< Back to Articles

For Living Outside the Box,
Beach Man Gets His Name on One
(Reprinted with permission of The Virginian-Pilot)

VIRGINIA BEACH – Bob Callahan doesn’t eat his Wheaties. He’s more of a Honey Nut Cheerios kind of guy. The outdoors adventurer and triathlete hates to admit that now, because Wheaties is about to make him something of a household name.
 The makers of the breakfast of champions have proclaimed Callahan as Virginia’s  “Everyday Champion.” Within weeks, boxes of Wheaties Energy Crunch will hit grocery shelves listing him by name – but no picture – alongside the other 49 state champions. They were chosen from more than 10,000 who sought the title, including several hundred from Virginia.

 General Mills, which promotes Olympic medalists and pro athletes on its familiar orange Wheaties box, came up with the idea to recognized people from everyday walks of life who combine athletic lifestyles with community giving. Callahan, a former Marine, Eagle Scout and one-time probation officer who now works with troubled youth, fits the profile – and then some. At 51, he’s like a regular Joe in his typical uniform of khakis, knit shirt and running shoes. A goatee, flecked with gray, gives him a professional look. He has an average build – about 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds. There are no rippling muscles to flex. “Cardiovascular fitness is the key, and just having the endurance,” said Callahan, who says he has a resting pulse rate of a 20-year-old. He’s finished more than 75 marathons, including the Boston, and 50 triathlons, including this year’s Great Floridian Ironman, in which contestants swim 2.5 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run 26 miles – for Callahan, “16 hours of pure ecstasy and hell.”  He also scales mountains, explores caves and paddles sea kayaks. In 1995, he climbed to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, nearly 4 miles high, carrying the ashes of his father, who also loved outdoor adventures. “I’m his namesake, and at his eulogy I said I was going to take him on another journey. It was a real physical, spiritual journey,” he said.

Callahan brings such “experiential therapy” to his Adventure Alternatives business. It contracts with the Virginia juvenile justice system to counsel youths on court probation and parole. He takes them hiking and camping, using nature to teach them how to deal with problems. “Sometimes the best counseling is just to wait for nature to talk to them,” Callahan said. “It touches your core, not only to help people,” he said, “but you grow yourself, constantly testing your limits.” For the past 15 years, Callahan has volunteered with the Courthouse Rescue Squad. He’s an emergency medical technician trained to provide advanced life support.

He entered the Everyday Champion contest almost as a lark last June, after fellow members of the Tidewater Striders running club told him that they’d read about it in Runner’s World magazine. He had to submit an essay saying why he was qualified.  “We said ‘Let’s see if we can compete with the tight bodies.’”  When the call came months later, he thought it was a prank. “I was totally caught off guard,” he said. He’s pleased though, regardless of the ribbing from friends.  “I don’t see myself as old,” he said. “I’m into taking care of my body and being healthy.” And despite his fondness of Cheerios, a General Mills cereal, he has tried Wheaties Energy Crunch. He gives it the thumbs up.