Let’s get physical. GLUTEUS MAXIMUS, MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE, MAX FACTOR
About 6 years ago, I founded the Bend Adventure Racing Klub (www.BARKracing.com). We were assembling Team BARK to race our first 24-hour Cal Eco event. Dave Schneider and Tom Schill were committed, and I was our token female, but we needed a third guy. We "interviewed" two candidates, including Max King. None of us knew Max, but he had expressed interest. He was very young and very understated, but there was something about him we liked, so we chose him. A few days later, we all piled into Dave's truck, pulling a trailer brimming with gear behind us, and headed out on the long drive to Central California. I remember our first rest stop about three hours later. As the rest of us stiffly climbed out of the truck, Max took three long graceful strides and hurdled a nearby picnic table. We all looked at each other with astonished expressions and wondered just who we had signed up. As it turned out, Max was a recent Cornell graduate who had been a stellar collegiate steeplechaser. Burned out on the track and field regimen, he wanted to try something new. I can tell you, Max is a stellar adventure racer too. There were times he had our entire team in tow, and he weighed less than any of us. He has an unflappable nature (extremely useful in adventure racing!) and he is bright, quickly mastering the art of navigation. After a couple of years having fun with adventure racing, Max returned to competitive running and dedicated himself the past two years to training for the Olympic steeplechase. He took time away from his job at Bend Research and away from his wife Dorie, living and training in Eugene. Too often in our lives we don't chase our dreams. Max finished sixteenth in the Olympic Trials in Eugene last week, but in my mind he's a hero just for giving it a go.
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