Colin O'Brady

Colin O'Brady
Personal information
Birth name Colin Timothy O'Brady
Nationality American
Born (1985-03-16) March 16, 1985
Olympia, Washington
Residence Portland, Oregon
Alma mater Yale University
Occupation Endurance athlete
Years active 2009 - present
Life partner(s) Jenna Besaw
Sport
Turned pro 2009
Updated on 23 April 2016.

Colin O'Brady is an American endurance athlete. As a triathlete, he has represented the United States in 25 countries on six continents.[1][2]

In January 2016, O'Brady began the Explorers Grand Slam, an adventure challenge to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents, and reach the North and South Pole by covering the last degree of latitude on skis. An attempt to break the world record for speed by competing the challenge in less than six months, O'Brady's goal was to raise $1 million to combat childhood obesity. Donations were collected through O'Brady's Beyond 7/2 project to benefit the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation.[3][4]

Biography

O'Brady grew up in Portland, Oregon, and began mountain climbing with his father as a child. A nationally ranked soccer player and swimmer in high school, he was recruited as a Division 1 athlete in both sports. O'Brady chose swimming and attended Yale University, where he competed on the varsity team in the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke. He graduated in 2006 with a degree in economics.[5]

In 2007, O'Brady began what was planned as a year long backpacking trip around the world. In January 2008, while on the island of Koh Tao, he tripped on a burning kerosene-soaked rope during a fire game. Although he instinctively ran into the ocean, he suffered second and third-degree burns to 22% of his body, primarily on his legs and feet. 12 hours after the accident, he was transported by truck and boat to a hospital in Koh Samui. A week later he was transferred to a larger hospital in Bangkok, where he was told he may never regain a full range of motion in his legs. He took his first step the following month. "I was determined to beat the odds and focused all my energy on one day completing a triathlon to prove to myself I could make a full recovery," O'Brady said in a 2016 interview.[6][7]

O'Brady moved to Chicago following the accident, where he took a job as a commodities trader. He learned how to walk again, and for a year focused on physical rehabilitation. In May 2009 he won a sprint-distance triathlon in Racine, Wisconsin and in August won the age group in the Olympic-distance Chicago Triathlon. He then placed in the age-group nationals in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, which earned him a position on Team USA at the 2010 world triathlon championships in Budapest. In late 2009, encouraged by his mentor, financier Brian Gelber, O'Brady quit his job to pursue a professional career as an athlete. With Gelber as a sponsor, he moved to Australia to train in a more temperate climate. O'Brady has since completed more than 50 triathlons, ranging from sprint distance to Ironman competitions.[7][8]

Explorers Grand Slam

In 2012, O'Brady was given the book Climbing the Seven Summits by his manager Jenna Besaw, to whom he later became engaged. After reading about the Explorers Grand Slam, which 42 people had completed—only two in less than a year—he and Besaw set a goal for O'Brady to complete the challenge in less than six months. "He got to a place where he realized that endurance sports are pretty self-serving," Besaw said in an interview with The Washington Post. "We looked around and thought, can we use his endurance and ambitions to create a greater impact in the community." O'Brady and Besaw researched charitable organizations and partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation in 2015. With a mission to raise awareness regarding childhood obesity as well as $1 million for the cause, O'Brady and Besaw financed the Grand Slam attempt through sponsorships from Gelber, Nike, Columbia Sportswear and Mountain Hardwear, among others. All costs related to the challenge were covered through sponsorship, and all money collected through donations made at Beyond 7/2 benefited the Alliance for a Healthier Generation.[2]

O’Brady left Portland on December 25, 2015, flying to Chile and then Union Glacier in Antarctica. He began the Explorers Grand Slam on January 4, 2016 from 89 degrees south latitude and in seven days skied the 69 miles to the South Pole. He next climbed Mount Vinson, (Antarctica, 16,050 feet), Aconcagua, (South America, 22,838 feet), Carstensz Pyramid, (Oceania, 16,024 feet), Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa, 19,341 feet) and Mount Elbrus (Europe, 18,510 feet). On April 19, 2016, he reached the North Pole, and subsequently began the Mount Everest ascent. He summited Mount Everest on May 19, 2016. He has documented his journey daily on the Beyond72 blog, Facebook, and Instagram.[9][2] O'Brady completed the Explorers Grand Slam on May 27, 2016, when he reached the summit of Denali, in Alaska.[10] From start to finish, he completed the Grand Slam in 139 days, a new world record for the shortest time.[10]

References

  1. ↑ USA Today Sports (January 7, 2016). "Endurance athlete will try to break peaks record". USA Today. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Maise, Rick (January 11, 2015). "Sports Six months, seven mountains, two poles — and the pursuit of one record". Washinton Post. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Maese, Rick (January 11, 2016). "Six Months, Seven Mountains, Two Poles -- and the Pursuit of One Record". Washington Post. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  4. ↑ Bissinger, Caleb (February 11, 2016). "Seven Summits. Two Poles. Six Months.". Men's Journal.
  5. ↑ Vondersmith, Jason (March 1, 2016). "Adventurer Colin O'Brady attempts new record in Explorers Grand Slam". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  6. ↑ Ragogna, Mike (March 8, 2016). "Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Conversation with Colin O'Brady". Hufiington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 Hunter, Kat (July 31, 2013). "Real Life of the Pros: ITU Triathlete Colin O'Brady". Austin Tri Cyclist. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Hoff, Jennifer (August 6, 2015). "Portland man gears up to top world's tallest peaks". KOIN News. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Beyond 72. "Blog". Beyond 72. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Setting an epic world record". CBS News. June 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-05.

External links

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