Season Goals:
After a disappointing end to the 2024 season, I am confident that 2025 can be a breakout year for me, and I’ve set myself the following goals:

• Tackle two to three 70.3 races – tentatively looking at 70.3 Oceanside, St. George, and either Boulder or Eagleman. I hope to take home the fastest run split in one of these and ideally find myself on a couple podiums!
• Race my first full-distance Ironman at IM Lake Placid! I don’t have any concrete results goals for this race since it’s my first full distance, but I do think there’s a world where I could take home the fastest run and chop down the field like Trevor Foley did this year.
• Compete in more half marathon and 5k/10k races. I’d love to go under 65 minutes in a 13.1.

What’s your favorite quote, and where did you first hear it?
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.”—Dr. Seuss.
I was just four years old when I first read this, but it has stuck with me ever since. I live by those words by trying to value every moment for what it’s worth!

Who is your favorite author and what is their best work?
Jack Kerouac – On the Road

What’s the best training advice you’ve ever received and who gave it to you?
Train insane or remain the same. While I do value rest and recovery, I firmly believe that if you want to be different and challenge norms, you have to do things that go against the grain.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever gotten?
Train insane or remain the same. It may seem odd that my best and worst advice are the same, but multisport athletes walk a fine line between dedication and overtraining, and I always need to be careful about crossing it.

If you could have one superpower, which would you choose and why?
Once a week, I get to snap my fingers and change all my slow-twitch muscle fibers to fast-twitch for a few hours. Not only would it allow for some fantastic training benefits, but (most importantly) I could finally win a Zwift sprint.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a 5’10” 13-year-old, I desperately wanted to be Kobe Bryant. I was dead set on hitting a growth spurt that got me to 6’8” and developing a silky-smooth jumper. Unfortunately, 11 years later, I’m only 6’1” and am a much better facilitator than scorer.

What would you do if you won the lottery?
I’d get my loved ones in a van, leave everything behind, and buy a small truck stop diner in the Ozarks. We’d invest in local businesses, become popular amongst Missouri politicians, and even start a charity that brought power back to the locals. We’d even open a riverboat casino! And, no, before you ask, this isn’t just the plot of Netflix’s Ozark.

Describe your first bike:
My very first bike was a Redline BMX that was WAY too small for me. Despite its less-than-ideal size and weight, I loved climbing the hills in my neighborhood on it. To this day, I’m convinced that riding those hills as a young kid was the key to developing my ability to climb in the saddle.

What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you?
In 2021, I took a turn way too wide while descending Poudre Canyon. The crash completely fractured everything in my left arm and inverted my jaw, as well as doing some damage to my collarbone. I laid there for a long time before someone came along with a satellite phone (there’s no service in Poudre Canyon) and was able to get an ambulance to take me to immediate surgery. It’s a miracle I made it out of there alive, let alone was able to regain motion in my left arm and survived an 8-week “wired jaw” recovery, during which I had to stick to an all-liquid diet. I’m very grateful to still be able to do the things I love!

What’s your favorite movie and why?
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. This was the first movie that made me truly appreciate film, and, in many ways, was my introduction to understanding cinematography and the virtuoso that is Quentin Tarantino.

Describe yourself with one word:
Resilient

If you were starring in a movie, what would your theme song be?
“Tokyo Drifting,” by Glass Animals.

Guilty pleasure food item:
Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. I put it on toast, in my oatmeal, or, if I’m really desperate, eat it right out of the jar.

What is something that you learned from a parent or grandparent that has guided you in life?
My Dad always said, “Every action has a consequence, be it good or bad.” It’s a worthwhile sentiment to remember.

Tell us about your pet(s):
Mable is my adopted foster puppy from Animal Friends Alliance here in Northern Colorado, and she is such a wonderful little girl. She’s about to turn one, which is baffling to me after raising her from a tiny puppy. She’s a mix of Retriever, Aussie, and maybe a tiny bit of Pitbull, but she is 100% a diva who loves her food. She’s my favorite thing ever.

What’s your “kryptonite”?
Top-end speed work. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fast on my feet and in the saddle, but super sharp Vo2 or anaerobic stuff puts me on my knees.