| Nathan Stoll |
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In my personal time, I'm happiest running, biking, surfing, and being on top of mountains. In the winter, I add on skiing, in the summer, camping. I love being in new places, I travel quite a bit for work and pleasure, but don't enjoy airports much (but really people, why can't you put decent chairs in airports?) Cooking has become a small hobby of mine, and at some point soon, I'll finish reading Ulysses.
My personal photos are now on SmugMug and password protected for privacy.
Some history...
I grew up in White Lake, Michigan -- a small suburb of Detroit where my family has a few acres of beautiful oak forest, and near more well-known towns like West Bloomfield and Novi. I attended Central high school, with mostly fond memories. A few classmates and I still stay in touch, but far too many have become strangers (probably my fault, since I was the one who moved away). If you're one of them, please drop me a note and say hello. I have traveled throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle-East, and Central America and camped extensively in the Sierra-Nevada mountains. Sierra Camp, Fallen Leaf Lake, and the Desolation Wilderness are some of my favorite escapes from city life in San Francisco, California -- and as I say when I travel, I'm not just from the US, I'm from California. It's hard to ever leave once you get used to the myriad activities available in California.
I graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Computer Science and Political Science. My work in Political Science focused on explaining cross-national variations in economic voting, a project for which I received the Firestone Medal in political science. I also spent a bit of time helping with some of the post-9/11 research at the Center for International Security And Cooperation (CISAC), learning more than I wish to remember about biological weapons.
Sports...
Until I stopped training several years ago, I had been running competitively for more than a decade, racing everything from the 400m to the 10000m. In 2003, I began skiing and snowboarding again, after an eight year hiatus. I also took up biking, as part of my grand plan to learn a new sport every year. In the subsequent years I've also learned to surf and scuba dive.
I'm presently training again, racing primarily in major relay races such as Hood to Coast, Reach the Beach, the Del Sol Relay, as well as corporate events such as the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge. We've had some fantastic finishes in recent history, winning the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge San Francisco race the past few years, and placing second in the world championship race in New York City. Our teams paced fantastic races in Hood to Coast, finishing in 19 hours 51 minutes, around 16th overall with stiff competition. In previous years, we've also finished quite well in the corporate division, placing third in 2005. We finished second at Reach the Beach, and won the Del Sol and Calistoga relays this spring (I missed Calistoga). I've had a rocky spring and summer, having tweaked my foot in April racing. Our most recent race is documented here: Liveblogging Hood to Coast 2007
Other sports aside, running has had the most impact on my life, and I'm very glad I was able to train with the teammates I had at Stanford and in high school. While I'm not an Olympian, running with the numerous Olympians I've been able to train with was an incredible experience. My thanks to all who made it possible, particularly Mike Reilly, Vin Lananna, and the many donors who support the Stanford track and cross-country programs.
I've started documenting some of my favorite medium-difficulty and advanced-difficulty runs in the bay area. These advanced runs are for fairly extreme (even masochistic) runners.
Last updated: December 2007 by nstoll
Quotes...
Somewhere in the world, someone is training when you are not.
When you race him, he will win.
--Tom Fleming
If the fire is hot enough, it will burn anything.
--John Parker
A lot of people race to see who's the fastest.
I run to see who has the most guts.
--Steve Prefontaine
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory lasts forever.
--Shane Falco in "The Replacements"
Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.
--Jim Ryun
Any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.
--John Bryant
But underneath it all, I'm trying to kick your ass.
--Pete Sampras