Athletic Lab has a vibrant and diverse community of members. That’s why we take a moment each month to highlight one (or more) of our members in our member of the month feature. For the month of October we’ve chosen Tristan York. Tristan is a long time member of our Performance Fitness program who regularly competes in Distance and Obstacle Races. You can check out our previous members of the month here.

Name: Tristan York

Age: 36

What city were you born in? Portland, OR

What do you do when you’re not working out at Athletic Lab (occupation, hobbies, etc)? My “9 to 5” involves high level technical/escalation support. Generally, if it reaches my inbox it’s a situation where there has been a breakdown in communication/process/support or there is a sales deal at risk. My role is to resolve customer issues and restore confidence by providing the necessary coordination and communication between development, customer, and sales. Basically, I am the “one throat to choke.” Outside of work, my four year old daughter Emerson keeps my wife and I pretty busy. She just started pre-k and has weekly homework assignments which just seems crazy. They grow up so fast! Now that summer is over and fall is upon us, I like to take walks with the family or go to a park. Oh, and a few weekends a year I like to crawl through mud and under barbed wire with a few thousand other like-minded OCR enthusiasts.

How did you first hear about Athletic Lab? How long have you been a member? I believe my first class at Athletic Lab was in late March or early April 2015. My family and I were driving home, I don’t recall from where, and we decided to take an alternate route home. While driving down Maynard we passed Athletic Lab. I made a mental note to look you all up when I got home to see what types of programming was offered. The rest is history.

What’s your favorite exercise? Least favorite?? Hmmm, that’s a tough question, so many to choose from.? Favorite exercise, and I know I am in the minority here, would have to be burpees. My least favorite exercise is probably Nordic hamstring curls.

You’ve competed in tons of races. Which race stands out the most to you and why? I am most proud of my 2015 Spartan Super Virginia race which was held at Wintergreen ski resort.? Before I dig in to the “why” I feel I should provide a bit of background first. My passion for OCR started back in 2012 when I ran The Ninja Challenge out in Fuquay. It was like a gateway drug, my first “high”, which led me to new challenges such as the Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, and Rugged Maniac. It wasn’t until 2014 that I participated in my first Spartan race after which point I was “all in”. I made it my goal that year to complete what Spartan called the “Trifecta”, which means I had to finish one of each Spartan distance – Sprint, Super and Beast – in a calendar year. Having completed the Sprint I needed a Super and a Beast in order complete my Trifecta that year (2014). I settled on Virginia for my Super, knowing nothing of the venue, based purely on convenience since it was a relatively short drive (~4 hours). I figured since I did the Sprint in just over an hour that an ~8 mile Super won’t be too bad. How hard could it be, right? I was so wrong, so wrong.? I raced up and down black diamond ski slopes that day, carrying logs, sandbags, and buckets filled with crushed stone. After 3.5 hours, 8 miles and ~4,000 ft of elevation gain, I had finished my first Spartan Super. I was bruised, bloody, and completely spent. My wife came up to me shortly after I finished and asked “How was it?” My response “Awful.”. Some months later, while planning my 2015 Spartan race schedule, I decided I wanted revenge on that mountain. I knew my current training plan was not going to cut it so I started my search for a new gym. After 4 to 5 months of training at AL I returned to Wintergreen in August 2015 and crushed it. I finished in under 3 hours without failing a single obstacle, finishing 6th in my age group and 26th overall out of 4,992 participants. To date I have completed 22 Spartan races however I am most proud of my performance in Virginia in 2015.

What motivates you? Dessert. T-Shirts. Finisher Medals.