My wife was diagnosed with diabetes in 2005, and we began walking together to keep her blood sugar under control. By September I also took up running. In April of 2006 the Tulsa Running Club had a social run that began at RunnersWorld, and that's when I started running with the RunnersWorld group. By November 2006 I had run my first marathon, the inaugural Route 66 Marathon. I have run five marathons, with four being under four hours and my fastest being 3:49. I have also run a one half marathon, a 25k trail race, two 50k trail races, and a few shorter races.

Also, one of my most enjoyable races was when I had the privilege of pacing Kathy for 40 miles in the Mother Road 100 in November of 2008. I am signed up for the Oklahoma City full marathon, and my goal is 3:45. Sometime I would like to qualify for the Boston Marathon. I would also like to finish a longer race - maybe a hundred miler - but that's probably in the distant future. My long term goal is to keep active for the rest of my life.

Not long after I had started running with RunnersWorld, Kathy talked me into joining a group that her boyfriend (Brian) was starting. The group is TATUR, which stands for Tulsa Area Trail Ultra Runners. I joined the group, and not long after Kathy started calling me TATUR Dave, and the name sort of stuck.

I have been helping Brian and Kathy with the training groups since 2007. One of the reasons I started helping is that I am grateful for the kindness and encouragement that I received from Kathy when I first started with the group. I am now the run leader for the "Ethiopian Elites" - both the marathon and half marathon groups. I also help Brian and Kathy in planning the Saturday routes and developing the training schedules. 

Outside of running I have a full life. I have been married to my wonderful wife, Marilyn, for 27 years, and we have four daughters ranging in age from 26 to 19. Three of my daughters still live with us, and they are a true blessing. Two of my daughters are in nursing (one will graduate from OU-Tulsa nursing school in the spring), one works at an emergency shelter for the Dept. of Human Services, and one is a chiropractic assistant. Marilyn's mother has also been living with us for the past few years. I work as an electrical engineer for the Dept. of Energy.

Another big part of my life is church and my relationship with God. I have been going to Tulsa Bible Church since 1995, and I teach an adult Sunday school class, help lead a men's Bible study, and lead a group that meets in our home once a month. One of the Scriptures that guides my life is Acts 17:27, which says that God orders the circumstances in people's lives "so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us." I hope that God uses me to help people find him.