About Me

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY:

One hundred years ago, give or take, I finagled a journalism degree out of Ohio University and began my editorial career as a copy editor at a small newspaper.

Soon after that, I landed a job at Rodale Press (R.I.P.) in Emmaus, Pennsylvania. That’s when things got cooking.

Over the next few years, I bounced around Rodale—first as an assistant editor at Prevention.com and Men’s Health, then at Runner’s World as a senior editor.

Soon after that, I left Rodale to spend six years in New York City as a magazine editor. Which was wild.

Runner’s World lured me back as executive editor of RunnersWorld.com, which I led to a 2008 National Magazine Award for General Excellence Online. Runner’s World and I parted ways amicably in 2017.

In 2015 I founded DumbRunner.com, an independent, ad-free humor website for runners. It’s funded entirely through reader donations and monthly pledges. It’s fun.

Along the way, I’ve written some books about running and had a bunch of humor pieces published on The New Yorker’s website.

Many years ago, a former boss at a national consumer magazine took me aside and thanked me “for being such a great utility player.” I remain proud of that.

You can find links to my work here.

PERSONAL STUFF:

A decades-long runner, I’ve finished 28 marathons, including nine Bostons. At the 2017 and 2018 Boston Marathons I ran with Team With a Vision, acting as a guide for a blind runner.

My personal records are 2:46 for the marathon, 1:16 for the half-marathon, and 16:29 for 5K. In fairness, I should note that those times are all from 1999.

I was a cyclist before I was a runner, and rode more than 40 centuries, or 100-mile rides, over the span of a dozen or so years. I’ve recently returned to cycling and have enjoyed rekindling that relationship. Except for the part where I crashed hard and f***ed myself up.

I live in Portland, Oregon, with my wife, our two children, and assorted pets. It’s nice.

Contact Me