Keith Stark

Why did I drive to Napa Valley to punish a body that has treated me very well over the years? Maybe my upcoming 40th birthday, maybe to force myself to get in shape. Honestly, it was probably the bragging rights that sealed the deal.

To understand it a bit better, check out the back story: Prelude to the 2009 Vineman 70.3

I tried to keep the story short, but it really is a long race. I decided to answer the most asked questions at the beginning so you don't have to wade through the entire story to find it

Was it worth it

Yes, I finished. Yes, it was worth it. Yes, I'm glad it is over. Yes. I'll probably do another half ironman. No. I don't plan on doing a full ironman.

It's Roger's fault that I got sucked into this adventure. His involvement isn't surprising, of course, but it does need to be explicitly stated.

In 2007, Roger called to say he was running a couple of short triathlons. Being the competitive guy I am, I thought it would be fun to race him. I didn't think the swim or bike would be a problem, but I decided to test run my ankles before committing to a race. I ended my test run 12 minutes after starting, less than a mile from a house, trying not to vomit on the side of the road. However, my ankles felt fine, so I committed to running the sprint. Actually, I ran two that year so I could justify the training. One race hardly seemed worth the effort.

You can read my play by play of the 2007 Mission Bay Triathlon in an earlier post.

Mud Run Website: Camp Pendleton Races
Team Name: Getting Dirty

Description: "The Mud Run is a challenging 10K run with hills, tire obstacles, river crossings, two 5-foot walls with mud on both sides, tunnel crawl, slippery hill climb, and the final 30-foot mud pit." The race overall is a great time and not really that serious for the majority of people there.