Greg Kolodziejzyk
{{Short description|Canadian cyclist (born 1961)}}
{{COI|date=April 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Greg Kolodziejzyk
| image = Greg Kolodziejzyk.jpg
| caption =Kolodziejzyk in 2005
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|03|10}}
| birth_place = Fort St. John, British Columbia, Canada
| nationality = Canadian
| occupation = Cyclist, entrepreneur, speaker
| years_active = 1985–present
| spouse= Helen Kolodziejzyk
| children= 2, including Cody
| website= {{URL|http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/}}
}}
Greg Kolodziejzyk ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ɔ:||l|ə|ˈ|dʒ|ɛ|.|s|ɪ|k}} {{Respell|Kaw|lə|JEH|sik}},{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7H3mQpeiRc |title=Chatting with Cody Ko |date=June 15, 2017 |last= |first= |type=Interview |publisher=LAHWF |author-link= |time=0:16–0:37. Pronunciation begins at 0:19 |access-date=October 9, 2022 |via=YouTube |people=Hales, Andrew Gerald; Kolodziejzyk, Cody Michael}} Polish: {{IPAc-pl|k|o|ł|o|'|dź|e|j|cz|y|k}}; born March 10, 1961) is a Canadian cyclist who has held several world records on recumbent bicycles and pedal-powered boats.{{cite news | url=http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/epic-shore-to-shore-race-pushes-paddlers-across-flathead-lake/article_4047f44c-01fb-11e3-8536-001a4bcf887a.html | title=Epic Shore to Shore Race pushes paddlers across Flathead Lake | work=Missoulian | date=10 August 2013 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Kim Briggeman}}{{cite web | url=http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2002-04/speed-record | title=Speed Record | publisher=Popular Science Magazine | date=April 25, 2002 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Don Sherman}}
Early life and education
Kolodziejzyk was born in Fort St. John, British Columbia, in 1961. He moved to Calgary, Alberta, when he was 5 years old and went to St Leo Elementary, St. James Junior High, and Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}}
Career
In 1985, he formed the company Image Club Graphics, Inc, a supplier of digital art, typefaces and stock photography to the publishing industry through its Image Club catalog. Image Club developed and marketed the largest library of digitized typefaces in the world, licensing many of the fonts from the worlds great foundries. Image Club is credited as being the first company to digitize stock photography which they distributed on CD ROM disc. In the late 1980s Greg, along with Shawn Abbott from AND Group pioneered CD ROM locking technology for Image Club which was licensed to the software industry, and used on several million discs.{{cite web | url=http://www.techvibes.com/author/shawn-abbott | title=Shawn Abbott | access-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221170826/http://www.techvibes.com/author/shawn-abbott | archive-date=21 February 2015 | url-status=dead }} In 1994, Image Club was acquired by Aldus Corporation,{{cite news | url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ALDUS+ACQUIRES+CANADIAN+SOFTWARE+DEVELOPER+AND+INNOVATIVE+CATALOG...-a015147415 | title=ALDUS ACQUIRES CANADIAN SOFTWARE DEVELOPER AND INNOVATIVE CATALOG MARKETER CORPORATION | work=Thefreelibrary.com | access-date=21 February 2015 | archive-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221132641/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ALDUS+ACQUIRES+CANADIAN+SOFTWARE+DEVELOPER+AND+INNOVATIVE+CATALOG...-a015147415 | url-status=dead }} who at the time, was being acquired by Adobe Systems.{{cite web | url=http://acroeng.adobe.com/Test_Files/pagelabels//94ANNREP.pdf | title=Our acquisition of Aldus Corporation | publisher=Adobe | access-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221144653/http://acroeng.adobe.com/Test_Files/pagelabels//94ANNREP.pdf | archive-date=21 February 2015 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19940419/1906332/aldus-signs-pact-to-buy-canadian-software-company | title=Aldus Signs Pact To Buy Canadian Software Company | publisher=Seattle Times | date=19 April 1994 | access-date=21 February 2015}} After Kolodziejzyk's retirement in 1994, the Image Club division was purchased back from Adobe Systems by Image Club employee Brad Zumwalt and a group of investors. The division was renamed Eyewire, and was eventually sold to Getty Images.{{cite web | url=http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-27896.html | title=Image Club Graphics | access-date=21 February 2015}}{{cite web | url=http://www.graphics.com/article-old/graphically-speaking-may-27 | title=Graphically Speaking | publisher=Graphics.com | date=May 26, 2003 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Dave Huss}} Another major spin-off credited to Image Club software and marketing innovations, was istockphoto.com which was started by two former Image Club employees Bruce Livingston and Kolodziejzyk's brother in-law Patrick Lor.{{cite web | url=http://training.sessions.edu/resources/interviews/interviews/bruce_livingstone.asp | title=The stock photo community | publisher=Sessions College for Professional Design | access-date=21 February 2015 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221172245/http://training.sessions.edu/resources/interviews/interviews/bruce_livingstone.asp | archive-date=21 February 2015 }}{{cite web | url=http://founderfuel.com/mentor/patrick-lor/ | title=Patrick Lor | access-date=21 February 2015 | archive-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221171457/http://founderfuel.com/mentor/patrick-lor/ | url-status=dead }}
In 1986, Kolodziejzyk launched his second company, Sharper Cards, which made and sold printed dental marketing products. In 2003 Greg and his wife and business partner Helen (who was also acting CEO of Sharper Cards), sold the company to their largest US competitor, Smart Health, Inc., based in Phoenix.{{cite web | url=http://www.carmagroup.ca/usr/Greg%20Kolodziejzyk%20Biography.pdf | title=Greg Kolodziejzyk | access-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221133718/http://www.carmagroup.ca/usr/Greg%20Kolodziejzyk%20Biography.pdf | archive-date=21 February 2015 | url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://speakerpedia.com/speakers/greg-kolodziejzyk | title=Greg Kolodziejzyk | access-date=21 February 2015}}{{cite news | url=http://news.cnet.com/Getty-Images-buys-EyeWire/2100-1017_3-229599.html | title=Getty Images buys EyeWire | work=CNET | date=9 August 1999 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Troy Wolverton}}
In 2000, Kolodziejzyk changed focus to improving his health. In eight years, he completed 12 Ironman Triathlons and qualified and competed at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii by winning 4th place in his division at Ironman Arizona in 2006.{{cite web | url=http://www.sportstats.ca/searchResults.xhtml?firstname=GREG&lastname=KOLODZIEJZYK | title=Greg Kolodziejzyk | publisher=Sportstats | access-date=21 February 2015}} He has finished numerous marathons including the Boston Marathon, many 50 mile ultramarathons, and placed 4th over all at the 2010 San Francisco One Day ultramarathon running 101.8 miles in 24 hours. In 2012, Kolodziejzyk ran the treacherous 75 km long, West Coast Trail, solo in 26 hours.
He planned an ocean crossing by human power in 2010,{{cite news|last=Dormer|first=Dave|title=Calgary adventurer ready to set sail Peddle boat en route to Hawaii for bicycle fundraiser|url=http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2010/02/15/12882861.html|access-date=8 September 2010|newspaper=Calgary Sun|date=4 February 2010|archive-date=16 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216134201/http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2010/02/15/12882861.html|url-status=dead}} but later decided not to continue the trip.{{Cite web|url=http://adventuresofgreg.com/blog/2010/11/11/within-is-for-sale/|title=WiTHiN is for SALE « adventuresofgreg.blog}} In 2014, Kolodziejzyk competed in the MR340 river race by pedaling his human powered boat 340 miles down the Missouri River placing 1st in his division with a finishing time of 57 hours, 12 minutes.{{cite web|url=http://adventuresofgreg.com/blog/2014/08/22/340-miles-down-the-missouri-river-race-report/|title=340 miles down the Missouri river. Race report.|access-date=21 February 2015}} In 2015, Kolodziejzyk launched theAlgolab.com where he currently works as an algorithmic trading strategy developer and trader.{{cite web|title=The AlgoLab Story|url=http://www.thealgolab.com/#!system-design/c1al|access-date=21 February 2015}}{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Kolodziejzyk has been featured on Discovery Channel Canada's show Daily Planet twice, on the cover and two-page spread in Popular Science magazine, featured in Men's Journal, Wired magazine, National Geographic, Explore, and the 2009 and 2010 editions of the Guinness World Records book.{{cite web | url=http://news.discovery.com/adventure/now-you-can-pedal-from-british-columbia-to-hawaii-120611.htm | title=Pedal from British Columbia to Hawaii | publisher=Discovery | work=11 Jun 2012 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Alyssa Danigelis | archive-date=21 February 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221133309/http://news.discovery.com/adventure/now-you-can-pedal-from-british-columbia-to-hawaii-120611.htm | url-status=dead }}
Records
{{As of|2008}}, he holds the following records under the sanction of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association and Guinness Book of World Records:
- Thursday, July 20 travelling {{convert|1041.25|km|mi|abbr=on}} beating Axel Fehlau's previous record of 1021.36 km from 1995 setting a new official International Human Powered Vehicle Association,{{cite magazine | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4yADAAAAMBAJ | page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_4yADAAAAMBAJ/page/n19 16] | quote=Greg Kolodziejzyk. |magazine=Popular Science | date=March 1967| title=Popular Science }}{{failed verification|date=April 2022}} and Guinness world record for the most distance traveled by human power in 24 hours on land.{{Cite web
| last = Al
| first = Krause
| title = Research: IHPVA
| url=http://www.ihpva.org/hpva/hpvarech.html}}{{cite news|title=Low Rider: One Day. One bullet-shaped bike. One world record.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lE3AymWE4rMC&q=Greg+Kolodziejzyk&pg=PA16|access-date=8 September 2010|newspaper=Popular Science|date=Oct 2006}}{{cite news | url=http://www.gizmag.com/new-world-record-in-one-hour-cycling/19497/ | title=New world record in one-hour cycling set - 91.556 kilometers | work=Gizmag | date=11 August 2011 | access-date=21 February 2015 | author=Pawel Piejko}}
- Thursday, July 20 cycling for 23 hours 2 minutes, Kolodziejzyk completed fastest mega-meter (1000 km time trial) setting an International Human Powered Vehicle Association world record
- On September 8, 2008, Kolodziejzyk pedaled a human powered boat {{convert|245.16|km|mi|abbr=on}} in 24 hours around a rectangular course on Whitefish Lake in Montana setting a new official International Human Powered Vehicle Association, and Guinness world record for the most distance traveled by human power in 24 hours on water.{{cite news|last=Lau|first=Andree|title=Calgarian claims 3rd world record for human-powered travel|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgarian-claims-3rd-world-record-for-human-powered-travel-1.770606|access-date=8 September 2010|newspaper=CBC News|date=September 11, 2008}}{{cite news|title=Calgarian claims 3rd world record for human-powered travel|url=http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/canadian-sets-new-pedal-boat-record-18659/|access-date=21 February 2015|newspaper=Bikeradar|date=September 21, 2008}}
Personal life
Kolodziejzyk lives in Calgary, Alberta, with his wife, Helen. He is the father of internet personality Cody Ko.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.adventuresofgreg.com/ Adventures Of Greg]
- [http://www.human-power.com/ Human Power]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolodziejzyk, Greg}}
Category:Canadian male cyclists
Category:Cyclists from British Columbia
Category:Sportspeople from Fort St. John, British Columbia