I’m not the fastest runner. I haven’t run the most miles. I don’t have the greatest number of JFK 50 Mile finishes. In my younger days, I was always average in my athletic endeavors. I’ve received a lot of participation trophies.
I ran track in junior high school and high school, quarter miler and high jumper. I did letter twice each in indoor and outdoor track and once in football. The track letters were more from high jumping rather than my speed in the quarter.
I had a long pause from 1976 to 1993, where I did run a few races, mostly in the 5km to 15km range. In 1993, in my late 30s, I decided to run a marathon before I got too old and finished the Marine Corps Marathon with a reasonable time of 4:18. Since that time, I completed a race of at least marathon distance each year, including 25 consecutive JFK 50 Mile finishes from 1996 to 2020.
I’ve completed over 100 races of at least marathon distance including a finish in the 1999 Old Dominion 100 mile, where I was next to last with 15 minutes to spare before the race cutoff time of 28 hours.
I have a BS in Commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Richmond. I worked in IT until 2007. That was the year my youngest graduated from college and the year I founded Race Timing Unlimited.
Race Timing Unlimited was a 501(c)3 non-profit. Between 2007 and 2020, we helped other non-profit organizations with their race timing and production needs. During those years, I was forced to limit my race participation to 3 or 4 races per year which always included the Marine Corps Historic Half in Fredericksburg and JFK 50 Mile.
Pre COVID, I decided to retire from race timing and was able to find a buyer of our timing equipment at the end of 2019. Now with my Saturday and Sunday mornings free, I’m trying to run the best, though slow, races I can.
I’d be glad to speak to your organization on running, ultra running, motivation, goal setting and/or perseverance. You can reach me on this page’s contact form. Average people can produce above average results.