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P BY MIKE SCANDURA ERHAPS THE OBVIOUS question is why did Virginia alumnus Noah Kaufman ('99) want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is a "mere" 19,341 feet above sea level? "I've wanted to go to all seven continents, and Mount Kilimanjaro looked nice in pictures," said Kaufman, who wrestled at UVa. "I've always been interested in mountains. I teach classes [he's an adjunct professor at University College in Wash- ington, D.C., specializing in accounting informa- tion systems], and each week I discuss climbing a mountain. "It's similar to life because you're getting closer to the top of your life, whether it's aca- demic pursuits or trying to get a career." Kaufman, who's also a CPA for the Broadcast- ing Board of Governors (a federal agency that's responsible for all U.S. government and gov- ernment-sponsored, non-military, international broadcasting), climbed the mountain in March. "I don't think I ever was at a point where I wanted to quit," Kaufman said. "But it was really hard, and I never climbed any mountain before. I don't do a lot of outdoor things outside of running. The first couple of days were difficult. "I got sick on the way down. I weighed 134 pounds after the climb, which was the lightest I've been since college." One reason the first couple of days were dif- ficult was because Kaufman had run a half-mara- thon the day before the climb. "A friend of mine, David Ratliff, had this idea a year ago," Kaufman recalled. "He works interna- tionally and I don't get to see him much. I wanted to hang out with my friend. "It sounded like a great idea and a great way to see Africa. Mount Kilimanjaro looked great on a map." Kaufman married another Virginia alumnus, Rachelle Lasken ('02), on Aug. 26 of this year. "A lot of this was planned when I was single [Kaufman started dating Lasken in August 2011]," said. "The idea made more sense then. "She was concerned about me and wanted me to be safe and healthy." Kaufman commenced running marathons at the age of 23. But he's still at loss for an explanation as to why. "I don't know why I got into marathons," he said. "When I was wrestling, I ran for condition- ing. I liked running and started marathons in "Wrestling was really hard. Practices were challenging. Weight management was brutal. But weight management gave me the feeling I could run in marathons and get to the top of the mountain." KAUFMAN 2000. The idea is it's an accomplishment, some- thing in which to compete. "I didn't have major injuries and my job wasn't that busy [previously he was an accountant for the Department of Homeland Security], so that was a good time for me to train. "I also did martial arts," Kaufman continued. "But I hurt my elbow so I couldn't lift. But I felt I could run more than 10 miles." Kaufman's desire to visit all 50 states led him to enter a marathon in New Orleans in 2010. But during training in the winter of that year, he twice sprained an ankle, developed tendinitis and suf- fered a deep cut in the same foot. Walking, let alone running, was at the risk of an understatement, difficult. "I was determined to run," Kaufman said. "I CAVALIER CORNER ◆ OCTOBER 2012 ◆ 43