Matt Bush cut to the quick, and the gold medal, by beating the unbeatables.

My favorite Great Outdoor Games moment is the 2002 Men's Endurance competition. In three out of the last four years, the same four competitors made the top four: Jason Wynyard, David Bolstad, Matt Bush and Dion Lane (Dion finished 6th in 2000).

A lot of focus has been put on the rivalry between the two brothers-in-law: Jason Wynyard and Dion Lane. Matt Bush had quietly performed well in 2000 and 2001 (Bronze and Silver, respectively) but no one was talking about whether or not he would challenge for the gold in '02. Dion and Jason had an epic battle in the semi-finals. I was always in awe of the fact that Jason Wynyard would consistently finish each heat in under a minute; but Dion broke 50 seconds in the semi-final with Jason!

Meanwhile, Matt Bush was moving through the brackets with consistent times (around a minute per round). When he met Dion Lane in the Gold Medal round, the crowd was on their feet. Matt tore through the three disciplines in a little over 58 seconds to take the Gold from Dion, and, as he did, the look on his face said everything about endurance and competitiveness. I remember the smile on my face — as well as the other 1,500 people watching — when Matt knew he had won. I can't wait to see him defend his Gold Medal in '03.