2012 K-Blue Racing Team

Scott Thomas - Mesa, AZ

1. What do you do as a profession?  Construction Manager
2. How old are you?  35 (in June)
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  I have a small competitive side and I like the challenge.
4. Who is your current favorite sponsor and why?  I appreciate all of the support K-Blue Racing receives from it's sponsors, but Gargoyles may be my favorite.
5. What events will you be doing in 2012?  24 Hours of Old Pueblo (solo), Whiskey Off-Road (25 Proof), London's Run (10K), Gilmore Adventure Race, Xterra National Championships (Snow Basin, UT) and 24 Hours of Fury.
6. Where is your favorite place to train and why?  I like Usery Mtn Park and Hawes.  Hawes has some good technical and Usery has a lot of different trail systems that I can differ up depending on the amount of time I have to train (ride and run).  Both are close to home, so that helps as well.
7. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Relax and spend time with my girls and enjoy the time with my beautiful wife.
8. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012?  24 Hours of Old Pueblo.  This will be my first year racing it and I that it is only the first to come every year from now on.
9. What is your favorite piece of gear?  My trail running shoes.  Salmon Speed Cross 2.
10. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  Buena Vista, CO.  When I raced with Madness Adventure Racing we went up and raced a 18 hour adventure race and took 1st.  14 hours each way from Mesa, AZ.
11. Where do you see K-Blue Racing in 3 years?  Hopefully maintaining relationships with all the current sponsors and gaining some support from some others.
12. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  I am hoping to be doing 30+ races a year from mountain biking to running and a few adventure races in here and there.
13. When was your first race and how did you do?  Gilmore Adventure Race in Prescott, AZ.  We came in last after leaving the passport at the transition area and not realizing it till we had gotten to the next check-point.  Lessons learned.
14. What is your favorite fuel?  I have grown very fond of nuun and it has to be in all of my water bottles and bladders.  I also like the Powerbar GelCaps.
15. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  I will alter between running and riding everyday leading up to a race.  3 days prior I start drinking as much water as I can depending on the race and then I relax.

James Holmes - Mesa, AZ

1. What do you do as a profession?  Professional Dad
2. How old are you?  33
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  Improving myself
4. Who is your current favorite sponsor and why?  I love all my sponsors!
5. Where is your favorite place to train and why?  I love riding at Hawes because it's so close and challenging.  Even though I ride there at least once a week, I'm never bored because I have so many options with the Hawes network.
6. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Hanging out with my family.
7. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012?  24 Hours of Fury!
8. What is your favorite piece of gear?  My bike.
9. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  Fountain Hills, AZ.  It was my first race.
10. Where do you see K-Blue Racing in 3 years?  I see K-Blue gradually growing into a stronger team.
11. What is your favorite fuel?  Life cereal with fresh blueberries.
12. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  Miles and miles of riding.  Then some recovery time right before the race.

Sterling Margetts - Phoenix, AZ

1. What do you do as a profession?  Civil Engineer Consultant (Commercial Land Development)
2. How old are you?  31
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  I ride because it makes me feel healthier and is a stress relief from life.
4. Who is your current favorite sponsor and why?  nuun.  Those electrolytes are amazing.
5. What events will you be doing in 2012?  MS Ride (Sedona, AZ), Whiskey Off-Road, Gilmore Adventure Race, Tour de White Mountains or Tour de Tucson.
6. Where is your favorite place to train and why?  South Mountain because it is right out my front door.
7. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Spend time with my 2 year old and family.
8. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012? Whiskey Off-Road because it's a tough climbing race that I have not been able to race in previous years.
9. What is your favorite piece of gear?  My favorite piece of gear is my skull cap to keep my head warm on those cold day rides.
10. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  2-hours to Prescott, AZ.
11. Where do you see K-Blue Racing in 3 years?  Stating true to its grassroots origin, being active participants in the racing community, both as participants and organizers.
12. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  Getting more involved in individual types of races i.e. triathlons, duathlons, endurance rides versus team adventure races.
13. When was your first race and how did you do?  First race was Gilmore Adventure Race.  Our team took third because we did not know how to read a compass.
14. What is your favorite fuel?  nuun tablets and Powerbar smoothie bars.  Apple Sauce and Nectarines are also great.
15. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  Ride multiple times a week (road and mountain), long rides during the weekend, running, and weight resistance training.

Ann Margetts Williams - Gilbert, AZ

1. What do you do as a profession?  Office Manager for a plumbing and restoration company.
2. How old are you?  35
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  I enjoy the competition, the pushing myself and looking forward to a race.  I also enjoy that I get to race with my brother.
4. Who is your current favorite sponsor and why? Gargoyles.  I love my sunglasses.
5. What events will you be doing in 2012?  24 Hours of Fury, Ragnar (AZ), Los Polomas Triathlon, Soma Triathlon, Gilmore Adventure Race, and Whiskey Off-Road.
6. Favorite place to train and why?  Out at Usery Mtn Pass.
7. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Spend time with my two kids, working on getting rappel certified and swim.
8. What event are you looking forward to in 2012?  I am really excited about completing my first Olympic Triathlon.
9. What is your favorite piece of gear?  Love my Asic running shoes.
10. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  12 hours to Utah for a marathon from Gilbert, AZ.
11. Where do you see K-Blue Racing in 3 years?  Be well recognized on the racing circuits of all different events.
12. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  Continuing to ride and represent K-Blue.
13. When was your first race and how did you do?  My first race ever was a 10K in Tucson about 5 years ago.  My goal was to beat the 65 year old man and the pregnant lady!!  I did just that.
14. What is your favorite fuel?  Shot Blocks - Strawberry
15. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  Depending on the race dictates my level of training, but I train 5-6 days a week.

Todd Thomas - Lynchburg, VA

1. What do you do as a profession?  Builder
2. How old are you?  37
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  I want to constantly push my limits.
4. What events will you be doing in 2012?  Holiday Lake 50K, Terrapin Mountain 50K, Promise Land 50K, Conquer the Cove Trail Marathon, Odyssey 40 Mile Trail Running Rampage, Odyssey Summer Sprint Adventure Race, Mountain Masochist Trail Race 50 Milers, and Deep Hollow Half Marathon.
5. Favorite place to train and why?  Candler Mountain Trail System
6. What do you do when you're not working, racing or training?  Play with the kids.
7. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012?  LUS (Lynchburg Ultra Series), (4) Ultra Trail Races - (3) 50K's and (1) 50 miler.
8. What is your favorite piece of gear?  My shoes.  Brooks.
9. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  4 hours.
10. Where do you see K-Blue Racing in 3 years?  Growing
11. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  Continuing to improve and running longer trail races (100 milers is my goal).
12. Where was your first race and how did you do?  2009 Virginia 10 miler - 97 minutes.  Pretty miserable.
13. What is your favorite fuel?  Undecided.  I like Hammer Gels, and Human Fuel (ZeroGoo).  Other than that I like to eat REAL food while I race.
14. What is typical training leading up to a race?  I try to trail fairly consistently all year long.  Right now that is about 40 miles/week running and 15-30 miles/week on a bike.

Alexis Thomas - Lynchburg, VA

1. What do you do as a profession?  Professional Mom
2. How old are you?  29
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  To see how far I can go.  I never thought I would be a runner, I just started biking and running so Todd would have someone to participate in adventure races with and I was immediately hooked.  I am still surprised by my enjoyment and ability in the sport and I want to see just how far I can go.
4. Who is your current favorite sponsor and why?  Not sure, but I'm really looking forward to using my new pack on longer runs from Geigerrig.
5. What events will you be doing in 2012?  I will be participating in about two races (running) a month, so I will stick with my big ones.  I have a race series, the RNUTs, that begins this week (First week of January) that is a series of six trail races.  Last year I was pregnant and came in second overall in my age group.  This year I am using it to get back to my pre-pregnancy level of fitness and am aiming higher, hopefully third in the series for women overall.  I am also going to do the Odyssey Trail Running Rampage for at least the marathon distance.  I am also thinking about running the Richmond Marathon in November, but only if I think I'm trained well enough to get a Boston qualifier time. 
6. Where is your favorite place to train and why?  Blackwater Creek Trail system.  I'm more familiar with this trail system, so I feel safe running it alone and it has a nice rolling trail length of about 8 miles that I can run slow or use for speed training.
7. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Read, journal, plan.
8. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012?  Right now, Liberty Mountain 5K, February 25th.  Last year I ran it four weeks pregnant and finished first (overall female) in 28:18.  It's a very tough trail 5K and weather permitting I would like to run a sub 28 minute time even if it doesn't get me first overall woman.  After that I am most looking forward to the Carvin's Cove Marathon (trail) which will be my first official marathon.
9. What is your favorite piece of gear?  My shoes.  Brooks Defyance 3 (I own three pairs).
10. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  Cincinnati, OH for the Flying Pig from Lynchburg, VA.
11. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  Western States 100m, I don't know.  I do know that I plan to still be racing, pushing myself to the limit, and hopefully injury free.  I would like to do the LUS in 2013, Beast maybe in 2014 and than who knows Western States in 2015.
12. When was your first race and how did you do?  Virginia 10 Miler, 2009.  Hadn't run a mile since 10th grade, had just had a baby 5 weeks before.  Finished in 44 minutes and was completely changed.  Loved it.  The challenge, the pain, the gain.  It was an incredible feeling to go across that finish line.
13. What is your favorite fuel?  Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanut M&M's.
14. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  Hard to say as I've not trained in almost a year due to being pregnant, I just ran to run for nine months.  Also, it depends on the distance of repeats, etc.  I don't taper but I will back off of speed-work the week of a race.

Drew Watkins - Boise, ID

1. What do you do as a profession?  Construction Manager
2. How old are you?  51
3. What inspires you to ride and race?  Health benefits and camaraderie.
4. What events will you be doing in 2012?  Xterra Moab, Xterra SnowBasin, Xterra McCall, Leadville if chosen (I'm in the lottery), AXS Moab Adventure Race.
5. Where is your favorite place to train and why?  Wasatch Front due to terrian and varying degree of riding.
6. What do you do when your not working, racing or training?  Snowboard, Mountain Bike, Wake-board, and Surf.
7. What event are you most looking forward to in 2012?  Leadville if I am chosen in the lottery.
8. What is the furthest you have ever traveled to race?  Santa Barbara from Salt Lake City, UT.
9. Where do you see yourself with racing in 3 years?  Picking up more Xterra events.
10. When was your first race and how did you do?  2005 1st place in my class.
11. What is your favorite fuel?  Mountain Dew
12. What is typical training for you leading up to a race?  Not enough need a better plan of attack.