City of Residence
Murray

Occupation
Battalion Chief,
Murray City Fire Department
(12 years on the department)

Years in Endurance Sports
Three. It is interesting to note that all of my experience prior to triathlon was in short durance events and most of my exercise was in the weight room. I became involved in the Combat Challenge Team with the Murray City Fire Department in 1994. The event consists of:
“ Wearing “full bunker gear” and the SCOTT Air-Pak breathing apparatus, pairs of competitors simulate the physical demands of real-life fire fighting by performing a linked series of five tasks including climbing the five-story tower, hoisting, chopping, dragging hoses and rescuing a life-sized, 175 lb. “victim” as they race against themselves, their opponent and the clock.” - www.firefighter-challenge.com

In a nutshell, the event takes around two minutes, and fills you with enough lactic acid to make you want to hurl. In 1994, I spent most the year training for this event. I was lucky enough to be involved with a team of firefighters who were serious about training (Jeff Ellis, Joseph Treadwell, Mike Estrada, Paul Krueger, Brent Fullmer). In 1995 the Murray City Team I was on won the event during the championship in Florida. I was in really good shape, but mainly for a few minutes of intense exercise. I hated running. In fact if you asked me to run more than a couple of miles, I wanted to croak. My swimming also was pretty pathetic, and I hadn’t biked since I got my driver’s license.

In 2004 my wife ran a 5k while I was at work. I didn’t want to be undone, so the next day I ran the same distance. For some reason running didn’t bother me as much as it normally did, so I started to gradually run farther. I remember being so thrilled to run five or eight miles. Later that summer I ran my first ½ marathon in Bryce Canyon. Even though that race killed my knees with the downhill portion, I was hooked. Next year I signed up for my first triathlon in Salem.

Later, unusual workouts included running 17 miles around the block of the fire station while training for a marathon. I also ran 35 miles during one 24 hour shift at work. I ran three different times, all within a one mile loop at Murray Park so I could still respond on calls.

Most Memorable Race
70.3 Vineman. This was the pinnacle of my endurance races so far. It was the first time I followed a training program. I was very consistent with my training and it paid off. The race went off without a hitch. I stayed at the race pace that I trained for and did not encounter any problems. Since I had such a smooth race, it encouraged me to sign up for Ironman Coeur d’Alene this year (which scares me).

Most Challenging Moment in Endurance Sports
Ogden Xterra. I did the championship course. Near the top of the bike both my legs cramped up so bad I thought they would have to come get me off the mountain. I had to sit on the side of the trail and wait for the cramps to subside. If your ego ever gets too big, try sitting off to the side of the race course and watch everybody passing you. When I could finally stand up again I was able to finish the bike portion, and my legs actually started to feel better after I ran for a few miles. I did finish, but I think they took down the finish banner after I went under it!

What’s Tougher - Racing in a 1/2 IM or running through a burning building with your fire gear on?
Well the ½ IM sure is a lot longer. A bottle of air usually lasts around 20 minutes during fire fighting conditions, while the ½ Iron took me over 5 hours. But as far as adrenalin, nothing matches going in a burning building. You probably won’t have muscle cramps, but you will be pretty beat. Firefighter gear including the bottle weighs 47 pounds. Along with the added weight you have the intense heat, dragging a hose line, using tools, etc. That makes for a pretty intense workout.

All my workouts now are centered on the Ironman. There is just something about that race. My kids always ask me before I go to a race “Are you going to win?” The answer is unfortunately “no.” Sad as it may be, there is no hope of me winning. So the next question is “Why compete then?” That is the interesting part of these competitions. It is all about personal accomplishment. There is not a team that is counting on you, only yourself. You are not battling other competitors as much as your own demons. I love to watch videos of the Ironman finish line. It is pretty impressive to see how far people can push themselves and the sense of accomplishments they acquire. If you ever need some motivation, look up Team Hoyt.

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