The 29029 Podcast

We don’t know about you, but we just can’t get enough of Joannie Rich! If you haven’t, go back and listen to episode 41 so you can meet Joannie and get a glimpse of why she owns 13 red hats and plans to keep climbing.  Joannie is a wealth of knowledge not only on the mountain but at home too.  She is generous with her time taking calls and answering messages from participants in our community.  It...

When most people sign up for 29029 they get used to being asked “but Why?” Why in the world would you want to climb the same mountain for 36 hours? Why would you want to put yourself through that? Why would you climb in the rain, the sun, the dark, the snow? Why would you dedicate so much of your time to earn a red hat?  Joannie Rich has been asked “why” more times than she can remember.  That’s p...

On December 12, 2023 the three 29029 Co-Founders (Marc Hodulich, Jesse Itzler and Colin O’Brady) sat down to welcome our community to a new year and a new season!   Each of these men lives and breathes endurance sports.  It’s not just their business, it is their lives.  Their takeaways for how to plan, prepare and balance a massive goal like 29029 is just what you need to hear as you prepare for a...

The hardest thing about producing this podcast is that all of our participants at 29029 have a story.  They have REALLY good stories.  We are going to keep sharing those stories with you month after month and season after season.....but every once in a while there is a story that transcends the others.  A story that epitomizes what 29029 stands for.   Jon Samnick has been climbing mountains with 2...

So!  You signed up for 29029.  Now what?  Maybe you are nervous.  Maybe you are excited.  Maybe you are even a bit scared…..okay you might be REALLY scared.  All of those emotions are okay!  You just signed up to climb 29,029 feet up a mountain in 36 hours.  That’s big, but we promise you are going to love it! Unlike other endurance events, 29029 will be different.  You are going to be fully suppo...

If you ever have the chance to come to 29029, I hope that you take a moment to just observe.  Watch, listen and just feel…..You'll recognize something profound……29029 has little to do with climbing a mountain. Of course, on Friday morning at 6am we blow an airhorn and send a 250 people climbing….So yes.  There’s definitely a mountain involved.  But what you see, hear and feel at 29029 has ever...

Part of my job as the host and emcee at 29029 events is getting to know the participants who take on the challenge to find their Everest.  Over the 4 days that I get to spend with them, I typically get a good read on who they are and some of the roads and backroads they have traveled before climbing our mountains.  Each one of them has a story and I see it as my job to unlock a bit of that narrati...

We all create stories in our minds.  Some of those stories take the form of wishes and dreams.....maybe hopes and visions for the future.  But let’s be honest, some of those stories aren’t fairytales.  Some of our stories that we create are rooted in fear, shame, vulnerability and served up with a healthy helping of doubt.  Some of the stories you have told yourself about yourself are so unkind yo...

If you’ve listened or followed this podcast before you know we talk a lot about “the why”.  Why do we climb?  Why do we choose to voluntarily put ourselves in a position to struggle in order to climb the vertical feet of mountain Everest.   Every single participant who presses that red registration button on the 29029 website is there  for a different reason.   We have participants show up with pe...

When you create something new like 29029 you never know what will happen.  It’s hard to tell if people are going to buy into the idea that climbing up a mountain for 36 hours over a weekend to try to reach the vertical gain of Mt. Everest is a good idea or not.   In 2017 when 29029 was launched, it was a small group of people who were known for enjoying crazy experiences.  They loved it!  Of cours...

Beginning in 2017, we have had a front-row seat to 1000s of individuals who have found their way to their own personal Everests while climbing 29029.  We can share story after story of participants who found a bigger and better version of themselves in 20 weeks of training and over those 36 hours struggling up the slopes of a mountain.  It’s inspiring to see people literally transform before your...

It's 5:30pm on a Saturday in mid August 2019. 250 individuals have used the preceding 35 and 1/2 hours to test themselves on the slopes at Snowbasin Resort, Utah. Each attempting to complete 29,029 feet of vertical gain or mimicking the vertical accumulation of climbing from sea level to the top of Mt. Everest. Though the event technically has another 30 minutes until its official 36-hour cut...

In 2021, Colleen, the host and emcee for the 29029 events, stepped off her flight to Albany, New York on the way to Stratton Mountain for another epic weekend.  As she made her way down to baggage claim without realizing that two sets of eyes were following her gray 29029 hoodie down the escalator.    The owners of those eyeballs soon found some courage asked her if she was, in fact...

How many times in life have you been willing to commit to doing something that you didn’t know the outcome? I’m talking about committing to a project that you didn’t know if you could handle.  A deadline that would stretch you so thin you risked failure.   Generally, we don’t commit to things we are not confident we can complete.  But that’s just our comfort zone.  Where’s the...

We all are acquainted with grief.  It’s rare to leave this life without the pain and suffering that comes with our human experience. Grief is different for everyone and the ways we move through our grief are as unique as the reasons why people sign up to climb a mountain over and over again for 36 hours to reach the vertical gain of Mt. Everest. But the thing about choosing to climb a mountai...

In 2022 29029 Everesting celebrated our 5th anniversary of challenging individuals to set an Everest-sized goal. I was scrolling through old photos and came across images from our first event in 2017 at Stratton Mountain Vermont.  Some things looked different, like the ascent board and the bibs.  Some things operated differently, like the gondola and the schedule.  But there was som...

Let’s flip the script today. Instead of worrying so much about the worst case scenarios and what to do to when they happen…… let’s shift to a different, more positive mindset.   Casey Gilbert has traveled the world for years as an online trainer sharing his love for fitness and words of wisdom though the screen on your workout machine.  He seems to have limitless energy and strength, but...

If you’ve lived on this earth for more than a few days, you are pretty familiar with the fact that life doesn’t always travel the easiest path.  One moment you are on the summit of the mountain enjoying the view and the next you find yourself lost in the deepest valley you’ve ever had to navigate. Kacia and Seena Ghetmeri signed up for 29029 with fire in their bellies.  They were getting...

One of the most unique features of a 29029 event is that it is something ANYONE can access.  The summit of our mountains have seen finishers of all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds.  From former olympic and professional athletes, to individuals who had never completed a 5k before 29029…..Our community climbs together, fully-supported to help you accomplish your goals! Many reach Evere...

What if you could teach your children how to do hard things BEFORE they experienced the hard things in life?  What if you brought them to a mountain, set a goal to reach the summit and then climbed every step beside them? In this special Father’s Day episode of the 29029 podcast we introduce you to a father who did just that….not once, but twice.  Andy Lausch is no stranger to endurance...

A unique aspect of 29029 events is coaching.  When you commit to climbing 29029 feet our Coaching staff makes sure that you have the tools and the training you need to achieve your goal!  Each registered participant is provided with a guided 20-week training plan and bi-weekly group coaching calls all created and hosted by our head Coach Brent Pease.  You can hear Coach Brent’s stor...

A unique aspect of 29029 events is coaching.  When you commit to climbing 29029 feet our Coaching staff makes sure that you have the tools and the training you need to achieve your goal!  Each registered participant is provided with a guided 20-week training plan and bi-weekly group coaching calls all created and hosted by our head Coach Brent Pease.  You can hear Coach Brent’s stor...

You probably know John Peel as one of iFIT’s most popular trainers;  his iconic smile, positive attitude and globetrotting workout series (and let’s not forget about his abs!). His ability to drop nuggets of wisdom and motivation have inspired the masses for more than a decade.  But, John’s life wasn’t a straight forward path to celebrity trainer status.  This is a story of a star-a...

When you hear the name Zebley around the lodge at 29029, you probably assume someone is talking about Thomas Zebley.  He's a legend on these mountains, earning that coveted red hat six times.  But starting in 2020, there was a new Zebley on the scene.  One that had a front-row seat for years, but was now ready to blaze her own path.  Meet Jen!  Wife of Thomas Zebley and mo...

We met Keichun in Snowbasin, Utah at 29029, but her mission of inspiration and inclusion started long before that first ascent. Keichun understands the impact of sharing our stories.  She knows there is value and inclusion that comes from seeing someone who looks like us and struggles like us blazing a path that we can follow.  Just think....Sharing your story might be the way that someo...