Home is where you run

Home … just a little warmer.

Dr. Nate Carlson was born an island boy. Raised on Orcas Island, the largest of the San Juan Islands archipelago in northwest Washington state, his love of the ocean matched strides with his love of running.

He found success on the track the first time he heard the starter’s pistol at age 12, making one of his favorite events — the 4×400 relay — a metaphor for his life. High school handed off to college (All-American at Saint Martin’s in Lacey, Wash.), which handed off to the U.S. Army-Baylor Doctoral Program in physical therapy.

Courtesy of his military commitment, Carlson had a lap around the world, with assignments in Texas, Missouri, Washington, D.C., and Iraq. In 2010, he came full circle — albeit 27 degrees south and sometimes 60 degrees warmer than Orcas — back "home" when he was stationed at Tripler Army Medical Center.

"I felt like I fit in from the beginning, with the laid-back island lifestyle, coming back to the Pacific Ocean," the 32-year-old Carlson said. "And being able to run in Hawaii … I just love the running and triathlon community in Hawaii. It’s a family. You feel a part of something.

"Here, you’re not just a (race bib) number. People know who you are."

It didn’t take long for the recognition to come with his frequent trips to the awards podium, including wins in 2011 at the Maui Half-Marathon and Ford Island Bridge 10K.

The next challenge comes Saturday with the XTERRA Gunstock Ranch Trail Run Half-Marathon, a 21-kilometer course over the working ranch in Laie. It is the first race in the new XTERRA Hawaii Trail Run Series, an event that includes the Oct 26. XTERRA Kapalua Trail Runs and July 4 Freedom Fest at Kualoa Ranch, and leads to qualifying points for the national championship.

"I’m excited about the XTERRA. I love trail running and the trails here are amazing," Carlson said. "You can’t beat the views in Hawaii. It’s always an adventure. You never know what is coming next, you have to stay focused the whole time. The toughest person out there wins.

"The cool thing about Hawaii being a part of the official series is it will be another thing to promote the local running scene. We want the fastest runners in Hawaii to have reasons to stay in Hawaii. We all want to get better, continue to be pushed, and we’d like to be able to do it here."

Carlson is doing his part, deciding to retire from the Army in order to remain in Hawaii, although he still works at Tripler as a doctor of physical therapy. He also has created "Dr. Nate’s Champion Running Group" that meets at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at Ala Moana Beach Park and is open to runners of all ages and abilities.

His blog — championrunning.blogspot.com — not only posts the workout for the week but is part of Carlson’s mission to inspire the whole person, spiritually as well as physically and mentally.

"I believe that running is my God-given talent and I want to give back any way I can," said Carlson, a seven-time all-conference and nine-time academic all-conference in track and cross country at Saint Martin’s. "I try to inspire and encourage, not just by how I do personally in a race but by doing things such as going to local high school meets and supporting those runners. Giving inspirational talks. Even running back after I finish a race to encourage those still on the course.

"I’ve been given so much through running. It’s my way of passing it on."

Carlson, inducted into Saint Martin’s athletic hall of fame last year, knows first-hand the saving grace of running. It got him through a deployment to Iraq, where he was the only physical therapist on a base of 30,000.

"I was the guy who returned guys to active duty," Carlson said. "We stayed fit, running and working out. It was an escape for all of us stuck in the middle of nowhere, and it gave us purpose."

Running continues to take Carlson down various roads in life. He is writing a book aimed at inspiring athletes through his personal experiences, literary quotes and Bible verses and proverbs that can be applied to everyday life.

He is also getting married in December to former Hawaii Pacific cross country standout Polina Babkina, a Russian national who has become one of the top female runners in the state. They met — where else — on the podium of The Hapalua, the half-marathon that features "The Chase" with an adjusted time format for Hawaii’s top runners to "chase" elite international runners.

Last March, Babkina and Carlson finished eighth and ninth, respectively, on adjusted times, 6 seconds apart. They’ve been even closer personally.

"It started with the hug I gave her on the podium," Carlson said. "I think it kind of surprised her. Later she messaged me and asked if I would write a recommendation letter. I brought it to her two days later and guess she was impressed.

"We’d see each other at the UH track and found we had a lot in common. We became best friends and it’s gone from there. I’m so blessed to have her in my life. We want to stay here. Hawaii is home."