Litigator’s hobby mixes pleasure, pain

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Kap alternates trial duties with endurance training

Some of Madison attorney Joost Kap’s best moments have come in the midst of grueling physical challenges.

As an avid endurance athlete, Kap spends hours outdoors building his strength as a runner and biker. The physical trials help him shut out distractions, he said, and clear his mind.

Completing the Ironman competition in 2007 was a high and low point, he said, typical of his commitment to fitness.

“It was one of the best days of my life,” Kap said, “but also pretty excruciating.”

When he can shut out the cries from his tired limbs, Kap, a civil litigator with Bell, Moore & Richter SC, said he gets some of his best trial preparation accomplished.

“Sometimes I have some of my most lucid insight into things when I’m into a long run,” he said. “When you concentrate on one thing, 25 or 30 minutes can go by and you don’t even realize it.”

Kap, 35, started running during his studies at the University of Wisconsin Law School. When he graduated in 2005, the Netherlands native began participating in competitions, starting with the Crazylegs Classic 8K in Madison.

During the winter, he takes part in Nordic marathons. In warmer months, he completes triathlons and trail marathons.

The solitude of competing in the outdoor races gives him time, he said, to think about elements of his cases, such as cross examination questions for expert witnesses.

“It’s easier for me to step back and see the forest from the trees,” Kap said, “if I’m actually in the forest.”

In the past four years, his skills have advanced to include adventure races: 24-hour events that involve running, climbing, paddling and biking.

As he increased his physical endurance, Kap said, the challenges enhanced his mental toughness in the courtroom.

Learning to run for six hours at a time requires an allocation of energy that applies well to trials, he said.

“You have to pace yourself,” Kap said, “when dealing with a complex case that may last for 18 or 24 months.”

Although his hobby has been a benefit to his courtroom skills, he said, sometimes the demands of work get in the way of training, particularly during the limited daylight of winter months.

“If it’s dark by 5 (p.m.),” Kap said, “I might as well stay at the office and get some work done.”

When he can find time for work and endurance training, he said, both sides benefit. During a two-week trial a couple of years ago in Prairie du Chien, Kap made time to slip away for up to an hour at a time to hit the trails.

“That really allowed me to unwind,” he said, which helped him stay sharp through the trial process.

Kap also manages to squeeze in extra training during his four-mile commute to the office, which he often makes via bike. It’s a good time to work through the details of a case, he said, with the clarity a good workout can bring.

“I’ll take my Dictaphone,” he said, “or come home after work and jot down some notes on a case that I thought about during the ride.”