Grit keynotes for Olympic City USA
Colorado Springs is home to the US Olympic & Paralympic Committee and several military and Space Force bases. Paris brings The Grit Code to its stages.
Olympians and astronauts’ neighbours
The city calls itself Olympic City USA: the US Olympic & Paralympic Training Center, the USOPC headquarters and USADA are all here, and the Olympic & Paralympic Museum opened in 2020.
Fort Carson, the US Air Force Academy, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Bases and Cheyenne Mountain make it a major defence centre.
Pikes Peak rises to 14,115 ft above the city. Paris ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Who Paris speaks to in Colorado Springs
Olympic sport
Endurance stories for athletes, coaches and governing bodies.
Army, Air Force and Space Force
Leadership and resilience for service audiences.
Space and defence contractors
Talks for engineering teams.
Resorts
Keynotes for incentive and association groups.
Rooms and stages
The Broadmoor and downtown hotels host association meetings and sporting congresses.
- The Broadmoor – resort conference space at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain
- Downtown venues – near the Olympic & Paralympic Museum
Pick the format
Options: keynote, 45 to 60 minutes · workshop, 90 minutes up to half a day · virtual session, 30 to 45 minutes · host or MC for your event. Compare formats →
Endurance you can measure
A marathon on every continent
7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes, from Antarctica to Miami via Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid and Fortaleza.
4,800 km of open ocean
The 2023 Pacific row, which raised more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
Watch the Pacific row film for the story behind the keynote. 39 days at sea: the Pacific row film · Keynote speaker Denver
On stage or on screen
Available for in-person events in Colorado Springs, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers typically book US speakers three to five months ahead, and shorter notice is sometimes possible, so it is worth asking.
See also keynote speaker in the USA, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
Colorado Springs’s economy and who the talk is for
Colorado Springs has a population of about 478,961 (2020 figure, Wikidata), which makes it a substantial market for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings.
Colorado Springs is the head-office city for organisations such as Young Life (religious congregations and associations).
Students, graduates and faculty
Higher education is part of Colorado Springs’s talent pipeline, with institutions such as University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Colorado Technical University. Paris’s talks for students and graduates focus on grit as a skill that can be learned, using his own expeditions as evidence.
Typical formats include welcome weeks, graduation events, entrepreneurship programmes and alumni dinners. University keynote speaker →
Other large venues in Colorado Springs
Beyond the main conference halls, Colorado Springs also has large venues for major events, including Broadmoor World Arena.
Paris is comfortable on any stage, from an arena to a boardroom, and can also host the main stage as MC. Event host and MC →
How a Grit Code session works
- Each booking begins with a call about the audience and what success looks like after the event.
- The talk turns the 7-marathon challenge and the Pacific row into habits teams can use on Monday morning.
- A virtual version of 30–45 minutes is available for distributed teams.
The content is shaped around Colorado Springs organisations and their goals, so the room hears examples that match its own challenges. Paris presents as an adventurer and CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, not as a theorist.
Where the talk fits in Colorado Springs
In Colorado Springs, the most common bookings fall into a few groups:
- Kick-off meetings for new financial years, projects or teams.
- Industry association conferences and trade-show main stages.
- Executive retreats that pair the keynote with a Grit Deconstruction workshop.
- Hybrid all-hands meetings with a virtual version for remote staff.
Credentials at a glance
- He ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
- In 2023 he rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
- Past speaking clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
- He is the CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, an AI video production company.
FAQ
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Colorado Springs?
Yes. He is available for Colorado Springs conferences, offsites and leadership events, on site or online.
Does Paris speak to elite-sport audiences?
Yes. Seven marathons in under six days and 39 days rowing the Pacific give athletes and coaches plenty to work with.
Does Paris speak at universities in Colorado Springs?
Yes. He speaks to students, graduates and staff, for example at institutions such as University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Colorado Technical University, on grit as a learnable skill.
Is there a workshop option for teams in Colorado Springs?
Yes. The Grit Deconstruction workshop runs from 90 minutes to half a day and turns the keynote’s ideas into team habits and actions.
Can the keynote be delivered online for teams in Colorado Springs?
Yes. A 30–45 minute virtual version is available for remote or hybrid audiences, delivered in your local time zone.
Who has Paris spoken for?
Past clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
Planning an event in Colorado Springs?
Tell us about the room and the date. You can also book a call.