Grand Haven, Michigan...Many people look forward to vacations relaxing by a pool or at the beach. Bill Maat, an original member of Borns LLC's 12 year old advisory board, gets his "rest and recreation" in a much different way—he scrambles up and down mountains. He has summitted mountains in Colorado, California, Washington, New Hampshire, and even in Nepal. The later being his highest climb to 21,297 feet up Mera Peak where he could see Mt. Everest a few peaks away.

Every August since 1983, Leadville, Colorado has hosted the Leadville Trail 100 a "race across the sky." This is an ultramarathon in the Colorado Rockies which entails hoofing 50 miles out and 50 miles back to the well earned finish. The lowest point is 9,200 ft. and the highest point is Hope Pass, 12,600 ft.

Fred Walters, another energetic vacationer and a friend of Bill's, has entered the Leadville Trail 100 six times. After acting as Fred's official pacer from the 50 mile point to the finish in 2004, Bill has entered the ultramarathon twice. There is a 30 hour time limit so, you know at the halfway point if you are going to be able to finish or not. Of the 500 people that enter the race each year, less than half actually finish.

This past July, Bill and Fred ventured to Colorado to participate in the Leadville Marathon. This 26.2 mile race is a precursor to the Leadville Trail 100. This race has an 8.5 hour time limit and it took Fred 6 hrs 18 min while Bill staggered back into town in 7 hrs 45 min. The next few days they would spend climbing fourteeners (14ers) which are mountains with summits higher than 14,000 ft. above sea level. Colorado has the most 14ers in the US with 54.

In his usual modest manner, Bill recounts the marathon experience, "I now know why they consider this marathon one of the toughest in the country. The air is thin, the footing is treacherous, and the weather is unpredictable. We experienced everything from hot and sunny to cold, windy and rainy. On the other hand, the scenery was sublime. The alpine meadows were bursting with wildflowers and the snowcapped Rockies lined the horizon."

As you may have gathered, Bill's vacations are quite a bit more active than what most people look forward to. You wouldn't know this mild mannered accountant has a fire inside him that is always burning and yearning for the next adventure. Not bad for a fifty-something guy.