Brian McCarthy ‘99
I completed 29029’s event in Snow Basin, Utah, in 2021 as a way to celebrate my 40th birthday. My wife Amy Meggs McCarthy (‘02) came to support me.
29029 Co-founder Marc Hodulich (‘98) and I were high school track and cross country teammates who have stayed close friends ever since. Coached by both Mike Bouton and later Tim Vaughn, Marc and I had been through a lot together.
Prior to this 29029 event, I had completed 10 marathons but had not run one in over five years after developing a mental block to completing long runs over six miles. I chose this event because I wanted the challenge of pushing myself to the limit again. While I wanted to support Marc in his new venture, I chose this event for myself.
The event itself goes much deeper than the three days spent on the mountain. With a marathon, you train to hit a specific mileage each week, but for this event you are training for a 36-hour window that requires a different type of stamina. The training is more about spending time on your feet than worrying about getting in a weekly long run that takes around two hours to complete. In other words, the training program is a huge part of the secret formula.
When I signed up for the event, I was running three miles a day and I asked Marc if I could complete the event based on my current fitness. At first, he told me yes but then immediately told me to forget what he just told me because “Everesting” is more than an event. It is about discovering a new mindset.
When the 3–4 month training program began, I chose the most intense of the three programs. What I discovered was that Marc was right and the training became my journey. The most intense training was not about intensity but about spending time on my feet and prioritizing my commitment to challenging my mindset.
I went on two or three training hikes or runs per day. I cannot stress how impactful one or two hours per day alone in nature can be. I was able to spend hours on trails near my house that I had never visited because they were too difficult to run, which had previously been my preference. Besides the valuable alone time, I also got to experience nature at its best and even found waterfalls. Training taught me to slow down and rethink my definition of running. Once I slowed down enough and changed my perspective, I began taking long runs again and even used my fitness from the event to run the New York City Marathon three months later.
The other aspect about the event that is completely unique is its community. This 29029 team is top notch for any industry. They love why they work there. I listened to every podcast 29029 put together and would recommend anyone do the same. It is a journey and the podcast helps you understand that concept. In fact, my tent roommate for the event happened to be from Trussville. He was so engaged in the event’s culture that he contacted me ahead of time just to help create our bond. I still run into him at local track and cross-country meets since we both have kids competing at the events.
The participant’s culture is what truly makes the event. The brilliance behind Marc’s event is that he created something without a winner. The Everest experience only rewards completion, so this unique and very rare twist means that all participants on the mountain are teammates. Participants have no incentive to finish the event early and every incentive to get to know and help fellow participants. And honestly, I was most impacted and inspired by the participants who did not complete the event because many put in more work and effort than I did. They were the true inspiration. In the closing event, we cheered the hardest for these courageous people.
It should not be lost that this is a first class event where participants are given every chance to be successful and treated as a professional athlete while competing.
The event itself was an incredible experience.
I woke up for a 6 a.m. start before sunrise to be greeted by an inspirational speech and 250 teammates all wearing headlamps in the dark to conquer a mountain together. We were able to complete our first climb to see the sunrise at the top. One major benefit that also happened was that Marc was able to participate for the first time ever because he always had to work the event … so I got to join the founder experiencing the event for the first time. We had to complete 13 mountain climbs for this event and we completed the first 5–6 legs together. It was fantastic being teammates again. Plus, I received extra hype because the staff was so excited to support Marc.
I made a few mistakes on my next climb. I tried to take a smoothie, which required me to climb without my poles. This caused a quick strain on my lower back and I struggled to reach the top of the mountain. When we were at the bottom of the mountain to start the next climb, I started the next climb early because I assumed that they would catch me quickly because I was expecting to struggle on that climb. However, I felt great on the next climb because I was following my proper technique and was never caught by Marc’s group. This was a blessing because it allowed me to experience the event with an old teammate first and then experience it as an individual. I also got to meet several amazing people on my next few climbs.
I was able to complete 10 of my 13 climbs by 10 p.m. on the first day. I could have completed the climb and finished by 2 or 3 a.m. but Marc told me that completing the event in the middle of the night isn’t worth it because no one is there to celebrate with you. This is a group event, not an individual one. Finishing in the middle of the night alone defeats the purpose. So I had the opportunity to get some rest and sleep in.
Of course, the excitement of the event and the other participants who needed to rise early for completion woke me up, and I hiked my first climb to see another sunrise. I then took a second climb because I found a fun individual to spend the next climb with.
Marc ended up climbing late into the night and had two climbs left in the morning. One amazing part of the event was watching Marc climb his 12 of 13 climbs with his eldest son Chase. Everyone gave them their space to let them both appreciate this magical moment.
When they returned (I had taken about a three-hour break from climbing), I joined Marc and all of the founding partners (plus a few key friends) to take our final climb. Obtaining our Red Hat (a prize only given to those who complete the event) was amazing. Marc’s family and my wife were there to celebrate with us. The best part was that Marc and I were finally able to finish a competition together and not worry about who outkicked who at the finish line.
I remember every finish line that we had when racing together but I have no recollection of who finished climbing the mountain first. But I do remember that who finished first wasn’t about winning but was instead chosen by creating the best photo opportunity with our loved ones. This is one of the most unique and rewarding events that you can ever participate in and I can’t wait to do it again in 2024.
