Runners new to the racing scene generally select minimally challenging venues their first time out.But not Kimmy Fung, who is set to run the Giant Race half-marathon on Saturday. “I wanted to challenge myself,” said the San Francisco native, explaining why she opted to register for the 13.1-miler rather than either the 5K or 10K distances. “I don’t know. I just want to push my body.” Through discipline, exercise and a healthy, revamped diet, the 27-year-old Lower Pacific Heights resident has transformed herself from her sedentary childhood years. Read More

As a boy in his native England, Ben Dunn just wanted to fly. “I remember running around with my hands out doing the bird thing,” Dunn said as his dad, who took up hang gliding in 1979, would disappear in to the skies of Suffolk. In 1985, at the age of 12, the younger Dunn finally got his chance to fly. “It was great; it was definitely destiny, something that I had to do,” said Dunn, a Daly City resident. “It was never enough. I always wanted more.” After a minor setback, the eager young flier was sent to ground school. Read More

The reigning San Francisco Yacht Club Yachtsman of the Year proved his mastery of California’s rugged ocean waters with last month’s Coastal Cup victory. “It’s not for the meek,” said Steve Stroub, the winning captain of the annual San Francisco Bay to Catalina Island race. “It’s pretty much nonstop for 48 hours; you might sleep 10 minutes, 20 minutes here and there.” Read More

During the summer of 1998 and entering her senior year at the University of Illinois, Carolyn Erdman worked as a lifeguard. While assigned to an underwater hockey game, Erdman was “talked into trying it.” She has yet to come up for air and has become an enthusiastic spokeswoman for the sport. An accomplished equestrian competitor at the time, Erdman, a strong swimmer, switched her athletic allegiance to underwater hockey, attracted by the camaraderie of the aquatic game. Read More