Tim Borland receives encouragement from students at Holly Lane Elementary School during his 37th marathon in as many days. (West Life photo by Kevin Kelley)

MARATHON MAN:
Borland runs through Westlake
to raise money to fight rare disease
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Oct. 17, 2007

In her stand-up routine, comedian Ellen DeGeneres used to tell a joke about her geriatric grandmother who began walking five miles a day five years ago.

“We don’t know where the hell she is today,” the punchline went.

Well, California resident Tim Borland began running 26.2 miles day on Sept. 3, and last week he was in Westlake.

Borland, an ultra-runner and trainer, is running 63 marathons in 63 days to raise money for ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a rare, fatal genetic disease that affects children. A-T causes loss of muscle control due to brain cell death. It is said to combine the symptoms of cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, cystic fibrosis and cancer.

Those with the disease are usually confined to wheelchairs by age 10 and usually die in their teens or early 20s.

Borland was inspired to start the marathon fund-raiser, called the A-T Cure Tour, after meeting a family who had a daughter afflicted with A-T.

“I was definitely compelled, just being a father,” Borland told West Life. “I was drawn in to really wanting to help out. And I had been running for quite some time, and I was looking for a chance to combine my passion of running with a purpose. So this turned out to be just the right fit.”

The Westlake marathon was Borland’s 37th of the 63. So how did he feel after running 943 miles?

“I feel great, surprisingly,” he said. “I feel strong.”

He said he’s eating constantly in an effort to maintain his body weight, taking in about 7,000 calories a day. He eats peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the run along with energy bars, Ensure liquid supplements and Endurox sports recovery drink.

He has 10 pairs of Asics running shoes that he cycles through during the tour.

Tim Borland begins his A-T Cure Tour Oct. 9 at Crocker Park. (West Life photo by Kevin Kelley)

Borland began his marathon at Crocker Park, where he was given a proclamation by Ward 5 Councilman Ken Brady. The proclamation, signed by Mayor Dennis Clough, declared Oct. 9, the day of his marathon through the streets of Westlake, as Tim Borland Day in the city.

Nearly two hours after starting, Borland ran through the oval at Holly Lane Elementary School, where students cheered him on and chanted “Borland! Borland!”

The marathon finished at the Westlake Recreation Center, where Borland was joined by others in a fun run on the center’s running path.

While running, Borland wears a Zephyr BioHarness strap on his chest that records the electrical responses of his heart (ECG) and heart rate, breathing rate and skin temperature. The results are monitored by scientists from the Human Performance Lab at Stanford University.

Accompanying Borland during the A-T Cure Tour are his wife, Michelle, and his two children – 3 years old and 15 months — as well as other supporters who travel in a rented RV.

What was her reaction when he told her he was going to run a marathon a day across the country for two months?

“I did tell him he was insane. I really did,” she said. But she had confidence that he could manage the enduring challenge based on his history of athleticism.

“It’s definitely different, and it’s stressful at times,” she said. “But it’s worked out just fine.”

And joining him during his Westlake run were Dave and Mary Veldink, who lived in Westlake from 1992 to ’96. Mary taught at Hilliard Elementary School. Now residents of Grand Rapids, Mich., the two are parents of Kate and Olivia, who have both been diagnosed with A-T.

For more information about the A-T Cure Tour and to donate money, go online to www.atcp.org.