Back in the 1980s, my left-leaning dad used to joke at the dinner table that if a certain right-leaning President were re-elected, we would be moving to Sweden. In his mind, the country of his forebears was an egalitarian society of hale and hearty outdoor people who lived among nature and cared deeply about the welfare of others. My dad...

　　Today, I’m a 42-year-old dad with four kids. I work a 9-5 job, ski on the weekends, camp in the summer, drive a Tacoma…you get the picture. I’m essentially a cliched version of the middle-class outdoorsy American who’s floating along with the bunch. 　　But I promise I was much cooler when I was in my teens in the 1990s. I...

　　Whats the weirdest rule in endurance sports? A few come to mind: 　　Regulations governing the New York City Marathon explicitly forbid runners from pooping on the pavement at the starting line. Article 7.01-G of the Ironman Triathlon rulebook prohibits nakedness in transition areas. And dont get me started on the wackadoo bylaws enforced by pro cyclings governing body, the Union...