Doug Crytzer holds the rare distinction of being a professional racer. When a local boy scout troop hired him to organize an adventure race for them, he discovered he loved producing races even more than running them. He founded American Adventure Sports in 1997 to indulge his new passion, while raising awareness of nature's beauty and efforts to preserve it.

Today, AAS, as Doug dubs it, organizes adventure races, triathlons, mountain bike races, and camping trips into American wildernesses across the country. The organization also has a brick and mortar store located in Pennsylvania, where staffers provide athletes with all the gear they need to compete in any of the events or go on an adventure of their own making.