About the Author

My Athletic Background:
I grew up in Connecticut after bouncing around as a Navy brat. I was always athletic kid, and for organized sports I played baseball and wrestling. In high school, I joined the cross country team thanks to the encouragement of a good friend, and never stopped running until graduation day. During the summers I got involved in sprint triathlons because the leader of my Boy Scout troop was a triathlete. I did maybe six sprint tris during high school, and never got really good at them, mostly due to my awful swimming. I had a good amount of success as a high school runner in XC and track at distances from 800-5000m. I had hopes of running NCAA Div 1 track in college, but gaining 30lbs my first semester of college took care of that idea. Arrrggghh, who signed me up for the 21 meals a week plan?!?

For the next 9 years I focused on my education (and beer), and gave little thought to athletics other than intramural sports. I became heavy then, about 190-195lbs, versus my 145-150 high school weight. Sometime during the summer of 2004, while studying for my post doctoral interview in the Cardiology Division at Duke, I had a dream I was dying. I had spent the night in typical fashion: I drank a couple dozen beers and finished the night off with a greasy double cheeseburger and fries. In my dream I was having a heart attack (the subject I had been studying, go figure!). The pain was so real and I remember clutching my chest, absolutely convinced I was dying. As I woke up the next morning, I decided right then that I was going to get in shape, and the next day my already-fit wife took me out for a 6 mile run (which was a miserable experience, lots of walking).

By spring of '05 I was ready to run some races. I did a 20K in Durham, NC as my first real race since high school, and was hooked (except for a marathon I ran on a whim in 2002, and got a 4:41...oh yes, slower than Oprah runs, a fact my wife never fails to remind me of!). That spring I also did my first tri in 8 years at the White Lake Half in NC.

Over the last few years I've done 6 marathons including Boston, and a bunch of triathlons including 3 ironmans and 6 half irons. In 2008, I had my best year yet, with several AG wins and high overall finishes. Coming into 2009, I was fresh off a 10 flat ironman and ready to take my shot at a Kona slot.

Then, in the summer of 09, I was diagnosed with stage 1 thyroid cancer. This put my athletics on hold for the rest of the year as I went through cancer treatment for several months. By year's end, I was back to training again, and looking to 2010 for a comeback.

My Family:
I've been married to Rebecca for 7 years. We met in high school and have been happily stuck together ever since. In January of '08 we had our first child, a baby girl named Elena. We've managed to continue to train despite having a little baby to look after, which can sometimes require a lot of creativity, and we look forward to carting her around to triathlons for years to come!

My Job:
I am a research scientist and co-founder of a small biotechnology company located in King of Prussia, PA. My background is in molecular biology and biochemistry, and I hold a PhD from the University of North Carolina (go Heels!). I also serve as an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University in the Cardiology Division.