Introducing Justin Marthaler

So I'm the blogger for this adventure. Since I'm in charge of this site, you'd think I'd have gotten this profile done earlier. But I put the team first! Anyway, I'm running legs 9, 21, and 33 for the team.

I am 34 years old and a network administrator for Strand Associates. I'm married to Dana, the luckiest woman in the world. I'd like to say that's because she married me, but Dana has a knack for winning things -- she recently won a trip to the Peoples' Choice Awards in California and won big on Wheel of Fortune several years ago. So I'm the lucky one and I'd say that even if she hadn't won so many things along the years. Our family also includes 3 lovely children ages 3-7. If you care to know more, you can read about us at our blog http://ianhank.blogspot.com

My hobbies are running, biking and snowshoeing, but I give up snowshoeing in the summer - it's hard on the snowshoes. I've been running since I was 15 when a friend convinced it would be fun to be on the cross country team. I ran two years in high school and four years in college at Concordia University Wisconsin, and have continued to run ever since. I've dabbled with bike races and duathalons, but I swim like a rock so triathlons are probably out. But I've pretty much settled into running because it requires the least time and equipment. I still bike but mostly for commuting to work purposes. Sometimes I even wear a costume (see video below). I've run 7 marathons in 7 states with the Boston Marathon being my favorite (my wife would say Honolulu, but she wasn't running!) and the Disney marathon my fastest (3:02:55). My long term goal is to run 50 marathons in 50 states, but unlike my teammate Al who runs a race every other week or so, it may take me until I'm 3,472.

Recently, I've done a bit more trail running and did my first relay last year in an off-road race called Dances with Dirt in Gnaw Bone, Indiana and then did the one in Devil's Lake, WI. I had so much fun with that, I figured I'd give this adventure called the MC200 a try. It will definitely be a new experience and fun to hang out with runners.