Eight years ago, Tom Stroup gasped for breath at the edge of a pool after swimming one lap, unsure whether he could swim another. Today, the telecommunications executive completes up to 10 triathlons a year, even finishing in the top 25 in his age bracket at the 2009 Triathlon World Championship in Australia. He succeeds in athletics the same way he succeeds in business: by being organized and being persistent. The 56-year-old entrepreneur and Georgetown Law graduate says he was always physically active, but the devotion to his fitness changed after he decided to compete in triathlons.

“The amount that I train isn’t all that much more than what I was doing before. The mix is certainly different and probably the dedication is more consistent,” Stroup said. “For example there would have been days when I was busy at work. Now I come home and I’ll make a point to still get in my workout.”