My story...

History: I was born and raised in northern Illinois (LaSalle-Peru) and attended Lake Forest College in the northern suburbs of Chicago.  I went straight to graduate school, spending five years at the University of Iowa, completing my Ph.D. in knot theory under Dr. Richard Randell.  I spent three years teaching at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, before coming to North Central College in Fall 2010.

On-Campus: Teaching is my passion and I feel that it goes beyond the classroom, and that is what draws me to be a part of the small-school community.  I connect with students both in and out of my classes.  I have been lucky to be involved with Enactus (formerly SIFE) since my time at Jewell.  I am the faculty advisor and a race on behalf of the NCC Cycling & Multisport club, serve as a faculty mentor for the wrestling team and worked towards building faculty/staff morale by organizing intramural teams and serving as a co-chair of the Fermentation Committee.

Beyond: Beyond campus my time is spent in various ways.  Many hours of my weeks are spent training for endurance and ultra-endurance events, from marathons to triathlons to cycling endeavors.  Recently I have completed the Pikes Peak Marathon (5:41; 80th overall), Chicago Marathon, Ironman Racine (5:25), Lumberjack 100 (National Ultra Endurance mountain bike series) 12-Hours of Addison Oaks and 12-Hours of Stoney Creek endurance mountain bike races (1st place overall solo division at Addison Oaks, completing 142.5 and 132 miles, respectively), and the Iceman Cometh Challenge mountain bike race.  Future goals include: self-supported cross-country cycling trip, Alcatraz swim, 24-hour solo mountain bike race, and various other mountain bike and ultra-endurance mountain bike events.

Nonathletic interests include spending time with my wife Elizabeth and two cats, Petey and Jack, improving my gardening abilities, eating as much good food as possible (and visiting as many Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives restaurants as I can), and experiencing as much of life as every day will allow.

2013 Events: It's never too early to start thinking about next race season.  Right now, I plan three major events: Illinois Marathon in April, with the goal being to sub-3 and qualify for Boston, Lumberjack 100 mountain bike race in June, and Ironman Wisconsin in September.  Qualifying for Boston is my top goal for the year.  I'm trying the Hanson's marathon training schedule, averaging 55-60 miles per week with focus on tempo and proper recovery.  At Lumberjack, my goal is to break 9:30, which I'll be attempting on my new bike (Surly Karate Monkey).  Ironman Wisconsin will be ran for the experience.