I have evolved from a high school sprinter and high jumper, to a collegiate heptathlete, to beach volleyball player, to a 5K racer, to a recreational mountain biker, to a competitive off-road triathlete. I threw in one 25K Riverbank Run and a half marathon on Mackinac Island, hardly believing that 10 years prior, I hated running as far as 800 meters. So where does that leave me now? My focus for this season will remain XTERRA off-road triathlons, but I plan to do some trail runs and mountain bike races late summer and into the fall. For my day job I work for BISSELL as the financial analyst for the international and new business teams. And to support my bike habit, I recently became certified as a USA Triathlon Level I Coach, and began coaching with an excellent team of coaches through Athletic Mentors.

This is my third year racing for Team Priority Health. My favorite race ever is the Harvest Stompede, which is a 7 mile trail run through the vineyards on the Leelanau Peninsula, followed by 2 days of wine tasting. This year will be my 6th stomping of the grapes. One of my most prized medals is an age group win there in 2009. My other most prized medal is a 2nd place age group in the Expert category at Iceman in 2010. In my college days, I was a 3-time NCAA Division III All-American in Track & Field. The farthest I have traveled to compete is Ogden, Utah for the XTERRA National Championships and Maui, Hawaii for the XTERRA World Championships. I hope to someday compete in XTERRA Saipan or XTERRA Brazil.

I would have to say the XTERRA World Championship in Makena, Maui was the most challenging race, physically and mentally, that I have ever completed. This race is the Kona of off-road triathlon, and was definitely epic with a mile ocean swim, 20 mile mountain bike that climbs 3,000 feet up and down the lower slopes of Haleakala (a volcano), and a 7.5-mile trail run that traverses lava rock, forest trails, and beach sand. The race took me nearly 5 hours to complete, and conditions at race start were 90 degrees, no breeze, and no clouds. While terrified at the start, my mental game was on that day. I was able to take on each section of the course one at a time and somehow I finished hydrated, uninjured, and only had to change one flat tire. There was carnage all over the course; people crashing on sharp lava rock, bikes damaged beyond trail-side repair, flat tire after flat tire, and there were countless people hooked up to IVs in the med tent trying to recover from severe dehydration. My first thought when crossing the finish line was, I will NEVER do that again. Although, if I get the opportunity to get to a qualifying race again in the future, I may consider it. The challenge and atmosphere is just unbeatable.

Dedication, motivation, enjoyment.

Be sure to fuel properly not only during exercise, but more importantly after, as the body needs a mix of carbs and protein to restore glycogen and rebuild muscle.

Be thankful for your ability to get out and do something active, there are many people that don’t even have the opportunity. Getting outside to enjoy the fresh air puts me in a good mood; enjoy the outdoors. Being active helps relieve stress. Sports have always been a healthy social outlet for me. Reaping the benefit of hard work is a great feeling.

I’d like to improve my finish times in relation to prior year races.

This thing I love most about competing is meeting new people that are passionate about doing the same things that I do.