Bio: David Gandrud

David Gandrud is an outdoor enthusiast with a passion for adventure and fun. His alter-ego spends the day helping businesses better understand, attract, motivate and retain customers.......aka, a Marketing Professional since 1991.


Gandrud started in Adventure Racing in 2007 but is no stranger to the outdoor multi-discipline events. Gandrud, a decathlete in college has moved his passions to just about anything that has to deal with grass, dirt, snow, rock and/or water. A gear-junkie at heart, Dave realized he had problem when is wife pointed out he had 'way more shoes' than she had.....(last count was fourteen not including casual or dress shoes).

In 2008 Gandrud joined the Eden Prairie Fire Department as a volunteer. He is stationed out of Station 4 and is the only Probie (yellow helmet, probationary, first year, rookie) in his fire station.

Location: Eden Prairie, MN
Year Born: 1968
Height/Weight: 6’ 2” /190-5 lbs
AR Strength: Mountain Biking/Kayaking
Pay the Bills: Marketing Professional
Hobbies: Family, Hunting, BWCA, Skiing, Kiting, Camping
Motto: Work Hard. Play Hard. Live Harder

Bio: Peter Wentzel

Pete Wentzel found Adventure racing in 2007 and was hooked from his first race. A 36 year history of soccer has given him the lungs and legs for AR, 8.5 years of US Army experience imbedded map and organizational skills. Pete enjoys the combined physical and mental challenges that AR provides.  Pete has competed in over 30 events ranging from 6 to 30 hours.  His goal for 2010 is to complete an expedition length event, a marathon, and have fun during all training sessions.



Pete is the current captain of the Midwest Mountaineering team.  Captain in this sport is misleading, as "TEAM" is the core concept of Adventure Racing.  Taking the title of Captain mainly entails paying the entry fee and hoping to be repaid by his teammates.




Location:  Minneapolis, MN
Born: 1967
Height/Weight: 5'-9"/ 180
AR Strength: Navigation, Motivation, Organization
Pay the Bills: Civil Engineer
Hobbies: Soccer, Cycling, Orienteering, Travel, Remodeling, Collecting Gear

Bio: Clark Flowers

Location: Bloomington, MN

Year Born: 1970

Height/Weight: 6’ 0” / 175 lbs

AR Strength: Mountain Biking/Running/Pack Mule

Pay the Bills: IT Geek

Hobbies: Family, Mountain Biking, Camping, Traveling

Bio: Jessica Moe

Location: Minneapolis, MN
Year Born: 1974
Height/Weight: 5'8''
AR Strength: Mountain Biking; Token Chick :-)
Pay the Bills: Nurse
Hobbies: Playing guitar, practice yoga, Mountain Biking, Camping and Hiking.

Bio - William Eddy

Location: St. Paul, MN

Year Born: 1980

Height/Weight: 5'10''/172

AR Strength: Endurance, Biking [turning the pedals in anger], comic relief, hallucinating during long races, fast transitions. I've actually enjoyed running lately.

Pay the Bills: Grad Student in Kickass [Ecology]

Hobbies: Backpacking, Mountaineering, Photography, Cycling [mountain and road], wearing spandex, science, beer, film and music, cooking, SCUBA, travel.

Thought on AR: Adventure racing fits my penchant for challenges, the outdoors, getting dirty, and being part of a team. I'll probably never be the fastest in any one discipline -- but AR allows a team to make up for a lack of speed with good decisions, good route finding, quick transitions, and team work. Ultimately, adventure racing to me is about racing hard, cracking jokes, and sharing a well earned beer with friends after the race.