Today@Dal

Nick Tentomas, a native of Greece, began his career at Dalhousie nearly 20 years ago, and enjoys every minute of it, whether it is in his office or running around the university.

Nick began competing in marathons, after joining an informal running club at Dalhousie consisting of coworkers and spouses. They started small, by running from Dalplex to Saint Mary’s University and walking back. This past year, he ran three, full marathons with his best time yet at the PEI Marathon, clocking in at 2 hours, 57 minutes and 10 seconds. That record qualifies him to compete in the Boston Marathon in April 2013.

Nick works in the Facilities Management department as a manager of systems and project development. He is responsible for providing technical support, reporting and works closely with Information Technology Services (ITS) and external vendors on various computer programs.

Nick attributes his marathons to being a better employee. “I have more energy and I’m happier and stronger after I run,” he says. “I apply the same concepts to my work as I do marathons. I break down the number of kilometres I have to complete in a marathon into more manageable chunks, and I do this with my work too. Running also gives me time to clear my head and often that is when I come up with solutions to work or life challenges.”

These days, Nick runs six days a week, and is in full training mode for Boston.

“My job doesn’t feel like work to me,” adds Nick. “I feel valued by my employer, and I have flexibility in my work, opportunities to grow and I like the people. I really believe that enjoying what you do and leading a healthy lifestyle attributes to your productivity and motivation as an employee.”