Hitting the Spartan Platforms

I grew up in the suburbs of Detroit and played various team sports as a kid but was never all that good at any of them. I really enjoyed getting outside and running though so I stuck with cross country and track throughout high school. I loved competing, the feeling of pushing myself to get stronger and faster, plus the team camaraderie was unlike any other sport I had played.

I took a corporate job after graduating college which led me out west to Arizona. Moving out west reinvigorated my passion for running and being outside. I took up trail running, rock climbing, backpacking - pretty much anything to keep me outdoors whenever I wasn’t in the office. 

Eventually my company went up for sale and I found myself with a great severance package. I took the opportunity to do something I had always dreamed of and headed to South America on a solo adventure. While I was there I climbed 13 high peaks in the Andes and trekked through some of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. 

After my trip, I didn’t feel an urgency to go running back to corporate America. Shocker. I had qualified for the Boston Marathon and decided to focus on that while contemplating what I wanted to do next. While training, some buddies of mine convinced me to sign up for a Spartan race. I had the time of my life.

I felt like a kid again, rolling through the mud, swinging across monkey bars, and barreling down steep hills through the Sonoran desert. I crossed the finish line, walked over to registration, and signed myself up to race the short course the next day. I placed top 10 overall, I couldn’t believe it! I was hooked.

Over the past year I’ve focused on developing myself to become a top contender in the world of obstacle course racing (OCR) and have put my corporate career on hold in the meantime. I absolutely love this sport that I’ve stumbled upon and how it pushes me to become an incredibly well-rounded athlete. OCR has really taken off in the past couple years and continues to draw some of the most talented and hard working athletes across the world. In order to keep up I have to constantly push myself to get stronger, faster, and more resilient. 

After placing first in the all-age division at the Spartan World Championship in 2018, I decided to begin racing in the elite category. Since racing as an elite, I’ve made the podium 4 times including my first overall win recently at the SoCal Spartan Sprint in Lebec.

I placed in the top 10 at the final US National Series race this year in Utah and at the North American Championship in West Virginia. I had a devastating DNF at Worlds in Tahoe due to hypothermia, but have my heart set on a top 10 finish at the 2020 World Championship.  

I moved to California just a few months ago (currently in Redondo Beach) and was lucky enough to stumble upon SBRC. This incredible group has welcomed me with open arms and it’s been so great having a community to train with.