My previous best was 3:37 at the Des Moines Marathon in 2019.
I crushed the day and finished with a 3:14:39 taking 23 minutes for a new PR! At age 45, it’s officially a BQ. I’m over the moon. My “Embrace the Suck” shirt got a lot of love!
Thank you Endure to Cure for the opportunity to raise money to help children, but also earn my spot into a bucket list World Major Race. Thanks to all of those that donated and made it possible. I couldn't have done it without you!
New York: 2024
Chicago: 2025
Berlin: 2026 (Here We Come)
hoping for Boston in 2027!

Where to begin…


I signed up for the Stuffed Turkey 50K this year because last year I was lucky enough to finish in first place last year beating the second place finisher by a mere 34 seconds. 


I had hoped to defend my title but the course had other plans. Most races I run, I get little sleep thanks to the bartender life I live. With a 12:50pm gun time, sleep was more than adequate along with a big breakfast and another meal before heading out the door. 


The Jester Park Equestrian Trail is by far the most beautiful trail I’ve ever ran on. The variety of nature is over the top with so many different trees, flowers, water, rocks, animals and more. 


When the race director Shannon said go, there were 65 of us ready to roll for a quick one-miler before we hit the 10-mile loop portion of the course. This provided us with an exact 50K race! My plan was to run the first loop in the 7:30’s. With the exception of mile 8 which is uphill, I kept loop one right on pace. I made the decision to not carry anything to keep arms and shoulders fresh and drank my own drinks at first aid station and then a Gu and Gatorade at mile 5/15/25 aid station. Loop one felt great but by the middle of loop 2, my hamstrings were really starting to tighten up. Not sure if it was due to a long race season, or just the hills or being just a few weeks out from the New York Marathon. Either way, I knew I was going to be driving the pain train for the third loop. 


The course is perfect though. Some open trail in the first few miles. A little mud around 3.5 miles with the first big hill around mile 4 that leads us into the wooded trail. Just after mile 5, we reached the aid station that leads us to the back half of the course. I love this section as it’s a fairly technical trail section with a water crossing over rocks and a bridge. Super peaceful to hang out - I love to take a break here during my training runs. The run around Discovery Pond is a perfect way to cross traffic and kind of get an idea what place I am in so with some simple math, I realized that the guys in front of me were kicking my butt and it was now just me against me! My brain at 25ish miles was screaming for me to sit and just take a break and give the hammys and hips a rest but I chose to just grind through. There is quite a bit of two-way traffic here so the headlamps were on and quite blinding but very necessary as to not trip on the hidden tree roots and rocks. I decided to take my phone with me on the last loop so my family could track me and be at the finish line! With a good push up one final hill, I knew that I was just a few minutes behind my goal but a finish was just around the corner. A minute later, I crossed the Stuffed Turkey 50K finish line for the 3rd time finishing 7th overall with a time of 4:42:18 (13 minutes slower than I’d wanted) but a finish is a finish. My dad pointed out that all 6 finishers in front of me were at a minimum of 9 years younger than me but there are no excuses in my book. I trained hard. I can beat some of them, just gotta work on my core, hams and hips just a bit more as well as a few more fall-season miles under my belt. 
Thanks Shannon Haus for the great race. Thanks to all the volunteers. 


Nike released an ad a few days ago that said, “If you never hit the wall, you’ll never find out what is on the other side.”


Bring on Ironman 70.3 Des Moines in June.

April 5, 2024: 65 Days until Ironman DSM

I decided to switch up the blog a bit by posting newest posts at the top!
My training is going great. The wind outside has limited my outdoor rides, I truly have no interest in fighting 40-50mph headwinds! Haven’t had any runs less than 6 or 7 miles so that is feeling more and more comfortable! My last swim felt like my best one yet. I need to limit my rest/recovery times between lengths to focus on swimming with a higher heart rate. The unfortunate news, I recently found out I have a fairly curved spine that is causing some issues, but hopefully over the next 12 weeks, work with my chiropractor and a new daily routine will fix that. My diet has been pretty good, but I’m still splurging on some things that I should not be. so my weight is just a little bit bit higher than I want it to be, but I still feel really good. Every morning, I am making a smoothie that I would highly recommend for anyone looking for healthy choices

8oz Water
1 cup mixed berries (Strawberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Blueberries - Frozen)
1 banana
1 handful of spinach.
1 scoop vanilla protein (25g)

I absolutely love this, and drink it every day.

I am running an 8 mile race on Saturday, per usual it’ll be on minimal sleep but I am excited to get out there!

__________________________

The Road to Gold: 76 Days until Ironman 70.3 Des Moines
As a proud supporter of my country, I love the year ‘76, so no better way than to detail my 76 day journey to completing in this years 70.3 Ironman in Des Moines Iowa.
This blog will help hold myself accountable and give me guidelines to follow on a daily basis. One of the best quotes is, “If you fail to plan, plan to fail!” When I am dedicated and focused on a project, I’m locked in and love nothing more than to follow the script perfectly. That’s all I need to do to crush the next 10 weeks of training.
3/25: Monday
Run: 7K at 8:30 Pace
Workout: Hams/Quads/Glutes/Hips

3/26: Tuesday
Brick: 6K/2K x3 Hard
Workout: Chest
B6K: 13:39
R2K 9:23
B6K: 13:24
R2K: 9:21
B6K: 13:23
R2K: 9:26

Notes for the Day: I'm bringing back the gallon of water a day. I'm also currently reading Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hoping this book fires me up!

3/27: Wednesday (74 Days until Ironman DSM)
Swim: 20 x 50m + 0:20sec Rest
Run: 45 Minutes Easy
5:00mi 9:08 Pace
Extensive Leg/Hip/Glute Stretch Routine (1 Hour)

Notes for the Day: Best I've ever felt during a swim. Lost a few pounds sleeping! I think I'd like to get down from 165 to closer to 145 on race day. Stopped into Dr. Miller's Truth Chiropractic today for a checkup. X-Rays on Friday to check on my spine!

3/28: Thursday (73 days until Ironman DSM)

Today, had all good intentions on doing the spin class at the Y, but the instructor for 9:45am no-showed. Instead, I headed outside for the Raccoon River Valley Trail after doing a 45 minute Back workout.

Run: 800m at 6:40 pace + 800m at 9:00pace (recovery) x 5
3:20, 3:22, 3:19, 3:20, 3:17. Felt FANTASTIC.

Notes for the Day: Diet is on point. Feeling great. Almost have my gallon of water gone for the day already!

3/29: Friday (72 Days)
Bike: 60 Minutes: Easy Pace
15.27 Miles. The 25-30mph winds on the way back were brutal, but felt great to get my new bike out on the trail.
​
3/30: Saturday (71 Days)
Run: 6 Miles at 8:20 Pace (Next 6 Miles will be at 8:00 Pace)
Triceps and Core Strength Training.

3/31: Sunday (70 Days)
7 Pushups, 7 Overhead Raises, 7 Arm Circles, On the Minute every minute for 45 Minutes

4/1: Monday 69 Days
Bike: 1 Hour Stationary Bike, just under RP. No Rest
Swim: 10x100m @2:20 + 20sec Rest and 4x50 @0:50 + 40sec Rest
Spine/Hip Stretch Routine

4/2: Tuesday 68 Days until Ironman
​

Notes on the Day: Have been seeing Dr. Miller at Truth Family Chiropractic because I had a pinched nerve in my spine. He's already making progress. The Psoas muscle was extremely tight, so I need to work on lengthening it to ease up the tension on my spine.

Equalizer Endurance Ultramarathon
Date: Last Saturday in October
Location: Grays Lake Des Moines Iowa
Start Time: 8:00am
Entry Fee: $65/$75/$95
Race Director: Chris Zepp - [email protected]
Website: http://www.equalizerdsm.com


Race day had a high of 38 but with the wind chill, hovered in the upper 20’s and low 30’s the entire race


Like most of my races, I work the night before. Luckily, we got outta there fairly quickly and I was able to get into bed right at 3:05am with my alarm set for 6:00am. Some race mornings, the thought, “Why am I doing this?” Goes through my head, but I usually brush it away and keep moving. Yesterday was no different. I knew I’d be taking a ride on the pain train in just a few short hours but I was ready for it. The plan was to be out the door by 7AM with everything loaded in, everyone bundled up but not before shoving my face full of food. I had oatmeal, a fruit smoothie, an orange, an energy drink, and a gatorade. Hydration is key to keeping the body moving in long distance events. 


We arrived on site just before 7:30, got ‘camp’ setup about 30 feet away from the bathrooms. Mom, Dad, Kaylee and Hudson were motivating me and helping with everything! Before I knew it, the National Anthem was playing. I’d done my homework and researched most of the runners. A 12 year old kid named Cooper had signed up, so I tried to pump him up, unfortunately, he was a DNF. Another stud who actually ran with me for the first 8 or so named Ty ended up hitting a marathon and he too was a DNF. Whitney Noe has run a TON of races that I’ve been in, and she’s faster than me, so I knew I’d have to keep an eye on her! Each lap is 1.905 miles and the goal is to run as many loops as possible in the 6 hour time frame. I set a goal of running 40 and allowing myself exactly 20 minutes of rest/eating/bathroom for the entire event. 


Eventually race director Chris Zepp did a countdown, 3.. 2.. 1.. and we were off. It took some jostling for me to get out of the gate, but eventually, I found myself leading the pack with a few people right on my heels. I had a plan to run about 8:34 per mile which is about 7 miles an hour. I felt really good, though it was extremely cold and windy. The race is held around a large lake that includes a long bridge that crosses over a good portion of the lake. I knew it would be cold every time I hit that bridge. Normally, it’s the most beautiful part of a run at Grays Lake, but I ended up hating that darn bridge because the cross-wind was unbearable each time. After an hour, I’d only taken a 30-40 second bathroom break, so I was right on schedule. Every few laps, I was grabbing Gu’s, gatorades, body armors, beef sticks and more off of my aid station table. 


The majority of the race, I ran solo and continued to lead throughout the entire day. I realized that at my pace, so long as I didn’t slow down, I’d have a good chance to finish up front. Three hours in, I was feeling pretty good and was exactly where I wanted to be and had time to spare to get me to the 40 mile mark, but I was getting warm so I lost a few layers. I swapped out shoes as well, my Green Saucony Endorphin Speed 3’s are size 10 and I felt like they were getting pretty tight on my feet, so I swapped them for Red Endorphin Speed 3’s that are a 10.5 and I felt like I was floating once I swapped those. The windbreaker pants and jacket came off too and now I was wearing what I had planned to wear prior to the weather being announced. Green and black chubbies shorts and a hoodie! At mile 28, I was starting to get some major cramping in my left hamstring, but mentally couldn’t figure out why because I’d hydrated extremely well and at some points was going to the restroom more than once an hour. I also ate beef sticks, some chips and had plenty of bananas. I think the muscle may just be undertrained - I’ll be working on it for the next few weeks so I’m ready for the Stuffed Turkey 50K. With a Nuun hydration tablet, 28oz of water and some Advil, I was on my way and by mile 29, I felt awesome. I was cruising and finished with an 8:11. I actually had a 7:55 (Mile 20) and 7:58 (14) but didn’t reach a 9+ pace mile until mile 38 (9:04). I knew I was going to reach my goal but also wouldn’t have time to make an additional lap so it didn’t make much sense to go any faster. My family returned to the course with a few miles to go, so I had some hi-fives and cheering and Hudson yelled, “You’re the best runner ever dad!” And while thats far from the truth, it felt great to hear it and I knew I’d be accomplishing my goal. Long-time runner and donut fanatic Terry Kruse showed up and ran with me for the final lap. Terry is an amazing runner but a fantastic race photographer! I was bummed when I realized he was running with me but had forgotten the donuts! 


For the Equalizer race, when you get to the final 20 minutes or so, the race director places cones 1/4th mile apart so you can continue to cover distance, but do not have to try to make it all the way around the lake again. If you don’t cross the finish line in time, it doesn’t count as a lap. The worst part, it was downhill out and uphill back, so my quads were screaming for the last out/back mile session. 


My lap counter was fantastic. Every time I approached the aid station area, she was standing and saw me coming! I really appreciate having the amazing lap counters to assure that everyone can just focus on running. 
As the clock struck 2:00pm, the 6 hour runners were declared “Finished” - I got bundled back up, hugged the fam and slowly made my way over to the medal receiving session. As I glanced over at the screen, I saw I had not received first place and was honestly pretty bummed. The announcements were made and eventually Chris called my name and said I had finished in second place due to the Equalizer adjustment. The equalizer makes the race “fair” for everyone no matter their age. An awesome runner named David Swenson finished ahead of me. David is 68 and ran 30.08 miles but with the Equalizer bonus (x1.515) - he finished with 45.5712 miles and I was right behind him at 43.2457 (and an actual distance run of 39.35 - though my watch was 40.08) - bathrooms were a little off course and weren’t included in the distances around. Whitney finished behind me with 38.45 miles and an equalizer score of  43.21. So close! Just as I was sulking about second place, Chris announced that I had won “Most overall miles” and received a really cool plaque so then I was happy again! The most overall miles was my goal anyway, so I was super happy with the award! Next year, I think I’d like to give the 12 hour version a whirl! Congrats to everyone that attempted this awesome race. The weather wasn’t ideal but most of you toe’d the line! Keep at it. 

Camp Dodge Trench Run 10K
August 13, 2023
Location: Camp Dodge Iowa
Start Time: 7:30am
Entry Fee: $40.00 ($43.85 with Fees)
Race Director: Anthony Loween - [email protected]
Website: https://raceroster.com/events/2023/63520/trench-run


Race day had a high of 79 and a low of 66. A few raindrops during the race


After another late night at work, I hopped into bed around 3:30am and the alarm screamed in my ear at 5:45. Per usual, next to no sleep on race day, but thats the only choice I have with my job. We loaded up the car and headed over to moms house to grab her and some family that had come into town for the Iowa State Fair. Eventually, 10 of us were on the road headed to Camp Dodge but thanks to Google Maps, we almost didn’t make it to the race. A closed road only a few minutes from the destination had us make a pretty big loop out of our way but we arrived just 7 minutes before the gun. I retied my shoes and slapped on the bib that Ayrin and TJ picked up for me. I didn’t even have time for a warmup jog or much stretching and hoped that my first mile the guys would take it easy and I could warmup that way. Then out of nowhere a cannon blasted off and rumbled the pavement, it was awesome. We all took off - I believe there were 291 registrants. I was Bib 504. A young man took off hot wearing a skin tight under armor shirt and sweatpants. I’m guessing he wasn’t aware of the water or river crossings as sweatpants are a terrible idea. I was rocking my new Saucony Endorphin Edge Trail shoes, they felt wonderful throughout the entire race. Eventually, the lead pack was five of us. We had a few barriers to hop over and smoke bombs were going off with green and yellow smoke. Then boom boom boom, guns were firing everywhere - luckily they were just blanks, but it simulated running through a war zone and I was smiling ear to ear - it was so cool. There were soldiers everywhere cheering us on and pointing us in the right direction. Humvees, medic vehicles, APC’s, and even tanks were on the grounds. Eventually, we came into a building and were shoved out by a solider with a pad that is used for blocking kicks and punches. Then we arrived at another building where we had to carry a fire hose up the stairs through the building and then back down and perform some chest compressions on a dummy. At this point, Peter Rotich, Terry Kruse, Myself and one other runner are in the lead pack so I knew chances were good to be in the top three! I continued to run hard, running around 6:30-6:45 pace and blasted through the trenches and open fields. Eventually, we came to an area where they said hop in the water and head downstream. It never made it up to my waist and I was able to run most of the time, but running in water is exhausting. I loved it though because the water felt wonderful and the trail shoes held up perfectly on the loose gravel, sand and mud in the water. Unfortunately, my shoes/socks did fill up with some sand and gravel. Then we were running in some trails in the trees that had some decently steep hills with ropes if needed. Here I could tell that Peter had no intentions of slowing down and would be able to keep up with me throughout and once we got back to the pavement, I’d probably be in trouble. Sure enough, middle of the way through mile five, he passed me with his long stride and got about 20-30 seconds ahead. The soldiers lining the streets were yelling at me to catch him, so I gave it a shot, but recalled we had a big uphill to climb and I just didn’t have the juice so I left off since I couldn’t see anyone behind me. Peter finished in first 31 seconds ahead of me and I finished in 49:30 and Terry Kruse right behind me in 50:51. Terry ran a 40+ mile Ultra just a week ago so he was kind enough to run slow today. I believe it’s the first time I’ve ever finished ahead of him in a race. After a bottle of water and a few deep breaths, I was recovered and grabbed a nice shiny medal. A few minutes after that, TJ came strolling across the finish line at 1:00:52 and Ayrin finished at 1:04:36. I’m glad I was finally able to get this race on the books, it was a lot of fun and I’ll definitely do it again. Huge shoutout to all of the soldiers that let the kiddos explore all the vehicles, guns, and machinery! USA baby! Finished 2/291 and first in my age group. I won a nice custom wooden plaque, I’ll display it proudly 

Monroe 37th Annual Micro Marathon
August 5, 2023
Location: Monroe Iowa
Start Time: 8:00am
Entry Fee: $25.00 ($29.74 with Fees)
Race Director: 
Website: https://www.facebook.com/MAMM5K10K/


Race day had a high of 84 and a low of 68 and way too much sunshine. 


On race day, I woke up at 6:05 after leaving Shotgun Bettys around 3:30am. Luckily, Kaylee, Mom and the kids agreed to go to the race, so driving 50 minutes away on two hours of sleep wasn’t so dangerous. We rolled into town about 20 minutes before go-time while the townspeople were setting up for Old Settlers - a small carnival held in Prairie City and Monroe each year. After looking around, I estimated that there were probably just under 100 total runners for the day but hadn’t figured out the difference between the 5K and 10K runners. I always choose the 10K over the 5K so I can at least enjoy the race a bit - a 5K is over so quickly. A few days prior, I saw that a few fast guys from Team Runablaze would be there to crush the course. I saw Austin O’Brien and had no doubt in my mind that he’d win the race. Little did I know he was coming off an injury but this was his comeback race. Ironically, we were wearing the same shoes. Slime green Saucony Endorphin Elites - a few other runners had these on as well. Both groups started at 8:00am. Prior to the race starting, I asked if there would be a bike lead because I hadn’t memorized the course map but once I heard Team Runablaze was there, I knew I’d just need to follow the orange jerseys and I’d be fine. There were volunteers at every turn and the course was marked with chalk or paint to assure you were going in the right direction. Myself, along with Todd Haugen (53:06.02) and one other runner (I didn’t ask her name) supported the Fitness Sports jerseys. I’ve run with Todd many times, he’s always out grinding away race after race! For the most part, the course had a few rolling hills, though no major climbs and the roadways were filled with loose gravel, cracks and potholes. Since breaking my foot a few years ago during a race where I stepped in a pothole, I keep a close eye on the ground to assure it never happens again. After everyone started settling in, I was in 17th place and could tell that too many took off too hot and also realized the 5K runners did indeed have a different bib. I started picking off runners rather quickly and after two miles, I’d moved up to 9th place. I felt like most of the race, I was running directly into the sun. After the split for the 10K runners, I wasn’t sure how many were ahead of me but since it was an out and back, I knew I’d be able to count eventually. The girls at the water station were unfamiliar how to hold the cups and I actually dropped the cup, luckily, it wasn’t that hot, nor was I that thirsty so it was no big deal. Eventually, I saw Austin heading straight at me on the other side of the course just flying I then counted that there were six ahead of me and the likeliness of me catching any of them wasn’t too great though I thought I could get one of them! I kept grinding and had carried just under a 6:30 pace for the entire race which actually surprised me. I’d just run 58 miles 10 days prior during the Ames to Des Moines route of Ragbrai I felt good and knew that I had a chance to win my age group depending on the age of that tall bearded runner (John Rathje) that snuck ahead of me a while back. I was never able to catch him and found out he was 45 so I had to settle for 2nd place in the 40-49 age group and 6th overall. My finish time was 40:40, a time I was very happy with after just over a week of resting from my previous Ultra. The medal ceremony assured that all males, females and age groupers got some bling. Austin ended up setting the course record with a 33:25.21. Jake Potter won the 5K in 18:27. 

When I signed up for this challenge - I did it knowing there would be many obstacles in the way. Having two kids that already have a full schedule, a job, a wife, holidays and plenty of other things makes for a lot of planning ahead. Long story short, I made it work and have almost completed this crazy journey. I set a goal of raising $5,000 and reached that in 17 days. It's amazing how so many great people came together to like, share and forward my great cause. The wounded warriors deserve the help and I hope that the $5,000 we raised does some good. 

After 21 days into the run, we've completed 166.71 miles - that's the equivalent of running 6.3 marathons. I'm really looking forward to being done - with my approximate calculations, we have just under 40 miles to go. I've had the pleasure of running with a few different friends and family and will be running with the Chapins in their neighborhood on the 22nd. 

Once I'm completed with this challenge, I am going to take a few weeks off and then begin training for Ironman 70.3 that is on Fathers Day 2020. I'm about 95% sure Im going to sign up for the Booneville Backwoods 50k as well. It'll be tough but I really want to cross ULTRA off of my bucket list. 

Today, I'll be running near Viennas school and the Southeastern Border of Waukee. Everything North of University avenue is done. Everything west of Warrior Lane is done. Just gotta do the central and south and BOOM. Job finished. 

I'm reading a book called "Thank me for my service" by Mat Best. It's absolutely fantastic. Check it out. 

Thanks to my crazy schedule I'm exhausted. This weekend isn't going to help. Tonight, I go into work around 8pm. If all goes well, I'll be in bed by 3:30am. Then I am running the RCC Run the Woods 4mile race that has a pull-up competition at the end. For each pull-up, you remove 30 seconds from your overall race time. A lot of young cross country badasses run the race so I can't keep up with them, but I can do more pull-ups than anyone I know. I think I did 36 last year. I got a little bit derailed from training, but would love it if I could get to 30. 

Then after the race, I'm going to go to a wedding. Then straight from the reception to see Smile Empty Soul play at Leftys with Kenny. Unfortunately, work calls again so I"ll have to leave just a bit early and probably miss Bottom of a Bottle. When I wake up on Sunday, we're heading back to Shotgun Bettys to setup for Steven and Karinas wedding party only to leave a few hours later to head to Vienna's first 5k at Water Works with Girls on the Run. I'm excited for her. I'll be running it with her of course. Then back to Shotgun Bettys to bartend the wedding party. If all goes well - I'll be in bed at 8pm and sleep until about 10am the next morning. 

I'm now at 78.24 miles into #WaukeeWarriorRun - it's crazy what I'm doing. I still have drive and determination to get out everyday but I'm not going to lie, I'm ready to be done. I'm done with north of Hickman! My guess is that I'm almost 40% complete. We've already raised over $3200 for the Wounded Warrior Project so it's worth it. This blog is pretty cool. Gives me a good place to vent. Official party for the event will be December 1 at Global Brew. Hopefully everyone can show up to support such a great cause. Cheers.

We're still rockin' on the #WaukeeWarriorRun and have already run over 40 miles. I hope to get another 12-15 today. Thanks to my pal Kenny Hartzer, Worth Exteriors is jumping on board with a massive donation. I"m super pumped. Hope to meet up with them today to get it squared away. I'm almost done with the Northern and Western parts. Then I have Central, East, and a lot of the South. With 24 days to go, it'll be work but we can get it done. 

Thanks again to Ayrin, TJ and Jesse Johnson who have run with me so far. We have a handful of people lined up to run with me soon!