Where Are They Now? — Ben Rand

Like the rest of you, I'm freaking out about this being our 20th year since H.S. and my proximity to the big 4-0. (My son just asked if I was going to see a bunch of hippies at the reunion-we're not THAT old!). At least I can console myself knowing that I'm one of the younger ones so you'll all beat me to that dubious milestone by a few months.

I survived a 2 year stint in France/Switzerland, then returned to BYU for my degree in English and my teaching certificate (minor in French). Along the way I took a writing class from Mike Rutter (more on that later), and shared a biology class with Barrett Powley, who forced me to sit on the front row with him so we could absorb the knowledge flowing from our professors "undiluted." Somehow I managed to miss almost everyone else who was also at BYU at the same time.

I taught 6th and 7th grade for 1 glorious year, interviewed at two high schools (weird interviewing at PHS with a room full of my old English teachers, and then with my former drafting teacher turned principal at another school). Having secured neither job and realizing that teaching: a) doesn't pay very well, and b) wasn't all it's cracked up to be, I changed career tracks.

I worked in the architectural field for 5 years, and wrote some technical books along the way with the aforementioned M. Rutter, including a couple of Excel books on my own. I also taught CAD (computer aided drafting), 3D animation, and programming classes at Salt Lake Community College for a few years. I finally landed my current job as CAD/IS Manager (lots of programming) at CEntry Constructors & Engineers (industrial engineering) about 6 years ago, which I love (probably too much, if you ask my wife).

I met my wife, Erika, playing volleyball while we were going to BYU, and got married in 1993. We have four children, three boys and a girl. Casey is almost 12, Jordan almost 10, Emelie is 5 and Orion (Baby O) is 3. Fun watching them grow up but CRAZY that our oldest is heading to middle school (ahh, memories of Dixon Jr. High…) this fall. We lived in Provo/Orem until 2002 and now call West Jordan home.

After running cross country all 4 years at PHS, I ran a marathon after graduation, then dropped out of running for 10 years. Volleyball (indoor and outdoor) consumed me through college and a few years beyond. In 1998, I started running marathons again (16(?) total to date). I've run into (ha-ha) a few of you at various races along the way. I qualified for and ran the Boston marathon in 2001, then tore my ACL (basketball). Surgery and 10 months later I did the first of many Olympic distance tris, several half-Ironmans, and an Ironman (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). I ran Boston a 2nd time in 2003. In 2006, I ran 6 marathons in 6 months and came in 11th place in the Utah Grand Slam (best cumulative time for 5 marathons), including my current best of 2:56:06. Two months later I ruptured my Achilles tendon (b-ball again, damn it!) which has been a real pain in the ass-well, heel-to overcome (worse than the ACL). I'm currently working hard on my tennis and racquetball games, and considering making yet another running comeback. I also read a ton.