Over the past four days, we had the honor of being part of something incredible by someone in our Greenville cycling community. This feat may go down as one of the most inspiring physical and mental tests of endurance, strength and determination that we will ever experience.
Our friend Weston Studer spent the last days (Thursday 9am - Sunday 4pm) going up and down Paris Mountain (2.03 miles, 702.1 feet, 6.6% average grade) on his bike. Sleep deprived, exhausted, physically broken and mentally depleted, Wes completed 124 laps up Paris Mountain for a total of 508 miles and 87,100 feet of elevation.
The concept of "everesting" is to pick a hill and complete repeats of it (continuously, no sleep - unless you do more than one and then you are allowed 2 hours of sleep between attempts) until 29,028.87 feet are completed (equivalent to the height of Mt. Everest). Only 3 people in the US and 36 people in the world have completed a triple everest. Wes is now the 4th in the US.
This undertaking was in support of a friend to many and local triathlete Lauren White. In August, Lauren (mom of two) was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma after undergoing a double hernia surgery. Lauren's husband was laid off from his job the day Lauren received the news about her cancer diagnosis. Wes decided to begin his triple everesting on the day in which he celebrated 9 years of sobriety.
When we heard about this attempt, our immediate thought was "this is crazy" but let's face it, many of us are a bit crazy. As humans, we are naturally adventurous and we are attracted to events that push ourselves to limits to achieve things never before thought possible.
On Thursday morning after we swam, Karel decided to join Wes for a few laps up and down Paris Mountain to support his cause. In the evening, I decided to ride a few laps and Karel surprised us all in his running gear and he ran up the mountain while we biked.
On Friday, Karel joined Wes at 7AM and again at 3PM. In the evening, Karel was worried about Wes biking alone in the dark so he joined him again at 7:30 and rode into the night for over 5 hours. When Karel told me he was going to ride with Wes until after midnight, I quickly realized how much of an impact he was making on the community. Everyone was stepping out of their comfort zone to help Wes and Lauren.
Wes was rarely alone in this event. From Thurs until Sunday - and through the night - he was almost always in company of another rider. Out of all 124 ascents, he only completed a handful by himself. Cyclists of all abilities joined in at various times throughout his four day feat. Sometimes for a lap or two and sometimes for several hours. His best buddy Garrett joined in for 16 hours through night one (to complete his own "everest"). It was so awesome to hear about how many people were setting their own personal records for how many times they went up and down Paris Mountain.
After Karel rode into the night on Friday, he came home exhausted. On Saturday morning around 6am - as I was getting ready for my morning run - Karel came downstairs in a rush, dressed in his cycling gear. I was honestly shocked to hear that he was about to join Wes again at 6:40am after only a few hours of restless sleep. Karel's response "I need to keep him company." Whereas I would not normally run up Paris Mountain, I decided to make my way to the mountain and run up and down to give Wes a cheer.
At this point, I realized how much of an impact he was making on us. Living only 2 miles away, we felt like we needed to be there for Wes. He was motivating us all to get on our bikes. We had no excuse good enough not to ride. This event was all about Wes and Lauren and we loved being part of it.
No one wanted Wes to be alone. Every day his kids and wife would visit. Lauren would walk up and down the mountain. And the support from the community was incredible - people were stopping to donate cash. People living on the mountain bought Wes pizza. The table of food was filling up. The donations for Lauren's cancer treatment were coming in. It was fun to peak through the trees at the base of Paris Mountain to see who would be standing there ready to ride another lap or to give a cheer. Randomly people would drive by and then stop to give a donation.
Karel couldn't keep his eyes open during the day. He kept saying "I have no idea how Wes is doing this. I'm smashed." On Saturday afternoon, I told Karel that I wanted to do a "night shift" with Wes. I love my sleep at night but something in me wanted to experience what Wes was experiencing. I wanted to experience it first hand. I wanted to test my own limits and do something for the first time. Wes continued to thank us for joining him but we couldn't stop thanking him for inspiring us for doing things that we didn't think were possible. I wasn't sure if I would make it more than one lap but I wanted to try. I ended up completing more than I thought and it ended up being one of the most memorable days (or nights) that I have ever had on the bike. No concept of time or distance just moving forward with the help of a front light.
I completed 10xParis Mountain (my longest was 4 times, which was on Thursday with Wes) and rode my bike from 9pm until 2am. It was invigorating. We had the mountain all to ourselves. There was four of us chatting, laughing and pedaling up the mountain. Sharing stories, learning about each other. Listening to music. All while being guided by our lights. This was the third night of no sleep for Wes and no complaints. Tired, yes. Exhausted, yes. So ready to be done, Absolutely. but he kept on ticking off the laps. We got him to 104 laps which meant "only" 20 more to go. When we left a little after 2am, he took a restless car nap and restarted a few hours later. For four days Wes lived out of his car.
We went to bed around 3am with no discussion on riding the next morning. But by 10am, Karel was dressed and ready to ride. I joined in an hour later for 8 more laps on this last and final day. As the peloton grew so did the excitement for this feat to be completed. We met so many people over 4 days and got to know our "friends" even better. I got to know Wes (and his family) really well as I would ask Wes lots of questions as we were riding through the night to keep him alert. Wes was struggling and was ready to be done. But as the support got bigger, he kept moving forward. And a little after 4pm, it was complete. The mission was completed and documented by a TV crew, Lauren, Wes's family, friends, community, cyclists and strangers.
Karel completed 21 hours of cycling, 203 miles and 36,329 feet of elevation over the 4 days. Karel joked that he had no idea that this is how he would be spending 4 days but he felt strongly that he needed to be there for Wes. I completed 118 miles, 11 hours of riding and covered 24, 537 feet. The coolest part is that we had no idea we would be riding this much over four days. We are greatful for our healthy mind and body for allowing us to participate.
We are so inspired by people who have tenacity in the face of difficulty. We are also very inspired by motivated people. Whether it's internal or external motivation, we love witnessing physical feats. We are also inspired by Lauren. Her optimism, courage and strength is inspiring. She has been honest about her struggles but she keeps moving forward.
Over the past four days, we had real life access to something incredible. This experience reminded me that we all need a strong cause for doing hard things. The biggest difference between motivation and dedication is action. Motivation doesn't require action. Anyone can be motivated. Dedication is hard work. It means getting uncomfortable, taking risks, and delving into the unknown. Whether it's for a friend, family member, organization or for yourself, know your why. Whatever that desire is burning in your heart, commit to it and hold yourself accountable.
Everyone's path to a quality-filled life is different. But meaning matters. Being connected to and part of something bigger and beyond ourselves can bring great happiness and fulfillment. There are many different ways to discover what 'meaning' means in our own life but one of the easiest places to start is by helping others.
If you would like to help Lauren and her family during this challenging time,
here's the link to donate. Thank you Wes for making a difference. Our Greenville cycling community is stronger than ever before.
Although this goes down as the most inspiring event of my life, I know it won't be the last. I love being inspired and motivated by people who love to push physical limits!
Anyone up for a few repeaters up Paris Mountain? 😉
