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Adam Wolf

Using Failure to Fuel Success

By 29029 Everesting

October 8^th, 2021

Adam’s commitment to 29029 started a bit different than most. In January of 2019, a friend of his attended a business networking event at which Jesse Itzler was a speaker. After Jesse’s speech, in the hype that seems to follow him everywhere he goes, the room was now filled with people intrigued about 29029.

Adam’s friend was one of them, and he texted Adam after the event saying “we need to do 29029!”

Texting isn’t exactly the kind of format to adequately describe the complex and challenging intricacies of 29029. Adam replied almost haphazardly, “Sure.”

He had no idea what he had just gotten himself into.

“I thought it was a learning event,” Adam says. “Like the kind of thing that would involve some cocktails, networking… that kind of thing.”

That’s right. Adam thought 29029 was going to be a relaxing networking event, with some drinks, some learning, and meeting new people. Adam was busy working for his clients, raising a daughter, and handling all the other day-to-day things that demand attention. He wasn’t looking into the specifics of 29029.

“It wasn’t until around May that I spent some time learning what 29029 actually was… and what I was in for.”

Adam wasn’t exactly unfit, but in his words, he definitely wasn’t fit enough for something like 29029. He’d done a few 5 km races years ago, but that was the extent of his endurance sport.

So in 2019, entirely unprepared, he tackled the slopes of Utah, completing 4 ascents before succumbing to dehydration. His event was finished, but he took some solace in reaching the first summit, Kosciuszko. Not a bad achievement for someone who thought the event would be about shaking hands and clinking cocktail glasses.

Using Failure to Fuel Success

After falling short of a goal, we have two choices. We can throw in the towel and give up - holding ourself back from achieving new heights. Or, we can seize the moment, learning from it - we can use failure to fuel future successes.

Adam chose to keep at it. As he put it, quite simply; “I hate losing.”

30 Hours on an Incline Treadmill

When registration opened up in 2020, Adam registered for two 29029 events; Idaho and Utah. He wasn’t just looking to redeem himself, he was looking for vengeance! He was going to assault the mountain in Idaho, and then again two months later in Utah.

He was on a path now, fueled by his experience in 2019. He had lost weight - over 25 pounds - and was finding a new version of himself.

When 29029 was forced to go virtual in 2020, Adam didn’t miss a beat. The flatlander in Florida wasn’t going to be stopped, and with his incline-treadmill set as steep as it would go, he spent 30 hours in his garage, ticking off the vertical feet, and in the process, ticked off achieving Everest.

But it didn’t quite feel like the real thing. Not yet. Nothing could replace doing it on a real mountain, alongside 250 other like-minded people.

Two Chances at Glory

In 2021, Adam registered for two events again - Idaho and Utah. He was on a mission to earn that Red Hat!

“I committed to the double to help myself focus on something else,” Adam explained. “I was going through some personal stuff at the time, and focusing on the training and the process helped me through it all.”

Adam was finding the new him by doing hard things.

His first chance at pulling that Red Hat onto his head came at Idaho. It was hot. It was steep. It was more challenging than anything Adam had ever done.

He left it all out there, but like many participants, in an event that will go down as one of the most challenging 29029’s yet, he couldn’t quite reach Everest at Idaho. After battling the heat and emptying his tank, 12 ascents - Aconcagua - was Adam’s achievement.

Remarkable, but not quite Everest. Adam would be back.

"I Wasn't Nervous At All"

The slopes of Utah were next for Adam.

“I wasn’t nervous at all,” he said. “I had already done all this training for Idaho, and now I had 2 more months of Coach Brent’s plan to get me to Utah.”

To say Adam was feeling confident would be an understatement.

“The difference between Utah and Idaho is big,” Adam remarked. “Utah isn’t quite as steep, and my mindset was there. I knew I’d finish.”

He had a lot of confidence going into Utah, but that didn't mean it would be easy.

Under the Utah Sun

Adam hit the start line of Utah revved up and ready. He was confident. He knew he was going to finish. He knew he was finally going to pull on that Red Hat.

But it wasn’t going to be easy. It never is. This sort of thing isn’t supposed to be.

When asked if there were any dark moments that he had to endure on the hill, he went deep in thought for a moment. Then he laughed, and responded, “all of them,” before explaining further.

He downplayed the difficulty of the earlier ascents. Fueled by adrenaline, familiarity, and a desire to finally pull on that Red Hat, those early ascents went by smoothly.

Nighttime Challenges

Ascent 7 is when things started to get real for Adam - the infamous night hikes had begun. When the sun sets, it’s just you, your headlamp, and a mountain to climb. Outside distractions seem even further away when your entire view is composed of a 5 foot diameter circle of light, piercing through the darkness from a headlamp.

“I was used to training alone - I had done so much of it already - but hiking alone in the darkness was a struggle.”

Finding footing, focusing on the task at hand, and staying mentally strong is always more challenging at night. But Adam just took it step by step.

“I talked to God a lot during the night. He answered, and he pushed me up the mountain.”

Adam finished two hikes alone on the slopes of the mountain that night, before finally taking a break for a well-earned rest.

“I didn’t go to my tent, I went to the lodge and found a couch. It was maybe only 4 or 5 hours of sleep, but it was enough.”

After a few more ascents in the morning, Adam was getting closer and closer. He was willing himself to the finish. He could almost feel the elation that would come with pulling on that Red Hat.

35 Hours

Then, on ascent 11, Adam was faced with his biggest challenge yet.

“About ¼ mile up, I started having some big IT band and knee problems. I was in pain!”

It took Adam twice as long as any other summit just to reach the first aid station. Things weren’t looking good.

In a stroke of good fate, Coach Chris was at the aid station, and he was ready to help. First, he showed Adam some stretches to help get his muscle pain under control, before switching into a mental pep talk, helping Adam get his mind right.

As Adam left the aid station, he knew he could finish. He kept at it, one foot in front of the other. He finished that ascent, and then two more. Filled with elation - almost 3 long years since first attempting to Everest - he finally got to walk down that red carpet.

It had taken 35 hours. 35 hours of struggle. 35 hours of effort. 35 hours of leaving it all out there. Beaming, Adam pulled on that Red Hat. It wasn’t easy, but he had earned it.

Fueled Through 'Why'

Pulling on a Red Hat never comes easy. Anybody who’s ever toed the start line of a 29029 event knows that. One must put in the time, training both physically and mentally.

But more important than anything else, to pull on that Red Hat, you need a bullet-proof why. If you have multiples, even better. Each strong reason behind tackling 29029 exponentially increases your chances of getting to the finish.

Adam knew this, and he had a few things that helped him get to that glorious finish line.

Doing Something for Himself

The first reason, something common among almost all 29029 participants, was for Adam to do something for himself. He was a successful financial advisor well versed in sacrificing his own needs to better serve his clients and his work, but he hadn’t done something just for him for as long as he could remember.

This was a chance to step back and do something solely for himself. A chance to push his limits, both physically and mentally.

“I found something good for me, and I did it.”

A Cause Bigger Than Himself

Doing something for yourself after years of building things for others is as good enough a reason as any, but having something bigger helps too.

For Adam, that something was JaxPAL - the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville. He is a board member of this youth athletics group, started in the 1960s to change the trajectory of kids' lives through fostering positive interactions with law enforcement. He was using his Everesting attempt as a fundraiser for the group.

JaxPAL has had a positive impact on thousands of kids' lives, and from Adam’s words, you can tell it means a lot to him. Fundraising for JaxPAL is the kind of why that’s almost bullet-proof.

He brought along a piece of artwork, made by some of the JaxPAL kids as a way to cheer him on. It made each ascent even sweeter.

"I Had to Finish in Front of my Dad"

Lastly, there’s the motivation that comes from loved ones. Adam doesn’t get to see his father too often - they live on opposite coasts - but his Dad had made the trip to Utah to cheer Adam on.

Having a familiar, friendly face cheering you on can be the difference between throwing in the towel and making the summit. For Adam, doing it in front of his Dad was the cherry on top of his achievement.

What Now?

Everesting at Utah was only the beginning for Adam.

“I want to do a hard thing - something like this - once a year!” he exclaims. “Focusing on the process, the commitment, and the training is good for the soul.”