Project 11 Profiles

Thank you for joining us at Project 11. At the moment Project 11 consists of Eric Smith (the Founder and Competitor) Bob Wilt (the Uncle and all around beast), JB Bentz (the friend and Webmaster), and Adam Trexler (cousin/rookie of the year). See the links below for profiles of each person.

Please use the following links to access the team member of your choosing.

Jump to the Eric's Profile

Jump to the Bobby's Profile

Jump to the JB's Profile

Jump to the Adam's Profile





























Eric - Pics
Age 29 - The Great State of North Carolina

• Long time body builder...nah who am I kidding. I am the svelte athlete in this relationship. I have lifted a weight or two in the past year though.
  
• Triathlete, cyclist, runner, swimmer for the past four years. Mountain biker since Bobby took me to the hill of truth and nearly made me puke.
  
• Completed Ironman last fall, a number of centuries, many triathlons, and various other feats of endurance.
  
• Learned to ride bikes on the wheel of my old man and Big Jim Phillips. Life drafting behind the big boys was nice.
  
• Spent a "Belgium Style" Spring/Summer getting pummeled by the winds in the high plains of Indiana, before relocating to the North Carolina hill country.
• First ever triathlon was White Lake Half. I have been hooked ever since. Many more followed and many more will...
• Motivate by the Wife, Gina and my main running bud Millie the wonder dog. She is a great running partner, and can pull me through miles when I start to feel a little sluggish. I think its safe to say I do not know who I would be without Gina standing by my side. I am forever grateful to have her support in all my racing/training endeavors. Thank you.

Training Philosophy

• It all started after grad school when I was out on the road for admissions; man I was bored. Hotels, restaurants, and not much else can get a tad depressing. Dad had started to ride again by then, and Lance was winning the tour...I had always wanted to do a triathlon, so why not get after it!
• I actually remember sitting at an O'Charlies in southeastern Ohio when this realization hit and I walked out of the restaurant to Borders and bought Triathlon Training in 4 Hours. My Dad gave me his old road bike, I bought some goggles, a skimpy swim suit, a pair of Mizuno's and I was training.
• My basic philosophy is to make training a normal part of my day. People make workouts/training out to be a big deal, but it does not have to be. I do two a days, and ride miles and miles, or swim a mile plus at lunch, but its just something I do. Its nothing special or out of the ordinary its an honest routine, and honestly it's who I am.
• There is a certain safety in training, keeps me in a good place, on track, and feeling good.
• My favorite workout is a brick: its the essence of multisport, its suffering, its a time when I really feel accomplished. I am not going to lie about it I get a kick out of the pain, or when someone says, "you're crazy," I just smile and grin back.
• In fact I am pretty sure most of my co-workers and at least 95% of our neighborhood think I am crazy.
• The harder, the longer, the faster, the stronger, the better the feeling at the end.
• There's just something about a good old sufferfest.
• Favorite training quote, "if it ain't raining it ain't training!"
• I'll be posting a lot of training updates - stay tuned.

Why Project 11?

Its really quite simple. If someone, took something from you, you would be pretty angry right? You would want to fight for it, you would want to make sure a memory never died, never faded, but instead was remembered or even honored. Personally Project 11 helps us do that.

By no means will racing ever bring my Dad back, but I do believe Project 11 brings a focus and outlet to all the feelings I, we, the family and friends have dealt with over the past few months. Yes we are raising money for the LAF, but more importantly, hopefully we are carrying on a time honored family tradition, motivating others to get out there and get after it, just like Dad did for so many.

Thanks Dad...



Bobby - Pics

Age 41 -

• Long time bodybuilder, hence the Clydesdale status. Have learned that big guns are worthless in these skinny-guy endurance sports.
  
• West Point grad and Master Fitness Trainer in the Army. Swore off running after 8 years in the military, but dusted off the old running shoes for this challenge. Motivated to keep up with my classmates who run marathons, do triathlons, and otherwise try to prove to ourselves that we are not getting old. Will turn 42 during Project 11, proving that its never to late to learn a new skill (swimming).
  
• Avid mountain biker and cyclist since 2002. Completed 20+ century rides, longest one day ride was Seattle to Portland (211 miles)
  
• Learned to ride in the Cascades of Washington with my skinny friends from Wenatchee. Dropped on most rides early in the learning process, but persevered and became respectable. Learned to always try to train with someone better than you (which was not hard for me).
  
• Fitness and health a way of life for our family. Clean diet has evolved as we have become more educated (recommend Michael Pollan's books '"The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food"). Well known in many circles as the guy who eats all the grilled chicken.
  
• Two daughters (7 and 12) can count on one hand the numbers of time they've eaten at McDonalds. Doesn't happen. They're the swimmers in the family and give Dad training tips. They are a constant source of pride, and each have some of Dad's genes. Abby (8) is a gamer - still learning proper form, but compensates with a big heart. Doesn't know what "quit" means. Rachel (12) is lean and strong, and is starting to learn that the muscle most responsible for outstanding performance is between the ears.
  
• Motivated by Jackie - wife of 18 years who keeps a watchful eye on my diet, basically runs the house in my absence, and allows me adequate training time to keep up with the nephew. Despite my many shortcomings as a husband, the least I can do for her is not succumb to middle age and get a gut.

Training philosophy:

• Starts with the work ethic formed at home. Results don't come from wishful thinking - they come from hard work.
  
• Military taught me to persevere, overcome self-imposed limitations. Suck it up - drive on.
  
• Make training a priority - means many early mornings, using 'scraps of time' when traveling. Get that daily endorphin fix - you'll always feel better after a good workout. As a matter of fact, my personal remedy for most ailments is 'Drink water and do PT'
  
• Current training regime is a mix of cross-fit training, some weightlifting (old habits die hard), and standard tri-training. Trying to get 20 miles running and 100 miles cycling in each week. Swimming definitely the biggest challenge. Will try to keep the blog posted with some good workouts.
  
• As Dani knows, another key tenant of Uncle Bobby is "shut up and train!"
  

Why am I doing this:

As my neighbor growing up, Tim was a formative figure in my life. The things most precious to me are a direct result of my relationship with him. He introduced me to my wife and encouraged me to go to a military academy. 'Nuff said. He was my big brother and best friend. As he fought cancer - he taught us all how to Live Strong. He never
complained, never quit. He met each setback with more resolve. After his countless surgeries and treatments over the 11 years, he willed himself to get stronger. He got on his bike and started the fight anew. We push ourselves to suffer because it makes us feel alive. Tim pushed himself beyond suffering just to stay alive! Before he passed, I promised Tim I would look after the kids. He said "I know you will." Helping Eric achieve this goal is one small way of honoring my commitment to Tim and helping repay the debt of gratitude I owe him for everything he did for me.

JB - Pics
Age 29 - Metro DC Area

• The Techie "geek" in the bunch...always looking for a new gadget to make life easier.
  
• The rookie of the group when it comes to endurance events. But hey, you've gotta start somewhere, right?
  
• Completed 1 Duathlon, 1 Metric Century and 1 Full Century. Impressed? I bet.
  
• Mountain bike regularly with "Team Mudball"...Scheaffer Rocks!
  
• Current training regimen is 3 days weightlifting, 3-4 cardio workouts, and various core training.
  
• My training goal will be to run 15 miles a week and bike 40 miles
  
• The Webmaster for Project 11. My knowledge of HTML and Graphic Design is rather limited, but I'm trying to figure out new and exciting things that we can do through the Project 11 website. Stay tuned...and please feel free to shoot over any ideas.
  
• Other hobbies/interests include Disc Golf, Guitar, new Music, Camping, Cars (namely VW GTIs), and Rock Band. Let's just say I may be the rookie as far as endurance challenges go, but I guarantee I could out Rock the rest of the Project 11 team on Rock Band. I'd straight up ROCK their faces off!
  

Why am I part of Project 11?

Growing up, I spent many a day with Eric and his family. Mr Smith was a great man, and his battle with cancer was nothing short of awe inspiring. Not once did he complain about it, or look for your pity. When I went over to his house, he would constantly talk about his cycling and try to get me to join in. He was extremely dedicated and would get up at the crack of dawn to bike all across the eastern shore of Maryland. At the time, I was not a cyclist and had not competed in any events. Had it not been for him and his experiences though, I may have never even been inspired to take up the sport.



Adam: Age 24 - New Haven, CT

• Runner. I started about 3 years ago in my last year of college.
  
• My first race was a 5K Bay Bridge run, and I’ve been hooked since then

• Completed two half and two full marathons, missing Boston qualifying time (3 hours 10 minutes) by just 2 minutes in my first marathon.
  
• Numerous local 5Ks, though I hate speedwork with a passion.
  
• Most of my outdoor pursuits have become self-imposed endurance events as well (52 miles in one weekend on the Connecticut AT, hiking up Mt. Washington and over the rest of the Presidential Range in a day)

Training:

• “You don’t have to enjoy it; you just have to do it!”

• That sums up my training philosophy. Do I enjoy running? Of course. But who enjoys 30 mile weekends? Sometimes you just have to put in the miles.

I need to learn to swim and bike this summer. Seriously…I’ve never done either competitively. I’m counting on my conditioning from several marathon seasons to carry me through so I can focus on surviving the swim and learning to bike. As a Westernport native, I feel somehow the mountain gods could take pity on me and let me get up Big Savage Mountain.
I’m coming off a marathon training schedule that peaked at 50-60 miles per week. I haven’t decided on a routine for the Savageman Half yet, but I have a copy of the TriBible to guide me.
Why P11?

Uncle Tim fought a far more difficult battle than these endurance events. He met it with incredible strength. Competing seems like the least I can do to honor his memory and hopefully help raise some money to continue to support brave men and women like Tim.