I am a retired Army veteran who believes in contributing to the betterment of my community. Over the years, I have served on the board of directors for Pulaski County Tourism, the chamber of commerce, and the board of realtors. Additionally, I have been proud to serve as chairman of the local chapter of Ducks Unlimited. For me, any day spent working with my hands is a great day.
As a military veteran, I have always led an active lifestyle. However, it wasn’t until I attended the 70.3 Ironman in Cozumel in 2013 that I was inspired to push my limits physically, mentally, and financially. Since then, I have completed the 70.3 Redman Triathlon in Oklahoma City and the 70.3 Toughman in Indiana, where I braved open water temperatures of 69 degrees.
Former Marine and Soldier with a Masters in Business and a member of several local and civic organizations and affiliated with the Missouri Order of the Eastern Stars, and the International Order of Rainbow for Girls for the last 15 years+. Currently working for Uncle Sam at Fort Leonard Wood (Lost in the Woods) and loved it so much I lost track of time and have been here for almost 20 years.
I have always been athletic and a runner at heart but expanded out into road cycling after neck surgery which was amazing because I could spend so much more time riding than I could running. I love the long workouts in training for the Heart of America Marathon and the Milwaukee Marathon. In 2013 David and I went to Cozumel and witnessed the 70.3 Ironman and until then hadn’t seen anything so raw and fun. I found a new love and completed the 70.3 Redman Triathlon, in OKC, and the 70.3 Toughman in Indiana in 63-degree open water temps. My knees aren’t what they used to be but I still love running.
We developed this race for several reasons. First we are athletes and want to promote a healthy lifestyle, second as cyclists we wanted to increase cycling awareness to the area, and third we want to give back to our community. We desire to grow this gravel race, but what we didn’t realize was how this would become known as a very challenging race. We discussed increasing it to a Century but the riders who have completed it told us that it is already tough enough without adding the additional mileage. So for NOW we will keep the two distances at 25 and 65, but don’t let the 25 miler fool you, the majority of the elevation is in that first 25 so there really is no break, the 65 miler allows riders to climb out of the valley and ride a beautiful scenic route with many water crossings and an awesome Aid Station – Thanks to our local RWB friends. Interested in taking on a challenge? Think you can conquer the Nasty?
