Tell us a bit about yourself, where do you live, what do you do for fun, etc.
Hello! I live in Piedmont with my wife and our two kitties. Besides hanging out with them and running, I enjoy traveling, trying new foods, playing music, practicing yoga and meditation, and writing trivia. My professional background is in meteorology, and although recent roles have pulled me more into project/program management, I still keep a close eye on the weather—let me know if you need a forecast!
If you had $5,000 to spend at a running store but only 5 minutes to spend it, what few things would you grab first?
Any wide shoes with wide toe boxes in my size. My feet are somewhat unusually shaped, and it’s tough for me to find a pair that works. Altras are my go-to at the moment (but I’m taking suggestions). If available, I’d also load up on LMNT.
What’s your go-to running outfit?
It depends on the weather, but through most of the running season, I aim for a Vuori T or cut-off T with Vuori shorts with one of my black caps. I’ve really fallen in love with Vuori products in recent years!
If you could have a gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it — metaphorically speaking, getting a message out to millions or billions — what would it say and why? It could be a few words or a paragraph. (If helpful, it can be someone else’s quote: Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?)
Either “Let go of expectations” or “If we hope to go anywhere or develop ourselves in any way, we can only step from where we are standing”, the latter of which is a quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn from the book Wherever You Go, There You Are.
Any pre run or pre race habits?
Before each race, I aim to wake up early, meditate, and hydrate, then eat a loaded bowl of oatmeal at least two hours before race time. Oh, and a cup of coffee, of course.
What’s one of the best running related investments you’ve made?
A couple years back, I bought a Gregory H2O pack. As I started running longer distances, I realized I would really start to lag near the end owing to dehydration. Having the pack for those runs to grab at least a sip of water here or there has been a game changer.
What’s the most memorable thing you’ve ever seen or done while on a run?
Not sure it’s the most memorable, but the first thing that came to mind was during a morning run on the Red Grade Trails near Big Horn, WY. Not long after starting my run, a hummingbird flew directly in front of my face, just a few feet ahead. I stopped and watched as it hovered ahead of me for a few seconds, then darted away. It was a lovely reminder of the special connection you have with nature when alone on the trail.
Toughest race you’ve ever done? Why?
I’ll preface this by saying all of the races I’ve competed in have been through the Black Hills Runners Club series—so my sample size is limited! With that in mind, the Bone Collector race in January 2025 was brutal. The course itself is challenging, but having that as the first race of the season combined with the cold temperatures and icy conditions was rough. I also learned some lessons about not layering up too much when running in the cold.
What advice would you give to a new runner? What advice should they ignore?
I’m still very much in the taking advice versus giving advice stage, but a few quick things that I keep in mind:
1) Pace yourself; it’s easy to go out too fast and wear yourself out early, especially when the early adrenaline of a race kicks in. Save some gas for the end.
2) Listen to your body. Training when you’re injured, as tempting as it is, does much more harm than good.
3) Don’t be afraid to hike during a race, especially uphill. My goal during the first year in the trail series was to run the whole race, every race. The second year, I opted to walk/hike when I felt the need—and ended up improving my time in every race.
What, if anything, do you listen to while running?
During races, I’ll usually listen to a curated playlist based on my taste at the time. Fun/EZ runs are a good opportunity to catch up on podcasts.
If you could go run with any living or dead historical figure, who would it be and why?
This is the kind of question I could sink a ton of time into thinking about and probably never be satisfied with the answer. Let’s go with Barry Sanders, NFL Hall of Fame running back. I’m a huge Detroit Lions fan and have fond memories of watching Barry as a kid. How cool would it be to say I had a chance to go for a run with the best running back of all time?