1. What made you decide to run the Wild Miles Relay? And if you're returning, what made you want to return?

My old college buddy Chuck Fabijanic is the one who introduced me to the Wild Miles Relay. We were going to sponsor a team in 2006 and half our team came down with injuries, so we joined Team Thrown Together. Chuck and I are definitely the oldest ones on the team, checking in at a middle-aged but healthy 44 years old!

As for returning, I had every intention of being on this team, in this race, at this moment just as soon as we crossed the finish line last year. I've been waiting over 300+ days for this event and I'm coming from the Midwest to cheer us on. Plus I'm looking forward to seeing Arnold Ramirez run this year, as last year he was our EMT and didn't run, so it's nice to see him out there sweating the miles. As well, for those of you who are new, the rest of this team are some of the nicest persons and supportive teammates you'll find!

2. Tell us a little about you.

Well, you now know I'm 44 years old. What you don't know is that I'm married, have four children (9 yr. old son Leo and 3 yr. old triplets Emily, Hannah and Nicholas). I took a sabbatical from my university career to be a stay-at-home father when the triplets were born in 2003 and my brain has been atrophying every since! It's a great privilege to do what I do.

I live in the Midwest (Fargo, North Dakota), but my passion is for hiking and mountain climbing. Chuck Fabijanic and I summited Mt. Rainier last summer (see RAINIER SUMMIT 2006 for pictures of our climb [Photo Archives] and pictures of our past adventures [Itinerary]. My next adventure is climbing the 19,000 ft. volcanoes Cotopaxi and Cayambe in Ecuador in 2008 and hopefully, 20,000 ft. Mt. McKinley in 2009 or 2010. Other than hiking and climbing, I love cycling, triathlons, road races, marathons, blues guitar playing, and photography. Some of you may think I'm just a computer geek, but I do like web development and video production - just an eclectic sort of guy.

3. What motivates you as a runner?

I like the thought of being staying in shape while most men my age are experiencing middle-age spread. I want to stay young for my children and being able to play with them during all the stages of their life. Plus I just enjoy the act of getting lost in my own thoughts while running.

4. What are some of your favorite hobbies?

I think I covered most of this in #2 above, but I would like to add that I love just having fun... having a blast in everything I'm involved in!

5. What do you hope to get out of the Wild Miles Relay?

I just want to get truly lost in the moment. Now that I know what these distance relays involve, I just want to relax, race my miles and cheer on my team! This time I want to try to stay awake for all of it!