Work Hard, Play Hard

"I do my best business thinking while exercising and training,” says Brock, who has worked for Zions Bancorporation for 17 years in a variety of roles and currently serves as executive director of Digital Banking. “I definitely think a lot about work and issues I might be facing, or problems I’m trying to solve. I also find that it takes my mind off of the pain of exercising.”

And though he has four full-distance triathlons and 10 Spudman Triathlons under his belt — in addition to multiple ultramarathons — Brock says there comes a time in every race when he hits a low point. 

“There are mantras you repeat to yourself and things that comfort or calm you down and get your head back in the game,” he explains. “I try to focus on ‘How do I get from here to the next aid station?’ It’s all about chopping up the race into bits into what you can manage.”

That same philosophy carries over to his day job. 

“The principles and strategies I apply while racing are pretty analogous to the techniques I deploy at work,” he says. “You can get consumed by the enormity of a project or an initiative you’re trying to accomplish, but you have to keep the whole in mind and break it up into pieces and incrementally work through it.”

Porter has been an avid cyclist throughout her 19-year career with Zions Bank, completing The Rift — a 125-mile gravel race in Iceland — in 2021 and The 6 Hours in Frog Hollow in 2022.

She has always enjoyed running for physical fitness and grew up swimming in open ocean water along the East Coast, so the decision to compete in triathlons was a natural progression. Or, as she jokes, “Why be good at one sport when you can be mediocre at three?”

She says the challenge of the upcoming race is daunting, but echoes Brock’s assertion that “if you take it one step at a time, you’ll eventually get through it.” 

As Porter juggles the demands of motherhood, a full-time job and intense training, she notes that “you always want to train more” but also had to contend with an injured shoulder since December.

With the race happening practically in her backyard, Porter had the opportunity to ride the back half of the course two weeks ago. “It was fun, but it’s going to be hard,” she says. “The weather is unpredictable and can have a major effect on your day.”

Porter says she’s most excited about the atmosphere of the race and the camaraderie with her fellow Southern Utah Triathlon Club members who will be racing alongside her. “That can help keep you going especially in the dark times,” she says.