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 Pro Endurance Athlete
Years active 2009 - present
Spouse(s) Jenna Besaw
Website www.colinobrady.com
Sport
Sport Mountaineer, Triathlete
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking 2x world record holder; Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree) and Seven Summits speed records
Updated on 23 April 2016.

Colin O'Brady (born 16 March 1985) is an American pro endurance athlete, mountain climber, adventurer, and professional speaker.

O'Brady is a two-time world record holder for the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree) and Seven Summits speed records.[1][2][3] He became the fastest person to complete the adventurers challenges in 139 days and 131 days respectively.

He is a former professional triathlete and represented the United States on the ITU Triathlon World Cup circuit, racing in 25 countries on six continents from 2009-2015.[4][5]

Early life

Colin Timothy O'Brady was born on March 16, 1985 in Olympia, Washington, but was raised in Portland, Oregon.

He attended the Franciscan Montessori Earth School, Mt. Tabor Middle School, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2002.[6]

O'Brady was a youth soccer star and Oregon State Swimming Champion.[7] He was recruited for both collegiate swimming and soccer in high school. He accepted a recruitment to swim for the Yale Bulldogs swimming and diving team where he competed on the NCAA Division I Varsity Team in the 100 and 200 meter Breaststroke.[8]

He graduated from Yale University in 2006 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.[9]

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 suffered a devastating burn injury. O'Brady participated in the local custom of fire jump-roping and was tripped by the burning kerosene-soaked rope. Although he instinctively ran into the ocean to extinguish the flames, he suffered second and third-degree burns to nearly 25% of his body, primarily damaging his legs and feet. 12 hours after the accident, he was transported by truck and boat to a hospital in Koh Samui. After a week and 8 surgeries he was transferred to a larger hospital in Bangkok. The doctors warned him that he might never regain the ability to walk normally. 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.[10][11][12]

Professional career

O'Brady moved to Chicago where he took a job as a commodities trader following the accident. He learned how to walk again, and for a year focused on physical rehabilitation. He began to train for triathlon; swimming, cycling, and running.

In May 2009 he won a sprint-distance triathlon in Racine, Wisconsin and in August 2009 he placed 1st overall amateur in the Olympic-distance Chicago Triathlon.[13] 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, Hungary. In late 2009, encouraged by his mentor, financier Brian Gelber, O'Brady quit his job to pursue a career as a professional 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.[11][14]

O'Brady completed Ironman Japan in August 2015, his final triathlon race and placed 6th in the Pro division.[15]

BEYOND 7/2

Following his retirement from triathlon, O'Brady maintained the urge to push his physical limits, but this time for a larger cause.

O'Brady and fiancée, Jenna Besaw, created BEYOND 7/2, a not-for-profit world record journey to inspire active, healthy kids. "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."[5]

O'Brady aimed to conquer the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree), an adventurer's challenge to climb the highest mountain on each of the seven continents and complete expeditions to both the North and South Poles in world record time.

O'Brady and Besaw financed the Grand Slam attempt through sponsorships from Gelber Group, 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.[5]

His BEYOND 7/2 project raised funds and awareness to benefit the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization that works to empower youth to develop lifelong healthy habits in response to the growing childhood obesity epidemic.[16]

O'Brady left Portland on December 25, 2015, flying to Chile and then Union Glacier in Antarctica. In January 2016, O'Brady began the Explorers Grand Slam.

Explorers Grand Slam

O'Brady became the fastest person (male) to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree) when he reached the summit of Denali in Alaska on 27 May 2016 and set a new speed record of 139 days.[17] He bested the previous male record of 197 days set by Richard Parks in 2011. O'Brady is the 36th person to complete the Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree) and the current record holder. O'Brady completed 10 expeditions in total to fulfill both the Bass and Messner lists.

Additionally, he became the fastest person to complete the Seven Summits in 132 days, as well as the Three Poles Challenge.

O'Brady was joined on parts of his BEYOND 7/2 journey by various climbing partners and expedition teammates including polar explorer Eric Larsen (explorer) and fellow mountaineer, Maria (Masha) Gordon.

Explorers Grand Slam (Last Degree)

Mountain Elevation Continent Country Date Summited
South Pole Antarctica 10 January 2016
*Mount Vinson 16,050 ft

(4,892 m)

Antarctica 17 January 2016
*Aconcagua 22,838 ft

(6,961 m)

South America Argentina 31 January 2016
*Mount Kilimanjaro 19,341 ft

(5,895 m)

Africa Tanzania 9 February 2016
*Mount Kosciuszko

(Bass List)

 7,310 ft

(2,228 m)

Australia Australia 17 February 2016
*Carstensz Pyramid

Puncak Jaya

(Messner List)

 16,024 ft

(4,884 m)

Oceania Indonesia 4 March 2016
*Mount Elbrus 18,510 ft

(5,642 m)

Europe Russia 10 March 2016
North Pole 0 ft 19 April 2016
*Mount Everest 29,029 ft

(8,848 m)

 Asia Nepal 19 May 2016
*Denali 20,322 ft

(6,194 m)

North America United States 27 May 2016

Seven Summits

O'Brady completed both the Bass and Messner lists for the Seven Summits speed record.[18]

Three Poles Challenge

South Pole Antartica 10 January 2016
North Pole Arctic Ocean 19 April 2016
Mount Everest Asia 27 May 2016

O'Brady documented his journey on a daily blog,[19] Facebook, and Instagram.[20] He used Snapchat to reach the younger audiences he was hoping to inspire and became the first person in history to Snapchat from the summit of Mount Everest.

He was featured by national media outlets including CBS Sunday Morning,[17] The Washington Post,[5] Men's Journal,[16] Outside Magazine,[3] VICE Sports[21] TODAY,[22] People,[23] PARADE,[24] USA Today,[25] The Huffington Post,[26] The Hallmark Channel[27], The Oregonian,[28] Portland Tribune,[29] Willamette Week[30] and many others.

He was invited as to be a guest speaker on 10% Happier Podcast with Dan Harris, The Rich Roll Podcast, Finding Mastery with Michael Gervais, among others.

The 50 High Points Challenge

In the summer of 2018, aided by a small support team, Colin shattered the speed record for the 50 High Points Challenge when he climbed the highest point in each of the 50 states in just 21 days, 9 hours, and 48 minutes. While reaching each high point, he invited local residents of all ages and backgrounds to come out to join him in setting a new world record, this piece of the project was coined "The Forrest Gump Effect".

The "50HP" project was featured by national media outlets including NBCSportsnorthwest,[31] Red Bull,[32] The Portland Tribune,[33] Oregon Public Broadcasting[34]

Other climbs and expeditions

Mountain Elevation Continent Country Date Summited
Manaslu 26,781 ft

(8,163 m)

 Asia Nepal
Cayambe 18,996 ft South America Ecuador 27 October 2014
Cotopaxi 19,347 ft

(5,897 m)

 South America Ecuador October 2014
Chimborazo 20,564 ft South America Ecuador October 2014
Mount Kilimanjaro Africa Tanzania November 2013
Mount Hood 11,249 ft

(3,429 m)

 North America USA Numerous climbs
Mount St Helens 8,363 ft

(2,549 m)

 North America USA Numerous climbs
Mount Adams 12,281 ft

(3,743 m)

 North America USA Numerous climbs
Mount Fuji 12,389 ft

(3,776 m )

 Asia Japan July 2014

As well as numerous other climbs around the world and USA.

O'Brady proposed to fiancée, Jenna Besaw, on the summit of Cayambe, Ecuador's third tallest mountain, on 27 October 2014.

World records

References

  1. ↑ "Setting an epic world record".
  2. ↑ "Behind-the-Scenes of Colin O'Brady's Record-Shattering Expedition". Men's Journal. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  3. 1 2 Stulberg, Brad (2016-07-19). "How Did Colin O'Brady Shatter an Absolutely Insane Endurance and Adventure Record?". Outside Online. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  4. ↑ USA Today Sports (January 7, 2016). "Endurance athlete will try to break peaks record". USA Today. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Maise, Rick (January 11, 2015). "Sports Six months, seven mountains, two poles — and the pursuit of one record". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Record Breaker Colin O'Brady Is Portland's Best Explorer". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  7. ↑ "Adventurer Colin O'Brady attempts new record in Explorers Grand Slam". Oregon Local News. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  8. ↑ "Yale Bulldogs". www.yalebulldogs.com. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  9. ↑ Vondersmith, Jason (March 1, 2016). "Adventurer Colin O'Brady attempts new record in Explorers Grand Slam". Portland Tribune. Retrieved 23 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Ragogna, Mike (March 8, 2016). "Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Conversation with Colin O'Brady". Hufiington Post. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 Hunter, Kat (July 31, 2013). "Real Life of the Pros: ITU Triathlete Colin O'Brady". Austin Tri Cyclist. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Colin's story | Legacy Health". Legacy Health. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  13. ↑ "COLIN T O'BRADY's results for Chicago Triathlon Results". Active.com. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  14. ↑ Hoff, Jennifer (August 6, 2015). "Portland man gears up to top world's tallest peaks". KOIN News. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. ↑ "IRONMAN Japan Results - IRONMAN Official Site | IRONMAN triathlon 140.6 & 70.3". IRONMAN.com. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  16. 1 2 Bissinger, Caleb (February 11, 2016). "Seven Summits. Two Poles. Six Months". Men's Journal.
  17. 1 2 "Setting an epic world record". CBS News. June 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-05.
  18. ↑ "Fastest time to climb the Seven Summits including Carstensz (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
  19. ↑ "Blog – Beyond72". Beyond72.
  20. ↑ "Colin O'Brady (@beyond_72) • Instagram photos and videos". www.instagram.com.
  21. ↑ "Meet the Triathlete Who Broke Two Mountaineering World Records and Snapchatted Everest | VICE Sports". VICE Sports. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  22. ↑ Murray, Rheana. "Record-breaking mountain climber's next feat? Fighting childhood obesity". TODAY.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  23. ↑ "Colin O'Brady Climbing Seven Summits". PEOPLE.com. 2016-05-27. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  24. ↑ Berk, Dr. Nancy. "Colin O'Brady Climbs the Highest Mountains to Tackle Childhood Obesity". Parade. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  25. ↑ "Endurance athlete will try to break peaks record". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  26. ↑ Entertainment, Mike Ragogna Trafficbeat; Vet, Music Biz (2016-03-08). "Ain't No Mountain High Enough: A Conversation with Colin O'Brady". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  27. ↑ "Home & Family - Season 4 Episode Guide | Hallmark Channel". Hallmark Channel. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  28. ↑ "Portland endurance athlete brings home two world records, makes us all look lazy". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  29. ↑ "Portland's O'Brady finishes Explorers Grand Slam in record fashion". Oregon Local News. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  30. ↑ "Record Breaker Colin O'Brady Is Portland's Best Explorer". Willamette Week. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  31. ↑ Colin O'Brady climbing mountains in more ways than one, retrieved 2018-08-30
  32. ↑ "https://www.redbull.com/us-en/colin-obrady-50-highest-points-in-united-states-record-interview". www.redbull.com. Retrieved 2018-08-30. External link in |title= (help)
  33. ↑ O'Brady, Colin (July 23, 2018). "Portland Tribune". The Portland Tribune.
  34. ↑ "U.S. 50 Highest Points". Spreaker. Retrieved 2018-08-30.
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