By Franklin Paul
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Golf and tennis not challenging enough? Some of today's hardest-charging technology executives are turning to 100-mile bike races, marathons and high-endurance athletics for the kicks they crave.
The day-to-day thirst for success doesn't end when CEOs and other business leaders leave the boardrooms of their billion-dollar companies, according to guests at the Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit this week.
"It is usually not a six- or seven-hour day, so part of it is you probably want something to keep you mentally and physically in shape," said Enrique Salem, chief operating officer of software maker Symantec Corp. "You want to do something that is challenging, that isn't about running a business."
Salem owns a Giant TCR C1 bike, which retails for over $3,000, and last year completed a charity ride around California's Lake Tahoe twice -- the second time in under 4 hours. His sojourns don't stop there.
"I skied 19 days last year. When I'm on the slopes, I'm trying to avoid trees and other skiers. So I am not thinking about what it takes to run Symantec. I think it's a bit of mental relief," he said.
Long-distance running offers the same meditative reward for Hulu Chief Executive Jason Kilar, whose five marathons include Iceland, Portland, Seattle and New York, twice.
"I love setting goals," said the head of the video website owned by News Corp and General Electric Co's NBC Universal. "Life is more interesting when you set goals that are not easy, and having a goal of a marathon ... is a very fun thing that focuses you in a way that just running 3 miles or 6 miles a day does not," Kilar added.
They are not alone. In fact, Denver-based CEO Challenges runs sports competitions designed for top executives, including Triathlons, Ironman, Fishing, Sailing and Tennis Challenges. Continued...
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