JOE REIF is a technical writer for the Providian Financial Corporation, the sponsors of “The Relay” and formerly sponsors of the San Francisco Marathon. Joe writes user manuals and technical presentations for the corporate systems division and designs Intranet sites for the technical staff. He comes to his corporate writing duties from the world of newspapers; he worked at the Pierce County Herald in Puyallup, Washington, and before that at the Houston Chronicle, where he went to work after graduating from the University of Houston in 1994. He currently lives on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge in Marin County. Unlike Martin Mull in Serial, Joe does not take the ferry to his work in San Francisco.

BARRY LEWIS is a writer/photographer who has documented many adventurous pursuits over the years. Whether searching for a warplane wreck on Australia’s Torres Straits reefs or covering the Marathon des Sables (Marathon & Beyond, November/December 1999), his style has always been to take part in the adventure. One of the East Coast’s top trail ultrarunners, Lewis has more than 60 ultras under his belt.

K. MARIE BENDER has for the past eight years been a sergeant with a county sheriff’s office in Washington State, where she is a jail line supervisor. She’s seen much of the world in her 41 years: she lived in the Phillipines for a year, spent two years living in Israel, four months traveling through Europe on a Eurail pass, and five weeks on an exchange program in Japan. She loves the outdoors and spends a great deal of time skiing, hiking, and riding her motorcycle—and of course running. Her youngest stepson, Ryan, has been accompanying her on her long runs by riding his bike along as a mobile aid station. Marie plans to keep working at her PR and hopes to take a few cracks at lowering it in 2002 with marathons at Las Vegas and Marine Corps.