Scaling high hurdles and jumping through life’s hoops are second nature to Mark Crear.  Before jumping any  "hurdles" on the track, Mark had plenty of hurdles to jump off. Growing up in a single family home and being a  victim of physical and emotional abuse, Crear early on knew that life was not  fair and had plenty of reasons and  excuses to quit and give up. However, "quitting" was not a part of Dr. Crear's DNA. Instead, Mark relied on God  (faith) and hard work to carry him from his life of abuse, abandonment, rejection and disappointments, to #1 in the  world. So it’s not surprising why  Dr. Crear is considered a symbol of strength, hard work and perseverance.

Born in San Francisco but reared in Southern California, young Mark graduated from Rowland High School and  enrolled at Mt. San Antonio College.  Upon graduating, Mark entered USC on a scholarship and graduated with a  Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and captured the NCAA Championship Title  in the 110-meter high hurdles.  He  enjoyed early success as a world-class track and field athlete, becoming a two-time Olympic Medalist, reigning as  the world’s No. 1 110-meter high hurdler three times (1995, 1998, 1999), becoming a Goodwill Games champion  in 1998, a U.S. Outdoor national  champion in 1994 and 1999, and a three-time World Grand Prix champion. The  former track star captured global attention by winning the 1996 Olympic Silver Medal with a broken arm and the  2000 Olympic Bronze Medal with a double hernia. 

After his eventful athletic career, Mark applied what he learned on the track to a variety of disciplines, thereby reinventing himself several times over.  As a dynamic motivational speaker, Mark founded In the Zone Performance Training, a consulting practice that helps companies, professionals and  athletes overcome hurdles and improve their performance in the face of intense competition, pressure, fatigue and distraction.

In addition, Dr. Crear is also a published author, having co-authored the world renowned peak performance book, GPS... Which he has partnered with Steven Covey, Brian Gray and Les Brown to create a collection of successful strategies for success. Likewise, mark has penned his powerful and inspirational autobiography, Why My Silver Is Gold.  His in-depth story will tug at the very strings of your emotions as he takes you through his life of abuse, abandonment, rejection and disappointments. Must recently,, Dr.  Crear published "In The Zone... How to overcome the hurdles in life and succeed" - a how to book about overcoming the inevitable hurdles that we face throughout life.

Not withstanding, Dr. Crear is also an Ordained Pastor, Published Author, Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor (BCPCC), Certified Life & Business Coach, and an Olympic Champion. Mark is currently president of Mark Crear Ministries, Director of MCD - the Multi-Cultural division of the American Associations of Christian Counselors, AACC. Dr. Crear has earned his degrees (AA, BA, MA & Ph.D.) in Sociology, Christian Counseling & Christian Theology from Mt-Sac, ITU and the University of Southern California (USC).

Mark is currently president of Mark Crear Ministries, which by using the metaphor of hurdling from his own medal-winning Olympic experiences, He teaches his clients, that with Faith Focus and Forgiveness, you can stay in the zone and overcome the obstacles that block your success.  

In short, Mark’s mission is to encourage and remind all those who are facing the hurdles of life that “The race is not given to the swift or the battle to the strong, but to those who endure to the end."