BY JAMES A. MEROLLA / SUN CHRONICLE STAFF

ATTLEBORO -- Warming up for his next marathon won't mean merely stretching leg muscles for teacher Martin Tighe -- it will mean trying to avoid frostbite on any of his extremities.

Tighe, 44, an adjustment counselor for at-risk students affiliated with Attleboro High School, is trying to find a treadmill, a meat locker and a large fan to prepare him by simulating the conditions of the first-ever North Pole Marathon on April 17, 2003.

You read that right.

An enterprise called Global Expedition, Inc. has announced that a new extreme running adventure -- the world's first competitive marathon race to be held at the geographic North Pole, will be run on that date, and Tighe will be among the handful of runners who have signed up to trudge 26.2 miles in air so cold it hurts your lungs to breathe it across ice 14 feet thick-- the only thing separating runners from the depths of a 14,000-foot ocean.

`` People ask me why I work with at-risk kids. It's a challenge. And this is a challenge as well,'' said Tighe, a native of England. He has taught students who haven't yet fully succeeded within traditional academic high school programs at AHS for five years now.

`` I've got to think on my feet all the time. I enjoy the fact that the place is inhospitable. At the same time, these are challenges that I can overcome. Many of our kids face many challenges throughout their lives -- educational issues, emotional issues,'' he said.

The Network's program coordinator Kathy Vespia said that Tighe is running this race as an example to his students of what can be accomplished in this world.

`` Having worked with adolescents in the last 30 years, they like to see if adults walk the talk. Are we role models? Do we walk the talk?'' asked Vespia. `` Martin has taken this to another level. He's walking the talk '85 only way up north.''

Vespia and Tighe -- who also is a middle-distance cross-country coach at AHS -- say the value of being a role model to students at risk cannot be measured in miles just like a race. Students at the Pine Street Armory -- the home of The Network -- will actually be able to track Tighe's progress through computer video and audio images as he runs across the giant slab of ice.

Marathoners will be flown from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, some 180 miles south of the Arctic Circle, to Ice Base Borneo, a Russian camp situated on the drifting pack ice in the high Arctic Ocean region near the actual North Pole.

After landing on the 14-foot thick Blue Ice Runway, runners will spend a day at Camp Borneo preparing for the race. When the weather is clear, the team will board a helicopter flight to the starting line located at the exact geographic North Pole.

After being flown to 90 degrees north latitude, runners will warm up (if that's possible) on the Arctic Ice Floe as they circle the world, passing through all lines of longitude. A flagged route set up to avoid any leaks of open water and pressure ridges will mark the runner's course.

`` The dangers? Frostbite, the occasional polar bear,'' said Tighe.

`` There are these things called leads. They are cracks in the ice. They can be 20 feet long or a half-mile wide. I'll have to go around them.''

The scheduled 26.2-mile course might be 28 miles or more when you add the extra running Tighe and the other runners might have to do to avoid such cracks in the ice or through any disorientation.

Runners will quickly need to acclimate to the rough terrain of snow, ice, pressure ridges and the minus 30 degree Fahrenheit to minus 60 degree temperatures (with wind chill). Experienced guides will patrol the quiet expanse of white ice, keeping their eyes open for any new leads and the rare bear that might threaten a runner's safety.

`` They are talking about putting one long rope up the entire course to mark it,'' said Tighe. `` There can be snow blindness. You could get disoriented.'' Tighe wears thick glasses while teaching, the prescription for which will be transferred to thick goggles.

`` How do you keep your water unfrozen?'' Vespia asked him. `` How do you keep your beverage from becoming popsicles?'' Tighe believes insulated packs attached to his side will do the trick.

The Providence resident will have to draw on his experience both in running marathons and enduring freezing white-out conditions. Tighe has finished six marathons, including races in Boston, New York and Holland, and he was the top American finisher in the Ocean State Marathon in Rhode Island a year ago.

Tighe has also climbed 20,000-foot peaks in the Mount Everest region of the Himalayas, in his youth, another vault of knowledge from which he'll draw.

He actually looks forward to the frozen conditions. Tighe greets them with a winning smile and an eternal twinkle.

`` It would be fabulous if the weather conditions remain the way they are here,'' he said of the cold temperatures and frozen tundra that has been Massachusetts for most of the month. `` I want the practice conditions to meet the race conditions in the Arctic in April.''

If it warms up suddenly this winter, Tighe has a solution for that, too.

`` I'd love to be able to get a meat locker and a treadmill and a fan blowing in on me in the locker,'' he said. `` I want those same conditions. I'm serious.''

`` Students have faith,

`` I think he's crazy,'' said Regina Buxton, 17, one of his senior students.

`` I don't know. He's quick,'' added 17-year-old junior Mark Coburn. `` We played games together. We played capture the flag. I don't think anyone can catch him. I tried to chase him myself, and I was out of wind. He's good. All of The Network students have faith in him.''

`` North Pole? I think that's all Martin,'' said John Silveira, 17, another junior. `` The only person I can picture going to the North Pole and running the marathon is Martin.''

Race organizers don't expect more than 20 runners total to run this inaugural North Pole Marathon. At the moment, eight runners have signed up to do it. The favorite has to be Dick Beardsley, Tighe said, a runner his age who, at his peak, in 1982 finished just two seconds behind legendary Alberto Salazar in the Boston Marathon with a world-class time of 2:08. That race remains one of Boston's closest finishes ever.

Tighe is not thinking just about survival. He wants to win the thing even though he has no idea if there is any prize to be had beyond the satisfaction of doing it. So, he has to raise about $10,000 in order to try to win $0.

`` There is nothing in the literature that names any cash prizes,'' he said. `` I'm looking at what I'm doing in the Arctic and trying to bring it to the program here.

`` As a coach, I'm hoping to access the kids at the school who will go out and sponsor me. I'm not just a person on an island. I want to empower them so that they will be a part of someone doing this for them, a part of the community.''

He is undaunted. It's not the first time he's ventured to a frighteningly strange locale, armed only with a map.

Just listen to his tale of how he first came to Fall River:

`` I was in Manchester, England, at Manchester University in the 80s, and I saw an ad in the newspaper, the Manchester Guardian. It read, `Youth workers needed in America.' So, I interviewed over there and got the job at the Key Program in Rhode Island. I looked at a map and said, `My God, Rhode Island. What an exotic place to work.' I thought it was an island.

`` They first situated me in Fall River,'' he went on. `` I got this picture in my mind of beautiful rivers, falling down, cascading waterfalls, and I had an idea, `I'm going to have such a great time canoeing, kayaking'85' When I saw it, my bubble burst. They did show me one river, the Taunton River.''

At least in the North Pole, he'll know what to expect.Martin Tighe is looking for corporate, business or individual sponsors to raise the $10,000 to journey for the 10 days to the North Pole and surrounding stations. He is taking personal days out of school and will not be paid during the time he leaves in April. Anyone wishing to contribute may contact Tighe or Vespia at The Network Program, 508-223-1549 or 1569 or email Tighe at mmhct@aol.com.

An Extreme Running Adventure

 Introduction

 Global Expedition Inc has announced that the world’s first competitive marathon race at the Geographic North Pole will take place on April 17^th, 2003. It is hoped that Martin Tighe an educator at Attleboro High School Network Program will be one of those at the starting line for this extreme running adventure.

 Since high school, Martin has endeavored to explore his own physical limits, while experiencing some of the most beautiful and dangerous places on earth.  In 1985 Martin visited Nepal and over a three month period of time scaled some of the more difficult peaks in the Himalayan region of Everest National Park.  Three years later, fulfilling another dream, Martin reached the highest peak of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. In addition he has kayaked the white waters of Europe and North America, raced in numerous marathons in Holland, Germany and England, and continues to successfully compete in marathons in and around New England. 

 In preparing for this adventure Martin and the marathon team will be flown from Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, just south of the Artic Circle, to Ice Base Borneo, a Russian camp situated on the drifting pack ice in the high Arctic Ocean Region near the Geographic North Pole. After landing on the 14 foot thick Blue Ice Runway, the adventurers will spend a day at Camp Borneo preparing for the race. When the weather is clear and all systems are go, the team will board their helicopter flight to the starting line located at the exact Geographic North Pole. 

  After being flown to 90 degrees north latitude, runners will warm up on the Arctic Ice Floe as they circle the world passing through all lines of longitude. A flagged route set up to avoid any leaks (open water) and pressure ridges will mark the runner’s course. As runners set out on their adventure they will need to quickly acclimatize to the rough terrain of snow, ice, pressure ridges and the minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 60 degrees with wind chill factor. Experienced guides will patrol the expanse of white ice with eyes open for both new leads and the rare polar bear that might threaten the runner’s safety. After a few miles the runners will find their pace and the athletes will be ready to make history as a new breed of Arctic explorer.

 Purpose of this project:

 The purpose of education is to empower students and enrich their appetite for learning.  This project is about challenges.  It is about setting goals, taking risks, and developing the confidence to overcome barriers. At-risk students face challenges every day in school requiring them to meet often overwhelming social, emotional, and academic demands. In the age of accountability and high stakes testing the challenges placed upon these students has never been greater.

 In the end it’s our hope that this project encourages our students to follow their dreams and pursue alternate activities that will enrich their lives.

 No Child Left Behind legislation mandates that education address the needs of at-risk students.  Through the use of technology the project will truly leave no child behind. Students will interact and communicate each day with Martin asking and answering questions about the geography, climate, and the environmental impacts that are facing the Arctic Circle. Throughout this entire extreme running adventure students will also have the opportunity to follow him every step of the way making them an integral part of the experience.     

 Background

 In 1998, Attleboro High School administration recognized the need to create an alternative high school program for students most at risk of dropping out and who are not achieving adequate success in their existing programs. In September of that year, a program called the Network was established. It was modeled after the nationally recognized alternative school, the MET School, created by Dennis Littky and Elliot Washor in Providence, RI.

 The Vision     

 The Network Program will provide for students a highly qualified staff intensive, relevant, student-engaged, authentic learning experience. The program will foster successful school completion, and the establishment of a learning community in which all members are empowered to bring about change for themselves and others.

 The Mission

 The Network’s mission is to develop an individualized educational environment, which allows at-risk students to become confident, competent, productive, and responsible citizens.

 Program Goals

 The main goal of the program is to help students overcome barriers to learning in order to optimize their academic, social and emotional, and physical well-being. This is accomplished through the active involvement of school and community-based support services.

 Authentic Education Project

 A main goal of the Network Program is to connect students to the real world outside of the school walls. Projects can be designed and have the potential to include elements that enhance students’ interest and values, including variety, challenge, choice, cooperation, and closure in the service of answering real questions.                                  

 Network students will be engaged in mapping out the logistics of the project. Students will identify specific tasks through the establishment of a comprehensive learning plan. Learning will include the acquisition of research, planning, organizing and implementation skills that may be utilized in the future. The integration of technology will enhance student interest by providing a variety of activities at diversified levels of difficulty that may match the students’ knowledge and skill set.  It will be used to give students’ access to authentic data as electronic networks present an easy access to key sources of information. Computer technology and the planning and implementation of this project provide a means of communication with other students across the world.

   The need for support

 Unfortunately the desire to participate is not the only criteria for such a project.  Funds are desperately needed for registration and travel to the North Pole, making technological support and corporate sponsorship essential to the success of this endeavor.  While the trip is expensive we feel it is obtainable and therefore any contribution is actively sought to make this dream a reality.

 Anyone wishing to donate to this project please make checks payable to: North Pole Project, Send to  Bristol County Savings Bank, 130 Pleasant St, Attleboro MA. 

 For more information contact  the Network Program 508-223-1549 or 508-223-1569:

Martin Tighe – Program Counselor

Kathy Vespia – Program Coordinator

http://www.northpolemarathon.com