My name is Andrew Philip Richard Cawood, but I go by Cawood. I was born in Southern Bulawayo, Rhodesia and grew up in Mhlambanyatsi, Swaziland. My father started me running when I was only 7 years old and would tie a rope around my waist. He would make me run with him until I couldn’t run anymore and then would make me walk home. I attended Usutu Forrest Primary School and competed as a bowler in cricket, a scrum-half in rugby, a mid-fielder in soccer, ran track & field, cross country and men’s field hockey.

With the release of Nelson Mandela from prison, the change of power and the end of apartheid, my family and I were forced to leave Swaziland and move to the United Kingdom. After a couple of months in the UK we moved to Philadelphia and then down to Atlanta, Georgia to settle for good. My father opened up his businesses and my brother and I started running at our respective high schools.

I ran at Alan C. Pope High School, in Marietta, GA. I competed at the 800m, 1,600m and 3,200m during my track & field season and then ran the 5km during cross country season.  While at Pope I broke the 3,200m school record by running 9:37.41 and still hold the 4 X 1,600m relay. After 4 years of running Varsity I was recruited by The Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel, to run track & field and cross country. During my freshman year I shattered the following freshman records, 5,000m Indoors, 5,000m Outdoors, and 8km Cross Country. During the next four years I would break the 5,000m Outdoor school record, which still stands and also placed 6^th at The Southern Conference Championships, which is the highest placing by any Citadel athlete in school history. I am currently in 4^th place all time for the most miles run while attending The Citadel at 9,671 miles.

After I graduated from The Citadel I stayed on as a Graduate Assistant to complete my eligibility in track and field.  Once I completed my grad school year, I commissioned into the United States Air Force as a 2^nd Lieutenant and have been serving ever since. I have been stationed in wonderful Los Angeles, California, and Charleston, South Carolina. I have deployed to the United Arab Emirates, North West Iraq twice…and I will here in the desert until mid-May of 2010.

I have raced in over 150 races and run just shy of 34,000 miles in my life time. I have always dreamed of providing a way to promote fitness to the amateur athlete…and now with racemates, it is finally possible…