells me Dr. Pepper was a PhD. Figures that you have to be super smart to come up with that secret formula.

After the kids eat happy meals, we enter the world’s most famous arena: Madison Square Garden, and hope to witness the NY Knicks first home victory of the year (against the Wizards). After some time at the souvenir booth where Matthew buys a Knicks flag with his own money (very important for a 7 year old), we settle into our seats, right behind the 1^st half home basket.

The game was flowing well and 5’9 Nate Robinson gave Matthew and me hope to join the NBA one day. The Wizards being the NBA best scoring team and the Knicks, well just stink, I was not hopeful, even when the Knicks had a “commanding” 5 point lead at times. Rookie Renaldo Balkman scored a season-high 18 points and put on a good show. The Knicks were up at the half!

Then it got fun. First the jumbo-tron put up a live image of Mark Messier. (Then they showed his retired jersey hanging from the garden ceiling.) Then guess what? He was sitting next to Charles Oakley! The crowd went wild! After the standing O, Oak stood and waved to the crowd. I explained to Allison and Matthew all about Oak and that it was slightly before their time. When I used to work at MSG, Oak was my favorite player. I also told the kids about bang sticks and how they use to give them out when your basket faced the visitors.

Then low and behold they came out with the bang sticks! The kids went wild and the Knicks went back to their old ways and committed about 7 fouls in the 3^rd period, so 14 free throws gave the kids lots of opportunity to band the sticks and distract the players. Unfortunately the Wizards convert 13 of 14 free throws. But the kids feel they helped the Knicks with that 14^th free throw. Bang sticks + 2 kids under 10 + 14 free throws= FUN!

The kids have to leave to catch the train back home at the start of the 4^th, I tell the kids to bring the sticks over Grandma's for Thanksgiving dinner. I hang back and watch the most solid defense of the year and the Knicks win the first home game of the year 102-82.

Posted by Steve, Live from the World's Most Famous Area

Live! | NBA

Thursday, November 16, 2006 9:08:48 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Hi Craig,

            How are you?  Well, I hope.

Thank you very much for agreeing to do the "Steve and The Tank" Interview.   

1. How did you get started in running?     Had back surgery and realized my career as a professional bull rider was drawing to a close.

2. Why do you run?  Admit it you just don't have much else to do. I’ve been running so long I can’t remember. It’s like asking why I breathe.

3. I assume your friends are like mine, they can't even name the 50 states.  It obviously was not for bragging rights, so why did you run a marathon in all 50 states? On all 7 continents?  I was the most ignorant person I knew when it came to Geography…. One of the downfalls that comes from running with grade school teachers. Also it works better for getting out of the house without the mate.  That gives at least fifty excuses to get out of town with the guys.

4. The Tank looks like a Tank when he runs he is so banged up from running too much. Do you have any knee issues, etc?   No real joint issues to speak of.  Been very lucky in that respect.  Clean living I guess.

5. Ever run a marathon with an injury?  I’ve run marathons with a pain in the ass, but I just pretend to have to pee and let them get ahead so I don’t have to listen to them anymore.

6. Best state to run a marathon in?  California (see answer to question 9).

7. Worst state to run a marathon in? A drunken state.

8. Favorite marathon story? 18 miles in to Big Sur there was a shapely, beautiful blonde (girl) writhing on the ground. I thought she was shedding clothes due to the heat. She stripped down to nothing but her running shoes, put her bib number in her teeth and posed for a picture with arms and legs spread out. I had a tough time finishing the race after that due to a severe relocation of blood.

9. Congratulations on finishing a marathon in all 50 States and 7 Continents.  How long did it take you to finish both?   I haven’t finished the seven continents yet (3 to go) It took me twenty years to do the fifty states. I plan on seven years for the continents. One a year should give me time to enjoy them more.

10. What possessed you to do it?    I’m still trying to figure that out.

11. What is the strangest thing that was ever confiscated from you in Customs? Strangest travel story?    The only thing I’ve ever had regarding a customs agent was coming back from the Toronto Marathon.  The agent asked if I’d been in Canada on business or pleasure and I said neither.  When I told him I was there for the marathon he said he guessed I was right and let me pass.

12. I think you did some hiking of the Grand Canyon last year with our fellow Antarcticamaniac Eric Stover.  What was that like?   We’ve been hiking the canyon for over ten years.  It is one of the most fantastic hikes you can do for endurance and a good butt whipping.  As with most of the Antarctica bunch, it is always great to see them.

13. You had a chance to spend some time with your wife Kathy and two daughters during the NYC Half Marathon weekend.  What was the social and running experience like?  What was most memorable?  Had a fantastic time.  Went to shows, ate at delis, went to Chinatown.  Running was strange.  Heading south along the river to Battery Park I kept trying to imagine the Towers still there. Having only seen them a couple times on prior trips I don’t know how locals can take it.  That was the visual version of silence being deafening.

14. What's next?  Any other destination marathons you want to run?  Next continent will be Victoria Falls, Africa.

15. As you passed me after I injured my back in the Fin Del Mundo Marathon in Ushuaia, Argentina, you said there is a beer waiting at the finish line.    We knew you had to be hurting the way you were walking. You were only a mile or two from the finish and we knew you’d tough it out. We do this for the pain and boy do we get our money’s worth.

16. What is your favorite beer? My quick answer is “any” …actually given the choice I go for Bass or Harp’s.  I have been know to drink warm, flat  light beer. I have yet to get to the point of drinking spilled beer out of an ashtray so I guess there’s still hope.

(Instead of beer, I asked for a chiropractor and got some codeine or an equivalent prescription drug from a runner from the other boat but I still had sharp back pain through the night and on the way home the next day.).

17. Being that you live in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Yankees AAA affiliate (changed since question was posed), what players have you seen come through there over the years?  Have you had a chance to meet any of them?  Besides running, what other sports do you follow?  Ohio State Buckeyes football?  Well, since this writing I’m sure you know Columbus is no longer the Yankees affiliate.  We got canned and now are the Nationals affiliate.  We’ve seen Strawberry.  Buckeye football rules the fall in Columbus.  We do have the NHL Bluejackets now and get to see your Rangers,  Islanders, and the Devils.  I’ve had season tickets since the opening year.

18. Outside of running, you are an entrepreneur if memory serves.  How did you start Wanner Metalworx?  Congratulations on the OSU stadium project.  (BTW, the Buckeyes are The Tank's pre-season college football #1 pick)  You could call me an entrepreneur but the fact is that I just couldn’t work for anyone else.  My travel and vacations would be hard for someone else to put up with.  My secret is to hire people smarter than me and get out of their way so they can do their jobs.  Few people object to a boss who doesn’t micro-manage them.

19. During the Antarctica trip, you were (in)famous for your knowledge of Monty Python.  What is your favorite Monty Python movie?  Quote?  By far, my favorite movie was the Holy Grail. It is so full of quotes that I can’t really pick one. Spank me next, I only want to sing, merely a flesh wound, what is your quest, trivia:

a. The four capitals of Assyria are located in what is currently Iraq.

b. Funds earned by Pink Floyd’s album "The Dark Side of the Moon" went towards funding The Holy Grail.  The band were such fans of the show they would halt recording sessions just to watch  Monty Pythons Flying Circus.

Factual errors: When they are in the cave and reading the message in Aramaic their heads move from left to right.  When reading Aramaic your head moves from right to left.

20. Steve is being stalked by supermodel and X-Men movie star Famke Jenssen as well as hot Turkish singers. Anyone stalking you?   Sometimes it seems like the IRS is.

Steve's Bonus Question:  Any cute SINGLE daughters or nieces to set The Tank up with?  I tried and Julia Stiles does not return my emails.    Seems like the Tank would intimidate mere mortal women with his knowledge of sports, music, religion, and life.  I think if the Tank is looking for equals he should travel to places like Mount Olympus and hope for women of mythical proportions.

Thank you very much for your time.  See you on the roads.

Sincerely,

Steve and The Tank

P.S. The photo below is Columbus Craig and the Tank drinking beer and orange juice, respectively, in the Ushuaia, Argentina, airport enroute home on, March 7, 2005, or so they thought.  After running the Antarctica Marathon on February 26, 2005, and the Fin Del Mundo Marathon on March 6, 2005, little did Columbus Craig, the Tank, and the rest of the Gang were beginning of their third, unscheduled, and hardest marathon of the trip.  The long road home started on March 7, 2005, and got longer through a long layover in Buenos Aires, weather delays to Atlanta, and finally home.  

After being bumped off at least four flights from Atlanta to New York (including first class with NH Diane) on March 8, 2005, the Tank offered to take the Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith look-a-like pilot up on his offer to fly the plane to Hawaii because none were going to the Northeast.  The Tank flawlessly slipped into one of his characters (my pscychologist doesn't like me to call them "personalities") Murdock in his patented crazy role from the "A-Team".  (Like Murdock, the Tank knows how to fly a helicopter as he took a helicopter lesson with BayRidge Bob, Howard, and one of Howard's friends in August 2002 near Princeton, New Jersey.)  The Tank quickly recruited "Face" and "B.A. Baracus" look-a-likes to round out the crew.  Atlanta Homeland Security did not bother arresting the Tank because they know he is a loveable lunatic and a non-terrorist in the need of sleep, shower, and a soulmate.  After a few hours, the Tank finally got an Atlanta hotel room and got the shower and sleep he desperately needed.  He didn't care that he landed the next evening on March 9, 2005, in LaGuardia and his luggage landed in JFK because his back hurt too much from the second marathon in eight days and didn't want to schlep it anyway.  Soulmate still pending.  Keep checking back for more on the Tank and his love, running, and sports adventures.      

Posted by Steve and The Tank in NY.

Interviews | Running

Wednesday, November 15, 2006 2:23:55 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Or Steve at Mile 10.

Running

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 3:47:50 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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