CPA vs. Sahara.

• Position: Finalentry

CalCPA member and CPA Jeff

Neumeister's story in accounting is primarily in the forensic realm as director of the Thomas St. John Group, with some work as a professor on the side. But his story outside of work is that of a distance runner who most recently competed in a 156-mile ultramarathon over the hot sands of the Sahara. We caught up with this runner to talk more about his experience competing in one of the "toughest footraces on Earth."

How did you become such a prolific distance runner?

Running had been my preferred form of cardio exercise since college. Shortly after moving to California in late 2007, I entered and trained for a distance race. I completed my first marathon that following summer with the 2008 San Francisco Marathon. Crossing that finish line for a distance further than I had ever run before afforded an incredible sense of accomplishment. I was hooked. Since then, I have competed in more than 200 other distance races including 10Ks, obstacle course runs, triathlons and many other marathons.

At what point did you decide to take the leap from the numerous other races you have competed in to this 156-mile marathon?

After several years of casual runs and other organized races, the standard marathon had become almost like a regular workout for me so I started to look for other challenges. I quickly learned of ultramarathon type of events that generally encompass any footrace over the 26.2 mile standard maradion distance. The Marathon Des Sables (MDS) was one of the most frequendy referenced ultramarathons and was touted as the "toughest footrace on Earth." I quickly added this race to my bucket list and then finally registered for the 2017 edition last summer, giving me a little under a year to train.

What did training look like?

The MDS is unlike many other races because distance is just one of the challenges. It also requires racers to be self-sufficient (carry all food and gear for the week), traverse difficult terrain and do so within the heat the Sahara desert is infamous for. A typical training week consisted of a few hot yoga classes, 50-70 miles of running, a CrossFit class, a few days of weight training at the gym and an occasional mixture of other workouts such as swimming, Pilates or spinning.

Did you ever second-guess yourself?

Despite all of the training, there was no way to fully substitute for all of the race conditions. The first stage of the course was very eye-opening. The combination of the heat, sand...