Athletic Background

I ran competitively for over 25 years, starting at 13 in a youth track and cross country program in my hometown Cary, North Carolina. In High School, I was a State Champion in Indoor Track (3200M) and Outdoor Track (1600M) while also competing in triathlons.

As a young runner in the pre-internet age, I waited each month for the latest running magazines and read everything I could about the sport.

I then attended North Carolina State University, where I ran Cross Country in the fall and the 1500m during track season for my first two years of college.

The increase in training mileage made for a tough transition, and I was often injured. I ran more miles my freshman year of college training for the 1500m than I ever did during my years of racing 50 and 100-mile events.

During those first two years of college running, I ended up spending more time biking, swimming, and lifting than running, it seemed, so I went back to competing in Triathlons and open road races. During this time, I ran (and loved) my first trail race - an 18 miler called Mazatzals in Sunflower, Arizona. It would take many years before my next trail race, but the seed was planted.

After moving to Colorado in 1996, I continued running road races and started competing in shorter trails and mountain races like the Pikes Peak Ascent. From there, it didn't take long before I did my first ultramarathon (Mt. Mitchell Challenge).

Along with several friends, in 2001, I helped organize a local running group called Team CRUD - Coloradans Running Ultra Distances soon after getting into ultras. Team CRUD continues to provide a great way for local runners to get introduced to ultras. Each year, you'll see about a dozen CRUDers in races like the San Juan Solstice and the Leadville Trail 100.