Kevin Tilton' s Interview with Amber Ferreira: 3,000 miles for MD, Whitaker Woods, Beating Jim Johnson

We were lucky enough to have the ability to interview Kevin Tilton to talk with him about his upcoming snowshoe race, Whitaker Woods(the second race in the Granite Snowshoe Series) as well about his goal to run 3,000! miles in 2011 to raise money for muscular dystrophy. He's asking for donations as low as 1 penny per mile, but we told him if he could run 3,333 we'd pay him a whopping 3 pennies per mile! Big Spenders. But seriously, such a great cause and definitely worth thinking about donating. And without further ado, here's Amber's Interview with Kevin:

Amber: How did you get started with running?
Kevin: I ran my first road race in 6th grade at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway. I grew up a car racing fan and thought it would be fun to run a race there. From there I joined the track and cross country teams in high school and never looked back.

Amber: Favorite Running Memory?
Kevin: The parade for the opening ceremonies at the 2005 World Mountain Running Trophy in Wellington, New Zealand. Wearing the US uniform in the streets of a foreign country was pretty cool.

Amber: Tell us more about running 3,000 miles for Muscular dystrophy:
Kevin: My Dad was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in his late 30's. It is known as a young person's disease, but it can manifest later in life. My Dad was a hard worker and wouldn't let it keep him down. He passed away this summer and I thought it would be a great way to honor him by getting pledges for every mile I run in 2011. My goal is 3000 miles for the year. If everyone pledged a penny per mile, that would be a $30 donation per person. I think it's a great way for a community of active, physically fit people to help people who face physical challenges everyday.

Amber: Would you consider yourself a mountain runner who is also good on the roads or the other way around?
Kevin: I would definitely consider myself a mountain runner who races on the roads. I don't really enjoy training on the roads anymore, but I do enjoy racing on them. I think my road racing helps my mountain and trail running and vise-versa.

Amber: Favorite Distance...P.R's...?
Kevin: The longer and gnarlier the better. 5ks hurt too much!

Amber: We’ve seen you be a part of Tuckerman’s Inferno, ever think about doing triathlons?
Kevin: I can swim enough to not drown, so I don't see any in my future. I have done one duathlon (Wildman Biathlon) and that was a lot of fun. The Tuckerman Inferno team event is one of the most fun races I have ever done.

Amber: What's your favorite pre race meal?
Kevin: I love pasta, but I usually have pizza the night before a race. It's been a tradition of mine since high school.

Amber: Head to Head snowshoe racing- you vs. Jim Johnson? Too close to call?
Kevin: On a fast, groomed course, Jim will usually blow my doors off, but I think I've got him on a hilly, mashed potatoes type course.

Amber: This weekend is Whitaker Woods. What should we be expecting?
Kevin: It should be a pretty fun course. It's about 3 miles of groomed ski trail and a mile of singletrack. The whole course gains about 400 feet. I ran a tempo on it a few weeks ago in 32 minutes, so it should be pretty fast.

Kevin in 2008 running the Rivah!