Patrick O’Hagan, 29, has learned that success in one’s professional life is like running a marathon. It takes training, perseverance and a sacrificial mindset.
O’Hagan, a South Pittsburg, Tennessee, native, practices what he preaches. He’s gone from a casual, recreational runner to a hard-core ultra-marathoner in just a handful of years.
“I’m addicted (to running),” he admits, noting that he trains by running about 60 miles per week.
Remembering his first half-marathon, he laments, “I ran it. It killed me. I was miserable. I hated it, but as soon as I crossed the finish line I thought, ‘Yeah, I can do better.'”
Meanwhile, O’Hagan, the son of a journalist-turned-attorney father and a Cuban immigrant mother, applies the same passion and preparation to career success as a college administrator as he does to his running hobby.