I’m Greg, aka, middleagefast

Growing up, I was an average to below-average athlete, though I managed to stay somewhat active through graduate school. As life got busy, coupled with a demanding career as a university professor, I began to notice a frustrating trend every spring: my grass was getting harder and harder to cut.

One day, more or less out of nowhere, I decided something had to change. That was more than 10 years ago; I was 44. Among athletic activities, running was never at the top of my list. In fact, I famously (or infamously) claimed that I "don’t run that far” referring to the 10-mile 7 sisters trail race. The wife still loves to bring this up. Its particularly ironic because it was during that race that I realized: This is it - I will become a trail runner. 

Today, my relationship with running looks very different. I’ve gone from celebrating that I ran (for like 30 minutes) to tackling multi-day stage races across the Alps. We now measure my running by hours, not minutes. There was no master plan; I just started doing it.  If I can do it, you can do it.

That's why I’m here now: to share as a masters athlete what worked (and didn’t work) for me—the little things, the lessons learned, and the strategies that have kept me injury-free. Staying injury-free has allowed me to follow my passion consistently for more than a decade and surpass my wildest expectations. Fundamental to my personal life, my profession, and my running is a tremendous community of awesome people.  Let’s grow the community.

Beyond Running: I've been married for 30 years to my biggest fan; she’s incredible. We have been long-term dog owners. Currently we have one German Shorthaired Pointer, named Summit, and one Vizsla, named Scarlett. There have been three awesome dogs who came before them. We have participated in agility with our dogs for more than 15 years. Who grows hybrid tea roses in the northeast- sadly me. At work, I am a professor of polymer science and engineering, 25 yrs and counting. Trying to inspire young people to pursue their career dreams by teaching soft materials and mentoring Ph.D. students. This job is the reason we live in Western Massachusetts.  

I have always had a passion for sharing what I love about life, dedicating my entire professional career to it. Now, I hope to bring that same enthusiasm and energy to the mountain running community. Let’s dream bigger, let’s exceed our expectations, and let’s bring others with us. Go impress yourself; I'll be right here cheering you on.