27; Data Scientist at St. Jude/ALSAC
I <3 RUNNING: I love that you get to meet different people from all walks of life. The running community is so supportive and inclusive.
BUCKET LIST: I’d love to travel to and watch every Diamond League Track & Field meet. Only the world’s best athletes get to compete at these meets, and there are 15 annual meets spread across all continents. It’s a great way to travel and see some of the best athletes compete. So far, I’ve been to Diamond League meets in Zurich and Eugene.
UP NEXT: I primarily enjoy the social aspects of running right now, but I look forward to participating in upcoming events organized by HyperFocus.
FAV FITNESS ACCOMPLISHMENT: Running the 800m in under two minutes for 10 years straight!
HOMETOWN: Schleusingen, Germany
SPEED BUMPS: During my junior year of college, I injured my knee and couldn’t run or bike for almost a year. My then-girlfriend, who is now my fiancée, suggested I see a PT, but I was too stubborn to do that for a while. Eventually, she convinced me, and I was running again after a month and a handful of PT sessions. Five weeks later, I ran a personal record in the 8K. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have come back stronger from this and many other challenges if it weren’t for the support of family, friends, and coaches.
MY GROUP: HyperFocus
FAV JAMS: “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins is my ultimate hype song.
RECENT RACES: 800m at Mississippi State Relays –eighth place; 800m at Samford University Indoor Meet –first place
MOST MEMORABLE FITNESS EVENT: For me, it was getting fourth place in the team scoring at the Gulf South Conference Championships with the Christian Brothers University Cross Country team.
BEST EATS: My favorite fancy food is Chilean sea bass at Coastal Fish Company, and my favorite comfort food is BBQ Pizza at the ARRIVE Memphis Hotel on South Main.
DREAM DINNER COMPANY: I‘d love to have dinner with Danny Thomas. I love how he led an extremely successful life while also significantly improving the world by founding St. Jude Children‘s Research Hospital. He’s such a great example of how worldly success can go hand in hand with a mission to care for others, which sometimes seems like a forgotten art these days.
PET PEEVE: Blaming others (coaches, teammates, etc.) for someone’s own lack of discipline and ability.
QUOTE: “The safest way to get what you want is to try to deserve what you want.” – Charlie Munger
Photo by Josh Clark
