HIGH PERFORMANCE

Rob Urbach is both a pied piper in the business world and in the health transformational arena.

Rob Urbach is both a pied piper in the business world and in the health transformational arena. Throughout his life, Rob has coached, inspired and perhaps even cajoled a few into performance levels they never thought possible – whether solving the seemingly unsolvable business problem to spurring others into achieving inconceivable fitness milestones. As a leader and inspirer, his coaching style is intense but straight on and without tension.

Rob’s passion for all things sports and fitness led to early forays; winning elementary school jump rope and sit-ups contests and running his first marathon at 14.  He played all sports, changing with the seasons and competed as a national level tennis player. As a junior in high school, he read a Sports Illustrated article on the Ironman Triathlon that would prove to be prescient, both personally and professionally. The essence of this 2.4-mile ocean swim, 112-mile bike, and marathon resonated with his core, and despite not knowing any triathletes or being a cyclist or a swimmer he set a goal of completing this race. Three years later he did exactly that as the second youngest in the event. This also started a lasting practice of both inspiring others as he not only talked a lifelong friend in joining the journey but also reaching for more meaning and impact through his physical pursuits as he leveraged the event into an early fundraising campaign, raising $12,000 for the American Heart Association in 1982. And Rob again found himself at the start line in Kona for the same Ironman 30 years later while also serving as CEO for USA Triathlon.

Rob Urbach served as Chief Executive Officer of USA Triathlon from 2011 to 2017, overseeing all day-to-day operations for the National Governing Body for triathlon—the fastest growing sport in the U.S. Olympic Movement—as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon, and paratriathlon. As the largest multisport organization in the world, USA Triathlon serves more than 500,000 members and sanctions more than 4,300 local events each year. In addition to its focus on age-group athletes, races directors, coaches, and officials at the grassroots level, USA Triathlon manages Olympic and Paralympic teams. “Walking the talk,” Rob Urbach inspired thousands to transform their fitness including overcoming addictions, recovering from trauma and weaning off adult-onset diabetes medications.

He has created healthy lifestyle symposiums, training programs for both the “newbie” and the competitor. Among his friends he is noted for the “Urbanator.” A daylong 10-event competition (swimming, running, home run derby, soccer, football, basketball, etc) that was first held in 1998.

Rob Urbach was a three-sport athlete at Centre College and an MBA graduate of The Wharton School of business. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and when time allows enjoys swimming, biking, running, weight training, and hot yoga. He loves to ski and engage in other adventures with his two teenage daughters as well as attending their soccer and lacrosse games and swim meets. He also sets reach “out of the comfort zone” physical goals each year and the current challenges are superman pushups, one arm pull-ups, and a human flagpole.  He uses these examples to inspire others to achieve their own individual reach goals.