1. Please tell us the name of your firm, title, and describe your role in one sentence. I work at Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. as an Analyst in the investment banking division. I work in the Diversified Industrials group where we provide services related to mergers and acquisitions, capital raises and strategic advisory.

2. What are your fundraising and athletic goals for The Decathlon, and what led you to choose them? Because this is my first year participating, I set the bar at $3,000 with the hope that I can raise more – I wanted to be as realistic as possible but still leave a lot of room for exceeding expectations! Plus, it provides a bit more incentive for potential donors to donate using the performance-based platform.

3. Most Decathletes have participated in mud runs, 5k’s, and triathlons. What differentiates The Wall Street Decathlon experience from those other events? On the physical end for differentiating factors, probably the biggest thing I’ve noticed in going to the organized workouts and preparing on my own is how diverse the events are – it’s not good enough to just be fast around a track or be big great on the bench press. It’s really a full athletic competition and requires a lot more creativity on how to approach training.

On a deeper level, though, is what makes this a really different event – what I see as the “purpose” behind the whole Decathlon. This is obviously a huge commitment of time and effort to train and raise money, and having a real motivating factor is important for me – I call this purpose the “cancer paradox”. The paradox is the unfortunate fact that nearly everybody knows someone who has or is currently battling some sort of cancer – but what makes it unique is that this paradox can (and should) be used to some sort of advantage. Because it’s such a prevalent disease, it’s a lot easier to really get people tied in with the message of raising money for such a great (and ubiquitous) cause.

4. What makes the Decathlon special for you? What makes the event different for me is a bit more personal because I’m a cancer survivor of almost 4 years. I was diagnosed with cancer entirely out of the blue two days before my nineteenth birthday, two and a half weeks before I started college. Going through something like that has been something I’ve tried to turn more into a blessing than a curse; there’s truly a deep, vibrant and caring community of cancer survivors and fighters that I suppose I never truly appreciated beforehand.

Participating in events like these, and not being afraid to share my story, has led to a great number of deep friendships because cancer is such a unifying factor.There’s an enormous community of people who have gone through something similar, whether it was experiencing it themselves or watching a loved one go through it. When I first got sick, following my surgery and treatment, I did my best to just power through it on my own and not really think about it too much – after all, everybody has some sort of bad thing to work through, their own sort of “pink scar” in a way, and my pink scar just happened to be on my neck/chest and from a cancer diagnosis. But when I opened up a bit through doing fundraisers and the like, I was really surprised at how many people so readily came forward and shared their own stories with me – a sibling, a parent, or a friend who went through something similar to – and far too often, worse than – what I went through.

Participating in The Decathlon is another powerful reminder of the strength of community against such bad thing as cancer, and it serves as a unifying force far beyond the physical training and Decathlon t-shirts. There’s a purpose to the event, and for me, that serves as the most powerful motivation and a differentiating factor about The Decathlon. My first year in college I had cancer; my first year out of college, I’m doing The Decathlon.

5. What’s the one thing you are most excited about as a first-time participant? One of the first things I’m most excited about is the camaraderie at the actual event, something all previous participants say is a great aspect of The Decathlon. Obviously, a lot of people are very competitive and motivated to do their best – definitely a staple of the industry! – but it seems like there’s really a team atmosphere where people actively cheer each other on and forge relationships that extend past the end of the competition.

6. How have you been training for this year's event? It’s definitely been a bit tough to train–  I’m a first year analyst so it’s not uncommon to work 80+ hours a week. First, I’ve definitely focused more on my diet (but Friday is my cheat day....) – but generally my better diet means more vegetables and lean protein while cutting back on bad carbs, especially if I have to miss a workout. Additionally, I try to go to the gym about 5-6 times a week. If I have to skip because work is busy on a given night, I’ll put in some extra time the following night, usually adding more rowing or running into the mix.

Now that it’s finally warm, and because our office is close, I’ve been trying to run in Central Park a few times a week. In the coming weeks I’ve made a promise to myself that if I get home before a certain hour (even a late one), I’ll wake up in the morning and try to do some interval or cardio training - usually on the erg in the gym or running.

7. Decathletes are motivated by the cause, the competition, and the camaraderie. What inspirational quote -- not from Anchorman -- motivates you? I’ll choose two – one, from JFK: “Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.”

And the other, from Lance Armstrong: “If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell.”

You can donate to David's personal page here.