Brent Pease

In My Element

By 29029 Everesting

November 18^th, 2020

The journey

I grew up in the south, where football is king. I like to tell people that I played guard and tackle. In that, I guarded the water and tackled anyone who came near it! I was not on the field all that much. Yet, sports still played a big part in my life growing up. Swimming is where I showed the most ability and where I excelled throughout high school.

I went to a big college and didn't have the talent to swim at school, so like so many others, that created a significant gap in my athletic history. For almost ten years, wings and beer were more a part of my life than sport. It got to a point where I was really out of shape and unhappy with many life decisions that I was making. So I gravitated back to what came naturally to me. I started swimming again, and then did some running. Eventually, I bought a bike and signed up for a Triathlon. I completed my first race in 2008, and that kickstarted my life of endurance sports.

As many Triathletes do, I gravitated towards Ironman, and that became the pinnacle for me. I became fixated on self-improvement and the process of getting better and finding the best version of myself.

We talk about that a lot, when it comes to 29029. It's about the journey. It's not just the mountain, but what it takes to get to it and up it!

It isn't easy!

Early in 2017, I was coaching Marc Hodulich and Matt Burrell from the 29029 team. They were training for an Ironman that Summer. It was around the same time that Marc and Jesse were creating 29029. Marc asked me if I could put together a training plan for the first event in Vermont. The first challenge for me was taking my experience in coaching individual athletes and translating that into coaching 250 people of varying athletic backgrounds and expertise.

When I first heard of 29029, I thought, 'what is so hard about this event? You hike up the mountain and catch the gondola down.' But I soon discovered, and anyone who has attempted to reach 29029 feet will tell you – it isn't easy! When you throw in the elements, and you throw in very little sleep, and the sheer duration of the event there's nothing easy about it.

I can relate to many of the participants who don’t necessarily come from an athletic background. That's where I started my journey -- I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to complete a Triathlon, let alone an Ironman. I am thankful to Marc for asking me to be involved, and to be a part of this community and part of our participants' journey.

Hope and Pride

As I started on my journey in endurance sports, my brother Kyle Pease took notice. He witnessed what I and many others were putting ourselves through. That really sparked an interest in him and started the conversation about him and I competing together. My brother spends his entire day in a wheelchair, and the first event we did together took around four hours. It was a huge task for him, physically and mentally. It was such an emotional experience for both of us. And immediately after finishing, he said, "I want other people to have this feeling." And with that, we launched the Kyle Pease Foundation.

I don't think that anyone would have questioned Kyle if he and I had done the things we've done together and never brought anyone else along. I know it certainly wouldn't have been as rich of an experience as we've had. You can also add Kyle to the list of people that I'm thankful for. It's incredible what he's helped create and what we've started together.

I am proud that we've provided inclusive opportunities to improve life for people living with disabilities. We do that through the power of sports. Anyone who has reached 29029 feet or those that are on their way, it's an incredibly moving experience. It gives you so much confidence that translates to other parts of your life. That's the feeling we give to the athletes we work with through the foundation. We give hope and pride to those who may not have it. When you spend your days in a wheelchair, it's sometimes difficult to feel accomplished. Now we have athletes completing 5k's, marathons, and Ironmans. It's a fantastic feeling to have helped over 150 families reach over 800 finish lines.

The embodiment of 29029

Part of my strength as a coach is having seen my brother struggle with so much in his life. I’ve also seen him accomplish so much. I know how to push when needed, to allow athletes of all abilities to see and fulfill their potential.

So when I witness a participant like Jason Kanaris triumph, it gives me so much joy! I'll never forget seeing Jason at 29029 Utah in 2019. I knew that he had some difficulties in Utah the previous year, so when I saw him climbing on day one, and he had an incredible smile on his face, I was stoked. Then I saw him on day two, and his whole demeanor had changed, he was no longer smiling, and I felt a sense of defeat creeping over him. We started walking together, and he wasn't really responding to me. He was really struggling.

I started telling him stories and relaying experiences I'd had in my athletic life and tales of Kyle and I taking on races together, good and bad! Finally, his mood changed, and he began to smile again. It was like he came back to life. As we continued to climb, we started to pick up other participants. Suddenly, the whole community was with Jason. When it was clear that he didn't have the time to complete anymore climbs, it was a celebration! There's an incredible image of Jason reaching the top of the mountain, arms raised, with a contingent of folks cheering him to the top. To me, Jason and that image are an embodiment of what 29029 is all about.

29029 brings out the best

When I arrived in Utah to attend my first 29029 event, I had no idea what to expect. I knew I was there to support our participants, but I didn't truly know what the experience was about. I mean, I felt good about the training plan I'd laid out, and I had a sense of what it would take folks to reach 29029 feet. Yet, I felt the weight of uncertainty for what was about to happen. I wondered if I'd be able to say the right things, do the right things, and be present for our community. Those feelings faded for me on the first evening. As I was listening to Chris Hauth and Jesse Itzler, and Colin O'Brady – and you could feel the energy building. By the end of the first night, you couldn't help but want to go and climb the mountain.

I recall standing with the participants on the start line the next morning. There was collective anticipation of what was to come. It moved. It had its own life force. I liken it to be at a sporting event where the team that wasn't supposed to win; wins, and everybody storms the field. And before you know what's happening, you're on the field too. And the next thing you know, you've got your shirt in the air, swinging it, and you're dancing. You're celebrating, and you don't even know why you wanted the team to win, and you can't remember for the life of you how you ended up there!

I quickly realized I didn't need to be anything for anybody, just like they didn't have to be anything for me. We all just have to be there and be ourselves. 29029 brings out the best in everybody. It brings out the human side of every single person on the mountain. There are moments where people struggle. There are moments where people succeed. There are moments where everyone just needs to take a breath. And that it allows everyone to show up as the best versions of themselves.

"This community allows me to be in my element and then take my element home with me in very positive ways."

A Rich Experience

The 29029 journey is a very special experience. While I've missed being with the community this year, I was amazed to see how everyone came together around the virtual events in 2020. I will say that there are going to be moments over the next few months where every participant will wonder if it's worth taking the next step or whether it's essential for them to stay engaged in the training and committed to the journey. But they have to because those difficult moments are the ones that make the mountain more impactful. The weekend in Idaho or Utah or Vermont is such a small snippet of this whole experience. It's provides vivid memories, but it's the months and weeks leading up to that that create the most lasting change in people. It's where you see the self-improvement, you will see yourself get better, and you learn things about yourself that you take to the mountain. And that all translates to being better off the mountain. The struggles are worth it, and they make the experience richer.