Executive from Hawaii overcomes "cold" to take first place

Aaron Wallen lives in Hawaii so when he trains for triathlons he swims in the warm waters of his home state, which are 80 degrees and familiar.

So when he plunged into the relatively chilly waters of Portland, Ore., for the CEO Challenge Triathlon in mid-September, where the outside temperature was 55 degrees and water temperature was in the 60s, Wallen had a challenge within a challenge.

Even in a wet suit, his muscles were tight. "I'm a poor swimmer to begin with, and the temperatures seemed to affect my race," Wallen said. "It wasn't anything I was accustomed to."

It still did not keep him from winning. Wallen, who is the CEO of Haas Insulation in Honolulu, finished second in the swimming among the nine competitors, but he was first in the bike and first in the run and won the triathlon in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 10 seconds.

Wallen trains every day for a few hours and takes off on his bike for 25 to 30-mile jaunts, then a 5-mile run or a swim, combining two disciplines every day in his training regimen. The results were obvious in the CEO Challenge Triathlon because of his 9-minute win.

"The employees think I'm nuts," he said. "Without the support of my wife and employees I couldn't do this." He added: "I certainly couldn't do this, training in the middle of the day, if this was a publicly traded company.

It comes down to trust that they are doing their jobs while I'm gone. I make myself available to them, but they are empowered to solve problems without coming to me to make decisions for them."

In the speed of the triathlon in Portland he was competitive nationally in one of the toughest divisions, age group 35-39. Wallen finished 21st with his time.

There are 11 different sports in CEO Challenges, triathlon, Ironman, skiing, cycling, marathon, golf, fishing, fitness, driving, tennis and sailing. CEO Challenges, which is based in Boulder, Colo., started in 2001 with an Ironman and it has evolved the past seven years with the addition of other sports. It includes men and women who are C-level executives and they come from various countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Australia, the Philippines and others.

Naturally, the CEOs are driven by the competition, but others have set themselves up as role models in their work place with strenuous workouts as a way to inspire employees.

What makes the CEO Challenges attractive to CEOs seems to be the level of detail in the logistics. The competitors are typically business people who pay attention to detail and have all the questions answered on a project and CEOs that compete in the CEO Challenge appreciate the planning.

As for Wallen, he can make plans for the World Triathlon Championships next September in Australia. His win in CEO Challenges earned him a spot in the 35-39 age group.

CEO Challenge finishers at the 2008 USA Triathlon National Age Group Championship
Swim 1.5km, Bike 40km, Run 10km * Henry Hagg Lake, Ore.

Aaron Wallen, Haas Insulation 2:10:19 (CEO Challenge National Triathlon Champion)
Mike Dannelley, American Interbanc 2:19:33 (Over 50 Champion)
Tom Stroup, CSM Wireless2:21:43
Joe Marinucci, Interactive Marketing 2:23:08
John Schlagenhauf, Badger Truck 2:27:06
Rick Neely, Monolithic Power 2:32:34
Rich Kylberg, Communicom Broadcasting 2:33:59
Sean McCann, Sterling Underwriters 2:45:15
Bill Sunblad, CWS Consulting: 3:32:32