Hailing from Colorado, California, and our very own Atlanta GA – The Nightman Cometh.  Jonas, Matt, and Lee are three long time friends who, living in 3 entirely separate regions of the country, join forces once a year for an epic team event.  Although this trio is well-versed in outdoor events and Matt is highly experienced in endurance competition, the Atomic will be the team’s inaugural AR.  Why AR? - because the three are “eager to experience how this race may test the boundaries of [their] tolerance to each-other as well as the thrill of utter exhaustion and self-induced torture.”  Their primary goals will be to clear the course as an official team, have a great time, and get lucky in the raffle.  Last year’s guy’s outing resulted in 2nd degree burns on Jonas’s legs and a previous year’s outing found the guys in the emergency room at 2am to qualm fears of Scarlet fever.  Given this team’s history, I can only hope this year’s outing turns out better for them.

Jonas lives at the base of Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs where he has his fair selection of high altitude training routes.  High altitude training may have prepared him for the Atomic, but the Appalachians are said to be more difficult in places than the Rockies due to the abrupt altitude gain/loss.  Five years with the Army have prepared Jonas for the navigational challenges of the course, but only time will tell if he will suffer or survive East coast altitudes.

Matt has spent the past five years in Southern California working as a Biological researcher.  Lee works in the Atlanta area as a middle school teacher for at-risk children and suffered an unfortunate work accident but seems to have recovered in time for the race.  Due to their separate geographic locations, the team has been unable to train as one cohesive unit, but they have kept each other motivated with the typical male-jabbing and joking along with the refusal to be the team’s weakest link.  In addition to Matt quitting smoking and Lee getting cardio running from inner city gangs and stray dogs, the team has been working themselves pretty hard in preparation for the big day.  Be sure to cheer them on as they take on their first great AR challenge.