About me

When I was a little kid, growing up in Auburn, NH, all I did was run.  I ran home from school, I ran around the woods, I raced my friends around the block.  Little did I realize that running would become my life.

Fast forward to 1989.

After a brief stint at Plymouth State College in 1988, a friend I met at PSC decided we’d rather move west and become ski bums.  I was sold.

After two Grateful Dead shows at the Meadowlands in NJ, I hopped in my Honda Accord and headed west.  We landed at Snowbird Ski Resort near Salt Lake City.  Our plan was a year of ski-bumming, then back to school to figure out a real job.

That didn’t happen.  I started running up and down Snowbird, Alta, and the surrounding mountains near Salt Lake City. I was hooked on travelling thru the mountains care free, and at high speed.

I began running races during the summer of 1990.  My first race was the “Rowdy Run”.  A hill climb up Snowbird Ski Resort.  I won….I was hooked. 

Eventually the Pikes Peak Marathon become the big race of the year, until a co-worker of mine mentioned I should run the Wasatch 100.  Her husband had run the race a few times. 

I asked why someone would run that far. 
“You’ll see”, she said.  I signed up in August of 1996,  the race being a month later. 

I had no idea what I was doing.  Yah, I was fast at shorter stuff, but what do I eat during a 100 miler?  How do I approach it? 

There were no coaches in those days, only mentors.  I survived that first race, leading at mile 40, only to fade rapidly over the next 35 miles.  The last 25 miles was a death march.  28:26.  I laid down on the massage table at the end of the race to swear I’d never do that again.

Until two days later I asked, “where do I sign up again”? 

Two years later (1998) I won the race in record time.  20:08.  Now….I was hooked for life.

I was humbled at the Hardrock 100 in 1999, leading the race until mile 91 when Blake Wood went by me with a smile.  I was defeated and dropped out at mile 92.

After racing some shorter races of 50 miles, I returned to Hardrock in 2001, to smash the record by 2hr 55 min.  I found my niche distance.  To this date I have completed 89, 100 miles races with 50 wins to my credit.  75 ultramarathon wins have made for quite the illustrious career. Who woulda’ thought?

I began coaching athletes in 2009, and since then I’ve coached, mentored, strategized and have simply helped each runner improve their ultrarunning and life experiences.  There is no better way to live life than being in control of your daily routine. 

I did it, I made a career from running around the woods, just like I did when I was a kid running home from school.  Those 4 miles in the woods was a long way then.