What does your life consist of outside of running? I am a father to
four wonderful children and a grandfather. I work at L3Harris as an
engineering manager and design really cool products that save lives. I
volunteer at my church for approx. 6 hrs per week.

 What made you decide to pursue ultra running? Running was
divorce onset. It was either drugs, porn or running. To be honest, I had
a friend who was an ultra runner who pushed me in that direction and
gave me a lot of good advice.

  What drives you to keep doing ultras? Most of us live mundane
lives. We have our routines that we have been doing for years.
Anything can happen during a 100 mile race. I like to put myself in that
space where there are unknowns. If feels like being a kid again.
Running is also where I do my best thinking. It is where I can focus on
a problem and decide on the best course of action. Sometimes
problems are solved subconsciously and comes to your mind while
you’re running.

 What has been the biggest challenge you have faced in ultra
running? My first 100 miler it rained or snowed (depending on
elevation) the first 24 hrs. This ultra I had to embrace being cold and
wet. My second ultra I was in a car accident 10 months prior that
resulted in bulging discs in my lower back. I started the ultra thinking I
would only run 30 miles and quit since I would not have to requalify to
run the race the following year. At the 30-mile mark I decided to

continue on and finished the 100-mile race. I was in pain.
Approximately two months later the bulging discs healed.

What is the most important lesson you have learned from ultra
running? Embrace the environment and conditions you are currently
in. Winston S. Churchill —You will never reach your destination if you stop
and throw stones at every dog that barks. Relentless forward motion is how
you make it to the end. I used the lesson I learned from running during my
cancer treatment. During cancer I had no desire to eat but would shove food in
anyways. Running helped me to break up my cancer treatment so it was
manageable. If you think about running 100 miles at the start of the race it is
overwhelming but putting one foot in front of the other over and over gets you
to the finish line. During a race I have items or people at aid stations that propel
me and put me in the right head space.

What is something you wish you had known when you first started
ultra running? I wish I wasn’t afraid. We should live our lives with this
question in mind. What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Do that.
Most of us have a fear of failure. We are the sum total of our life
experiences. Failure can be a positive.

 What is your top piece of advice for someone who wants to run
their first ultra? Do it now. Don’t wait until…