Brad Kearns

Brad Kearns (b. Feb 4, 1965 in Los Angeles, CA) is an author and former professional triathlete from 1986 to 1995 and won 31 events on the professional circuit. Victories include the 1991 National Bud Light USTS Series/Coke Grand Prix Championship, the 1991 National Sprint Championship, the 1991 ITU Pan American Championship, a streak of seven consecutive victories in 1991-1992 and a year-end #3 world-ranking in 1991.

Kearns first achieved notoriety on the professional circuit when he upset world's #1 duathlete Ken Souza and world #1 ranked triathlete Scott Molina at the inaugural Desert Princess duathlon in November, 1986 as an unranked rookie professional. Kearns prevailed in the second event of the three race world championship series, by a margin of five minutes, to assert his position as an elite competitor. Kearns was the first multisport athlete to use the popular aerodynamic handlebars in competition, which he debuted in the Feb, 1987 third and final race of the Desert Princess Series.

Over the seasons of 1990 and 1991, Kearns achieved 15 victories at major races and 33 top-5 finishes, gaining recognition for his abilities to break away during the cycling leg as well as run at the fastest level in the sport. In world championship competition, he placed 5th at the long course championships in Nice, France (1988), 5th at the Olympic distance world championship in Kelowna, B.C. (1988) and 5th at the ITU Olympic distance world championships in Muskoka, Ontario (1992).

Kearns was a distance runner at Taft High School in Los Angeles, CA. He was 17th in the National Junior Olympics Cross Country meet at age 15, and a finalist at the National Junior Olympics 1500 meters at age 16, achieving a national ranking of 12th in his age division. He placed 5th in the Los Angeles City Cross Country Championships in 1982, setting a Taft High record that still holds as of 2008. He set a Los Angeles City C Division (i.e. - Frosh/Soph) record in the 1600 meters of 4.26.0 that still holds as of 2008. As a senior, Kearns placed ninth in the California State High School championships 1600 meters with a time of 4:19.3. Kearns graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Business/Economics in 1985. His running career there was riddled with injuries, leading him to embark on triathlon efforts. In his first year of cycling on the UCSB club team, Kearns was state champion in the Novice B division in the 10-mile time trial.

Kearns' has self-published several books at bradventures.com and written three published by McGraw-Hill: Breakthrough Triathlon Training (2005), How Lance Does It (2006), and How Tiger Does It. The Lance and Tiger books detail the attitude and behavior qualities of these champions and how you can apply them to your own goals. Kearns' unique employee wellness program at Interwoven, Inc., a Silicon Valley software company, was featured in publications like the San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Investors Business Daily and on television in the San Francisco Bay Area as well as syndicated Asian television.

Kearns has been published in numerous multisport publications worldwide since 1987. He also created and hosted one of the first radio shows in the United States dedicated to endurance sports, BK's Endurance Hour, on KSAC 1240AM all-sports radio in Sacramento, CA. Kearns continues to give motivational talks to a variety of athletic and student groups and serves as the race announcer for several triathlons annually. Kearns produces the Auburn Triathlon annually in Auburn, which attracts over 700 athletes from around the USA and internationally. Kearns is the Founder and Executive Director of a kids fitness program called Running School', delivering comprehensive fitness and healthy lifestyle programming to over 5,000 students at partner elementary schools in Northern California and Nevada. The program has been featured on Sacramento ABC and CBS network affiliates.

Further reading

* [http://bradventures.com/catalog/information.php?osCsid=59f3401844f344b407122955c28fca44&info_id=4 Brad Kearns Web Site]
* [http://www.auburntriathlon.com/ Auburn Triathlon]
* [http://runningschool.org/ Running School]