Bishop Hoban grad Jim Bobeck has been a mainstay in the local triathlon scene, including competing in the Back Mountain Triathlon in each year since its return.
Submitted photo
Jim Bobeck’s story of finding endurance sports is one that many athletes understand: he finished his first marathon, promised himself he was done with that kind of suffering, and somehow ended up running four more — then raising the stakes by adding a swim and a bike to the event.
This common flip-flop may not even be the most relatable part of Bobeck’s endurance story. He is an athlete who builds triathlon around his life, not the other way around, even if that means progress comes slowly and training has to fit into the quiet corners of the day.
“If I start the workout with 10 problems, I end with nine,” he says.
For Bobeck, the point has never been to be perfect at the sport. It has been to keep moving, keep learning and keep finishing.
Bobeck did not come to triathlon as a polished three-sport athlete. He grew up in Plains and Wilkes-Barre and graduated from Bishop Hoban High School. There, he ran cross country and track, played basketball and, by his own admission, was a “slightly awful long-distance runner.”
In college at Villanova, near the end of his senior year, he decided he wanted to do something for himself after years of hitting the books. He signed up for the New Jersey Shore Marathon and chronicled his training with a weekly article in the student paper.
Come race day, “the weather was miserable,” Bobeck says. “It took me about four-and-a-half hours to finish, and I swore, out loud, that I would never do another endurance event ever.”
Within two hours, he was already thinking about what he could have done better and how his next race could improve.
That instinct — suffer, reflect, adjust and come back — has followed him ever since.
After marathons came triathlons. His first race was during the summer after law school, when he was studying for the bar exam.
“I needed something physically grueling to distract my mind,” Bobeck says. “Well, I found it.”
It was the 2005 Wilkes-Barre Triathlon. He jokes that he finished in “just under three days,” because that is what it felt like, but the race gave him more than exhaustion. It gave him a framework for handling hard things.
In that first triathlon, Bobeck nearly did not finish. With about 2 miles left in the bike course, his gear system locked up and left his bike unable to move, or even roll.
“I carried it the rest of the way, up that classic hill that led you to Penn State Wilkes-Barre,” he says. “The humility of not finishing was greater than the humility of having to carry my bike.”
With a race like that, thoughts of his first marathon may have come back to remind him why he once swore off endurance events. But with more experience in sport and life, Bobeck returned the next year to race again. Suffer, reflect, adjust and come back.
Nearly 20 years later, Bobeck has completed about 10 triathlons, including every Back Mountain Triathlon since the race began, two at Beech Mountain and several on the old Wilkes-Barre course. The number matters less to him than the fact that he keeps getting across the line.
Asked for his proudest moment in triathlon and endurance racing, he did not name a time, a course or a placement.
“That I finish every race,” he said.
Just as important, triathlon has always had to fit inside the rest of his life. Bobeck has been married for 19 years to his high school girlfriend, Megan, whom he calls the “best cheerleader in town.”
He fits training around his job and family commitments, including his two children, Natalie, 18, and James, 15. His years of early morning workouts were done with them in mind, allowing them to grow and explore their own academic and athletic ambitions without being limited by a parent’s training schedule.
Bobeck also credits his children with pushing him to keep crossing those finish lines.
“I can’t quit in front of my kids,” he says.
Those moments have shaped the way Bobeck sees the sport. Finishing is not about ego or proving he belongs among the fastest athletes in the field. It is about letting go of the idea that everything has to go well for something to still be worthwhile.
“When you let go of your ego and illusions of grandeur, it’s actually a great time,” he said.
That lesson has made triathlon feel less like a race against other people and more like a test of whether he can stay steady when the plan changes. In that way, endurance has become a way to build the kind of mental strength that carries beyond the course.
Bobeck’s race calendar for this year remains simple. “The Back Mountain Triathlon, and that’s it,” he says. The local race is part of his motivation to keep moving. “If I had to travel two or three hours for a race, I just wouldn’t do it,” he says. Bobeck also credits the uniquely supportive NEPA triathlon community, where he has found familiar faces among the volunteers and even a friend to help coach him through swim workouts at the YMCA.
For Bobeck, endurance sports have never been about rearranging life around competition. They have been about using competition to make life feel more manageable, purposeful and even a little lighter. He suffers, perseveres, makes mistakes, comes back and measures success by whether he keeps moving when the situation gets uncomfortable
“Just keep trying to get better every year,” he said. “For me, it’s like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill every year. I make mistakes, screw things up, but just keep coming back.”
And when the day gets hardest, the phrase that stays with him is simple: “How lucky I am to even get to do this.”
BACKGROUND QUESTIONS
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: Plains and Wilkes-Barre.
Q: What was your high school/college athletic experience?
A: Mental-case basketball player and slightly awful long distance runner. I ran cross country and track.
Q: Do you have any family members who are also triathletes?
A: Zero. But I have a family of great cheerleaders!
Q: Do you have an inspiration or someone who motivated you to begin triathlons?
A: John Bingham’s the Penguins Chronicles from “Runners World” (magazine) back in the 90s. His “Waddle on” tagline always stuck with me. Just get out there. Enjoy the journey.
Q: What/where/how long was your first triathlon?
A: 2005 Wilkes-Barre Triathlon. Finished in just under three days (it felt like that). I was studying for the Bar Exam in the summer of 2005 (just graduated law school), going nuts and I needed something physically grueling to distract my mind. Well, I found it.
Q: What is your experience with the WB or Back Mountain Triathlon(s)?
A: I’ve done every Back Mountain Tri since it started up, did two at Beech Mountain and a few on the old Wilkes-Barre course. I know a lot of people struggle on the current run course, but good Lord, don’t forget how hellacious the WB and Beech Mountain run were. Killers!
Q: What is your proudest moment in triathlon/endurance racing?
A: That I finish every race. In my first ever triathlon in 2005, my bike completely broke so I carried for the last two miles of bike course; in 2024, I blew a tire, bent the rim, but still got it across the line.
In 2025, my wetsuit was way too tight race day (or I was just too big…) and about 300 yards into swim, I just completely started shutting down as I couldn’t breathe and my heart rate went through the roof.
I stopped, stripped it down, took a few minutes to wade and then got going. When you let go of your ego and illusions of grandeur, it’s actually a great time.
Q: Married?
A: Yes, 19 years to my my high school girlfriend, Megan. She says it feels 50.
Q: Are they involved in triathlon?
A: Best cheerleader in town!
Q: Kids?
A: Natalie, 18, and James, 15.
Q: If yes, how do you fit them into your training?
A: Since my daughter was born in 2008, all my training takes place between 5:30-7:30 a.m. The only fit is get it done early. Now that they are older, they don’t exactly want more dad face time but are happy to join me for a post-training meal if I’m paying the bill.
FAVORITES
Q: Swim, bike, or run?
A: Love them all. Each one is its own mental and physical unique battle.
The spiritual part of entering the pain cave for the last few miles of the run is always my favorite, It’s just you vs. you. Deal with it.
Q: Favorite triathlon/endurance race, or dream race location?
A: Kona before I die. Just once.
Q: Ideal pre-race and post-race meal?
A: Peanut butter and bananas, and a beer with Dave Harrison at the finish line.
Q: Any superstitions for race day?
A: Just smile and enjoy seeing everyone. It’s an awesome community.
Q: What is your favorite type of workout when training for a race?
A: I love bricks. Bike into run. It’s just a killer.
Q: Favorite memory from a triathlon race?
A: Every time you finish and see that amazing community of triathlon people.
Q: Do you have a mantra or a phrase that gets you through the tough parts of training/racing?
A: How lucky I am to even get to do this.
Q: Favorite race weather conditions?
A: Cool and dry.
THIS OR THAT
Q: Garmin, Apple or no watch.
A: Corus (good battery) and Whoop, so it can constantly yell at me to sleep more.
Q: Indoor or outdoor training?
A: Mainly indoor because the sun’s not up yet. If the sun’s up, I’ll run outside.
Q: Flip turns or wall touch?
A: Adamant about flip turns.
Q: Coach, training plan or self-led workouts?
A: All self, which means I have the worst coach possible for 20 years. I make so many mistakes. Except this year I’m proud to say Mike Tomalis has become my unofficial swim coach at the Y this year.
He’s such a good man. He showed me this decades-old workout (it may have been written on papyrus) handed down through the generations. He’s just a selfless guy who took time to show someone who’s been screwing it up for 20 years that maybe there’s another way to go.
Q: Full kit or mixed-up pieces for race day?
A: Kit.
Q: Hand massage, Theragun or neither?
A: Neither. Just stretch more.
Q: Aero bars or tri bars?
A; Tri bars.
Q: Relay or full tri?
A: Full, until I can convince my family to to join me in a relay.
LOOKING AHEAD
Q: Do you have any goals for your triathlon career?
A: Just keep trying to get better every year. For me, it’s like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill every year. I make mistakes, screw things up but just keep coming back.
Q: How do you stay motivated through the offseason?
A: The whole experience is spiritual in many ways. You suffer, you persevere, you find purpose and you understand how the mind and body work together. How can you not be motivated?
Q: Any advice for those racing for the first time this year?
A: Thank all the Back Mountain volunteers and organizers. It’s a special race with a special community. Enjoy how special it is that you can get to be part of this.
Smile, because there’s many special events like this with such great people.
Q: What does your race calendar look like this season?
A: Back Mountain and that’s it. Same thing every year. Gives me a reason to keep moving all year.
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.