01:00 AM EST on Monday, March 28, 2005

Even Martin Tighe's so-called "tune-ups" are extreme.

Preparing for next month's attempt at a world record for most miles run on a treadmill in a 24-hour period, the former North Pole Marathon winner and ultra-runner from Providence decided to test his conditioning by going for the 12-hour mark just over a week ago and stepped off the treadmill with four world records.

He ran on a treadmill from 6:15 a.m. to 6:15 p.m. March 19 at the NordicTrack store at the Emerald Square Mall, a location chosen because the Guinness Book of World Records requires that a record attempt be made where it can be viewed by the public. The Englishman, 46, covered 85.83 miles, surpassing the previous mark of 85.68 set by Serge Arbona on Jan. 24, 2004 in Towson, Md.

Tighe also broke three other records, setting marks for 50K (3:44:48), 50 miles (6:06:19) and 100K (7:39:31). (Guinness has to analyze Tighe's detailed documentation of the run before the records are official.)

"It was probably one of the most wonderful moments I've had in running," he said. "It's one of the toughest challenges I've ever done."

Running for such a long period on a treadmill becomes both a psychological and physical battle, says Tighe.

Looking at pictures of mountain scenes and the ocean from a motivational calendar and listening to music on an iPod that he borrowed from a friend helped break the monotony.

Having the support of his wife Marcia , friends and family, and fellow runners Ray Nelson and Bob Jackman helped him get through the tough stretches. Also spuring him on were members of the Attleboro High School track team and the school's Network Program, who know Tighe as a coach and counselor. Even mall shoppers helped him along.

"Psychologically, I was able to get into different states of mind and lose myself for 30 to 40 minutes," he said.

Although he is about to lose the nail off his left big toe, Tighe said his body held up relatively well. He developed severe stomach cramps and tightness in his leg muscles and considered stopping after he had broken the 100K record, but caught his second wind after walking and jogging for the next few miles.

"There is definitely a strategy behind doing it," he said. "I sort of fell apart after the 100K because I had put too much effort in, but I knew that would happen. Ray Nelson was so nurturing. It was nice to have him there at the end. He was such a calming presence. The last two miles were great. There were 50 to 100 people cheering me on because they knew it was close. They were counting the seconds down. It was just phenomenal."

Tighe says the 12-hour run has been a valuable experience for him as he prepares for the 24-hour run.

"I think in some ways (the 24-hour run) will be easier," he said. "The pace will be a lot slower. I will be able to eat more and drink more. And I won't be as stressed, because it was real hard to go after the other three (time) records (in addition to the 12-hour mileage record)."

Tighe's next endeavor -- part of a "Go the Distance" initiative encouraging kids to stay in school -- will begin at 12 p.m. on April 29. He will run in the lobby of Attleboro principal Jackie Proulx's school office.

Close to a dozen teams, including one led by Attleboro mayor Kevin Dumas , have already signed up for the team challenge, which will take place simultaneously on other treadmills, and Tighe invites other groups to take part. The object is to see which team of five can log the most miles in an hour.

The Network Program students are also still collecting pledges for each mile Tighe completes. Anyone interested in providing sponsorship or in participating in the related team challenge events can  contact either Tighe or network coordinator Kathy Vespia.