Toby Angove works at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the Military Science Department and is a Scout Platoon Leader and 1st Lieutenant in the United States Army. After a childhood of non-competitive manure-hauling and hay-bale-throwing, his racing career began while at college with marathon and triathlon. In the mid-90s, Adventure Racing presented itself as the next level of challenge – an opportunity to truly test one’s individual limits, character, and the strength of team dynamics. Since then, Toby has competed regionally, nationally, and abroad in Sprint, Stage, and Expedition Races as well as work in race production and course design.
Chris Caul is Mr. Mom and the former Primal Quest Race Director. Chris’ 3-year-old son Summit (a name which he came up with at the 2003 Primal Quest Race) is the apple of his eye. Chris started his love of racing in the late-80s on mountain bikes, and then transitioned to off-road triathlons. Chris was convinced to try Adventure Racing by Don Mann. After his first race, he was hooked by the sport that soon consumed his life. Chris is an avid athlete whose favorite disciplines are mountain biking and trail running.
Kristen is an assistant professor of athletic coaching education at West Virginia University, as well as a professional sport psychology consultant (Mountains, Marathons, and More, www.sportpsychonline.com) and an endurance sports coach with Peaks Coaching Group (www.peakscoachinggroup.com). Kristen competed for Boston University in varsity cross country, indoor and outdoor track and inter collegiate cycling. Kristen joined the world of Adventure Racing when she was asking to do a 30-hour race at the last minute is 2000, and has been addicted to the sport ever since. Kristen is a new mom, and looks forward to returning to Adventure Racing in 2012.
Kristin Eddy is a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of two. Kristin has always been a talented runner, she started doing marathons after college and began ultra-running around 2006. She has been adventure racing since 2000, when she became intrigued after seeing racers arrive at her neighbor’s house in the middle of the night. She is always learning as she pursues a balance in her daily life of motherhood, work, play, gardening, cooking, and baking. Kristin believes strongly in the curative powers of homemade bread and turning your lawn into a garden.
Brian Mayer started out as a distance runner and track athlete in high school. He recently received his Master’s degree from Virginia Tech in Industrial and Systems Engineering, and is currently working for a defense contractor in Northern Virginia. Brian raced with VT Cycling, Mountain Biking, Triathlon, and Ultra Running teams in college, where he first learned of Adventure Racing. With a strong background in Boy Scouts, Brian, who loves maps, considers orienteering to be the best part of Adventure Racing.
Scott has undergraduate degrees in both Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering as well as a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering. Scott, who currently works as an engineer for the U.S. Navy, began orienteering in 1984 and competed in road triathlons in the 80s and 90s, but didn’t began combining the two until 1999 when he found the sport of Adventure Racing. Scott spends his winter months training and competing for the U.S. Ski-Orienteering team, and focuses on Adventure Racing and paddling in the summer. Scott, who has numerous championships, awards, and titles under his belt, says that his goal is to be respected by his competitors and acknowledged as someone who always gives it his all, plays fair, and races with class.
Julia is currently pursuing an MBA at Carnegie Mellon University while working as a Risk Analyst for a Pittsburgh-based bank. After almost 20 years of competitive swimming, Julia turned to adventure sports to fill her appetite for exercise and adrenaline. In 2003, she was introduced into Adventure Racing after volunteering for an event, and knew immediately she had found her new passion. Only two months after riding a mountain bike for the first time, Julia competed in 8 races her first year, including Endorphin Fix, Mega Dose, Beast of the East, and finished the Odyssey One Day as a solo female. In only her second year, she went on to finish Primal Quest San Juan Islands as the only 3-person female team and 2nd place finish at USARA Nationals. Julia is an avid outdoor enthusiast and has continued to compete in a variety of races all over the world.
Dan Snyder studied Plastic Engineering at Penn State University, and currently works as a technical sales engineer in Erie, PA. Dan started racing in 2006 when he signed up for a local 5k race with some fellow coworkers. After that race, he was hooked. Dan began competing in longer running events and eventually moved into triathlons and Adventure Races. Although Dan has competed mainly in off-road events, in 2010 (only 4 years after he began racing!), Dan completed an Ironman in St. George, Utah. Of all the disciplines in Adventure Racing, Dan says mountain biking is his strongest. When not racing, Dan enjoys archery hunting, camping, boating, and skiing.
