Personality+: Patrick Oborn — Triple Threat

”Don’t try this at home!” We’ve all heard that admonishment when we’ve seen a stunt performed on TV. But that was the exact opposite reaction for Patrick Oborn when in 2005 he watched his first televised Ironman World Championship, a triathlon competition combining swimming, biking and running.

Oborn, who by day is vice president of marketing for master agency Telarus Inc., jumped in, ran in and rode in with both feet. “I thought to myself, ‘Why not me?  I can do that if I try really hard,’” he said, noting about five months later Telarus agent and friend Jason Oliver invited him to participate in a Sprint-style (800-meter swim, 12-mile bike, 3.1-mile run)  triathlon with him ... the next day. “With zero preparation, I rented a bike, showed up with my swimming trunks (no goggles) and my running shoes to give it a shot. “

In his day job, Oborn is used to delving into uncharted territory (e.g., online and social media marketing), but this endeavor was altogether something different.

“My swim was horrible; I dog-paddled the whole way. My rental bike crank broke halfway through, so I had to ‘skate’ my bike forward with my legs. It was a disaster, but it was also a lot of fun,” Oborn said. “Soon after that race I vowed to myself that I would race to win.”

Oborn hired a coach, purchased the requisite gear and began to train and improve, setting his sights on increasingly more challenging competitions from Olympic to half-Ironman to full Ironman (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run).

Oborn, who lives in Utah, has participated in numerous competitions, including  the  Ironman St. George (2010), Ironman Coeur d'Alene (2008), Ironman California 70.3 (2007, 2008, 2009), Utah Half 70.3 (2007, 2008, 2009) and the  Salt Lake Marathon (2008, 2009)