Rob Urbach Named Iditarod CEO

Rob Urbach has been named the new CEO of the Iditarod Trail Committee, and will be in charge of directing and overseeing all operations of the yearly Iditarod race.

Urbach was the CEO of USA Triathlon from 2011—2017, handling all the daily operations for the national governing body. A Colorado native, Urbach previously the executive vice president for Octagon, a global sports management and marketing firm.

“Rob embraces our vision of an Iditarod that is committed to the priority of canine care both on and off the trail,” said Iditarod Board of Directors President Mike Mills. “In addition to his extensive credentials, Rob has proven himself to be a nimble and strategic leader and we’re looking forward to Rob taking the helm of the ‘Last Great Race on Earth.’”

Urbach was once named Inside Triathlon magazine’s most influential person. He developed a weekly TV show on the sport, rolled out a program in cooperation with the NCAA, and several other initiatives as leader of USA Triathlon, which has 500,000 members and sanctions more than 4,000 events yearly.

Urbach begins his new position on July 29. He will be in charge of business operations, human resources, information technology, fundraising and public relations. He will also be charged in developing an organizational strategy to build on existing support and diversifying the organization’s financial foundation, in partnership with the Iditarod Board of Directors, staff and stakeholders.