It's been said eight kilograms (17.6 pounds) is worth two-tenths of a second. You can imagine the challenge that Preston and Dan are up against. To do as well as they do says a lot about their skill and ability to drive the sled down the hill.

In a sport where it comes down to thousandths of a second, any advantage is a big advantage.

We found out pretty quickly what a nice guy Mark was. In fact, he's still the nicest guy on the World Cup circuit. But back then, he'd catch some good-natured ribbing about it. Luckily for us, he took it well. If Mark had wanted to rip us limb from limb, he probably could've.

Around the Olympic Games, Dan will be a little bit of a celebrity in Carmel. But you're not sliding for the recognition. If someone were looking for fame and recognition, they might want to look elsewhere. We can't say we're on the same level of recognition as Michael Jordan or Derek Jeter — you do a sport because you love it.

We believe it's worth taking the challenge because a diesel hybrid combines the strong fuel economy of diesel with much lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Who I am today is a constant reminder of what I took from my past challenges.