Colin O'Brady

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 and Mt. Tabor Middle School, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 2002.

O'Brady was a youth soccer star and Oregon State Swimming Champion. 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. He graduated from Yale University in 2006 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

In 2007, O'Brady began what was planned as a year-long backpacking trip around the world. In January 2008, on the island of Koh Tao, he suffered a devastating burn injury. Though he was warned he might never walk normally, he took his first step the following month and was determined to make a full recovery.

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. 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.

Following his retirement from triathlon, O'Brady and his then-fiancée Jenna Besaw created Beyond 7/2, a not-for-profit world record journey to inspire kids and communities to live active, healthy lives. 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. The project raised funds and awareness to benefit the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a non-profit organization that aims to combat childhood obesity. O'Brady proposed to fiancée Jenna Besaw on the summit of Cayambe, Ecuador's third tallest mountain, on October 27, 2014.

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

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. O'Brady was joined on parts of his Beyond 7/2 journey by various climbing partners and as a paying client with guides including polar explorer Eric Larsen, Vern Tejas and fellow mountaineer Maria (Masha) Gordon.

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 May 27, 2016, and set a new speed record of 139 days. 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.

O'Brady is the fastest to complete the Three Poles Challenge, an adventurer’s challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and the summit of Mount Everest. He began the challenge in Antarctica on January 10, 2016, reached the North Pole on April 19, and summited Mount Everest on May 19, 2016.

On December 26, 2018, O’Brady completed a solo and unsupported crossing of parts of Antarctica from the Messner start to the beginning of the Ross Ice Shelf by following the South Pole Overland Traverse ice highway. He completed the 932 mile journey in 54 days, finishing ahead of explorer Louis Rudd who was also attempting the feat. Because the route partially followed an ice highway, Peter Winsor has disputed the claim that the trek was "unassisted." Others in the adventure and polar communities have also disputed the claim. In December 2019, he acted as the first mate in a six-man team on the first man-powered crossing of Drake Passage, the body of water between South America and Antarctica. It took 13 days and 700+ miles in a boat that was 29 feet long.