1. Please tell us the name of your firm, title, and describe your role in 1 sentence.  Trafelet Brokaw & Co., analyst.  I’m responsible for sourcing and researching long and short positions across various industries

2. What are your fundraising and athletic goals for The Decathlon, and what led you to choose them? My goal is to increase my donations by 2x my previous best, and to win the overall event!  The event has grown every year and my donations have not, so I need to step it up on that front.  And since I’ve finished third and second, the last goal is naturally first!

3. On average, a Decathlete receives donations from 34 supporters.  What fundraising technique(s) have worked best for you that you would recommend to first-time participants? I’m not active on social media, but I will increase my presence for fundraising.  Don’t be afraid to have your friends share/pass it along as well.  You’ll find that people are often quite receptive – in fact, I’ve had salespeople ask me about it after they read media coverage about the event!

4. Most Decathletes have participated in mud runs, 5k’s, and triathlons.  What differentiates The Wall Street Decathlon experience from those other events?  I don’t want to take anything away from the other events, but I think what sets The Decathlon apart is the people who participate and organize the event.  Every single year it’s become more competitive and well-run.  For the participants, I think what sets it apart is how diverse your training needs to be – you have to train for strength, speed, endurance, and agility which can be tough to cram into daily routine!

5. What’s the one piece of advice about The Decathlon that you’d share with first-time participants? Make sure you train specifically for each event and learn how to pace yourself properly in each event – it’s already tough enough, you don’t need any surprises on game day!