I started mountain biking about 10 years ago at the age of 34. Back then, I was overweight (250+ lbs) and a typical 'couch potato'. I did not even learn how to ride a bike until I was 26! During my annual physical exam, my blood pressure was way higher than normal, so the doctor told me to lose some weight to control it. A former colleague, and a good friend of mine suggested mountain biking. My first ride was 2.5 miles long and I thought I was having a heart attack when I started climbing the first hill on the trail. I lost 60 pounds in 6 months and riding a mountain bike has become my favorite activity. As I was getting stronger, I started riding more often and started doing longer rides. My annual mileage increased from 900 miles in 1999 to 5700 miles in 2002. 

As of today, I completed 16 24-hour solo races, 12 12-hour solo races, two 100-mile races (Cohutta 100 and Shenandoah Mountain 100) and several all-day races, such as Pisgah adventure race, Off-road assault on Mt. Mitchell and Wild 100. This will be my first time at 24 Hours of Moab and I am looking forward to it!