Where are you from?

Oklahoma City

Current P.R.

2:51:36

Typical pace

7:30 – 8:30 easy runs. Half-marathon 6:20s, Marathon – 6:30s – 6:40s

Number of marathons

7

Occupation

Physician

Favorite marathon

Indianapolis Monumental Marathon

Hobbies

Running, traveling, eating noodles

Favorite Running Food

Noodles – usually some sort of Asian style

What are you reading now?

Berlin Games by Guy Walters, The Three Body Problem by Cinxun Liu, and Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty

Who do you train with?

Various friends through a local running group and virtually with some friends from back home who live in other states now

Personal goals

Continuing to find joy in in the everyday, including through running; connecting more with others; becoming a better educator; staying healthy physically and mentally, 2:45 marathon

A quotation you like…

From The Perfect Mile which I am currently reading, a quote by Percy Cerutty – “To be great, one does not have to be mad, but definitely it helps.”

Why do you run?

To experience flow and the feeling of my body moving through space, connect with others who also run, for self-improvement, to stay physically and mentally healthy, as an excuse to eat more pizza and travel to cool places

Describe your best marathon memory.

Mile 20 of the Indianapolis Monumental marathon. I had trained to hopefully break 3 and even though I was feeling good physically and mentally maintaining a sub-6:35 pace, I wanted to focus on enjoying the moment and did not want to think about being “almost done” – until I hit 20. After my watch beeped signaling 20 miles were done, I knew I was going to do it.

Somehow knowing and feeling this, I felt I could push harder and in a more dramatic than necessary way, I took my gloves off, slurped up my last bit of GU, and ran with everything I had left. As I rounded the last corner, I saw and heard my friends screaming me on which was just the icing on the cake.

Why do you pace?

Running as evenly and steadily as possible (rather than as fast as possible) to help others meet their goals is incredibly gratifying.

Tell us your best pacing experience.

Miami marathon 2022 – this was my first pacing experience. It was so much fun to meet people from all over. I ended up finishing to the second my goal pace, which I attribute to beginner’s luck.

Why should someone run in your pace group?

Someone running in my pace group should know that I will train specifically for this role and feel confident that I will run generally even splits and finish in time. I enjoy running for its own sake and will likely talk here and there but also won’t be a chatterbox and force people into unwanted conversation.

Any tips for runners about to join your group?

Trust your training, drink some water and Gatorade throughout, take your gels, enjoy the race, and be safe.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Not at the moment

What philanthropic activities do you have?

I volunteered at a free clinic throughout my schooling and have some experience working overseas at lower resource settings. Currently, I help teach medical students and residents as part of my job, which I immensely enjoy and feel privileged to do.