Where are you from?

McHenry, IL

Current P.R.

3:20:10

Birthday

August 14

Number of marathons

18 + 8 ultras and counting…

Typical pace

Depends on my goal

Favorite marathon

Chicago Marathon

Occupation

Train conductor

Favorite Running Music

AC/DC

Hobbies

Photography, motorcycling, travel and skiing

Favorite Running Food

Peanut M&M’s during, pizza and beer after

Favorite book, what are you reading now?

Ghost Rider by Neil Peart

Why We Run by Bernd Heinrich

Who do you train with?

Almost always by myself

Personal goals

To take something positive from every experience.

A quotation you like…

"You rarely regret the runs you do; you almost always regret the runs you skip." ~ Unknown

Why do you run?

Many reasons.  Sometimes to challenge myself, sometimes to get lost in my thoughts and sometimes just to enjoy the fresh air and/or inclement weather.

Describe your best marathon memory.

Recovering to qualify for Boston in my first marathon after falling off pace around mile 22 and thinking I wasn’t going to make my goal time.

Why do you pace?

It gives me the opportunity to run races more often and is a great way to help others reach their goals.

Tell us your best pacing experience.

I wasn’t an official pacer, but ran more than half of the Grand Rapids Marathon with two young ladies and got them both a BQ even though they each struggled at different parts of the race.  They didn’t know it, but they helped me as much as I helped them because it gave me a focus and took my mind off of my own personal challenge to complete that race.

Why should someone run in your pace group?

I will  try to motivate and encourage each member of the group, while doing my best to run even splits from start to finish.

Any tips for runners about to join your group?

Relax and enjoy the experience.  Every race unfolds differently and there’s only so many things you can control once the race starts.

Anything else you’d like to share?

If running marathons was easy, then everybody would be doing it!!

What philanthropic activities do you have?

I volunteer at the local food pantry and run the Chicago Marathon for Team Sweetness (The Walter and Connie Payton Foundation).