It's a wild ride when you finally find what gets your adrenaline pumping! For Kristy R. Ellmer, it was all about collecting new experiences that would challenge and change her - and boy, did she ever find it! In 2025, she signed up for the infamous 29029 challenge in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where participants scaled a smaller mountain 19 times within 36 hours, climbing a total of 29,029 feet. That's like climbing Mount Everest almost!
As Ellmer registered, she felt both stoked and queasy. She'd never attempted anything close to this. What would it take? Could she dig deep enough when the inevitable pain and doubt crept in? How would she find time to train with a consultant's travel schedule? But Ellmer is one proud lady - she earned that coveted Red Hat, awarded to participants who finish the event! And that was never the real prize. The real win was learning how to be a different version of herself - one who could commit fully and keep going even when her body (and mind) begged her to stop.
As a consultant, Ellmer travels a lot, so there'd always be a reason not to do her training. But she found that writing down exactly what she was committing to and why made it easier to find a way to fit it in. Over the course of 20 weeks, she trained in the snow, rain, and heat - across multiple countries and states, at early mornings and late nights.
No matter the conditions or how she felt, Ellmer kept showing up. By the time she stood at the base of that mountain in Wyoming, she knew no matter what happened, she'd put in the work to be prepared. And you know what? She took those same techniques and applied them to other areas of her life!
One technique she discovered was to narrow her focus to the steps immediately ahead - just the next workout or the next half mile - rather than thinking about the larger, more intimidating end goal. Another technique was to find value and enjoyment in the process of training for its own sake.
Since this experience, both techniques have helped Ellmer get through other hard but necessary tasks at home and in work. And now, she's taking on an even bigger challenge - the 29029 Trail! It's three mountain marathons completed back to back to back over three days. That's like running a marathon... three times!
Every week, Ellmer reviews her goal and training plan, putting it all in her calendar, so all she has to do is execute the next step. And when the work gets hard, she reminds herself to be present and value the experience, knowing it contributes to her growth.
Ellmer surrounded herself with coaches and mentors who'd done the Everesting event before, speaking with them often. She tapped into their wisdom and experience, learning new skills, building confidence, and regaining motivation when things got tough.
She even found reasons to celebrate wins along the way - no matter how small! One time, she celebrated with her husband because she didn't get blisters on a training run!
Most importantly, Ellmer created simple sentences to repeat to herself about why she'd taken on this challenge and repeated them often. Her favorite was, "Let the hard make you stronger."
Transformations - whether personal or organizational - are never easy. When we embrace the climb, it changes who we are and what we believe we're capable of.
Ellmer encourages everyone to pursue an experience that will challenge and change them. She met a new version of herself after scaling that mountain 19 times in 36 hours! Her identity now includes endurance athlete and bestselling author - all because of the work she did and discipline she maintained in both endeavors.
Now, she's ready to take on challenges she couldn't have imagined a year ago!
Written by: Shred & Dread | The Citizen Edition
“Most triumphant, dude!”