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Helen Tulloh

87 Ascents

By 29029 Everesting

February 28^th, 2025

About 10 years ago, after finishing a year-long treatment for Lyme Disease, I had just completed a half-marathon in England and a Tough Mudder in Wales.

With that momentum behind me, I was training for my first full marathon when I abruptly had to stop training after contracting Lyme Disease a second time.

It was a lot harder and took a lot longer to recover from this time. Finally, when I felt like I was ready to start training again, I started looking around for something fun and exciting to do, which is when I stumbled across 29029.

Now I know a lot of people reading this might think my reaction was strange, but all I could think of when I saw 29029 was how fun it looked!

I sent the event to one of my partners at work, saying it looked like something great and that we should do it.

Her reply?

A picture of her pulling on a Red Hat.

She’d already done it!

I wanted in! I wanted to experience the mountain!

I signed up for Stratton in 2023, and at the same time, started working with Coach Renee.

Training began in earnest in January, and I was faithfully following the plan prescribed by Coach Renee. I finally felt healthy enough to train, and I wanted to make sure I was ready for Stratton in October.

It was going well until July, on a 14-mile ruck, my foot started to hurt.

I pushed through it for awhile and continued training until it became something I couldn't ignore.

I learned I had a stress fracture.

Maybe I can still climb…

By October, I was still non-weight-bearing, so I had to make the sad decision not to start.

I still felt a calling to the mountain, so I came to Stratton just to see what 29029 was all about.

One of the first things I noticed was how truly amazing the environment was. Fast friends were made, and not just surface-level friendships, but deep meaningful ones - the kinds that often take years to forge.

It didn’t matter whether your goal was 1 ascent over 36 hours, or finishing all of the ascents before the next morning, people supported you the same. Your specific goal was irrelevant, all that mattered was that you were chasing it.

Registration for 2024 was opening up not long after Stratton, and when I looked at the calendar, I got a crazy idea…

I couldn’t do one, so why not do them all?

This is where some people’s stories get very deep, but if I’m being honest, I don’t think like that about these sorts of things.

Honestly, my biggest reason for doing them all was mostly because I thought it would be fun to try. It was something different and unique - the kind of experience that I thought would be right up my alley.

I suppose it also says something about the community that after simply seeing it from the sidelines, I wanted to be part of 29029 seven times in 2024!

I was nervous but at the same time confident when I arrived in Sun Valley to kick off the season.

I felt confident that I could complete it, but there was still a nagging wonder of what people would think if I didn’t.

Why would she register for all seven if she can’t even complete the first?

On Wednesday night, I went out for dinner with a bunch of soon-to-be climbers that I met through Mighty Networks, and my doubts were erased.

The community was incredibly supportive, even when I barely knew most of them.

Fast forward to the mountain, and I learned that my Wednesday night dinner was only a hint of the community support that was to come. I felt supported through each and every ascent, and 30 hours after starting, I earned my first Red Hat!

Jackson Hole was next - and probably the mountain I had been most nervous about going into the year. It looked steep - Like if you took the infamous Wall from Sun Valley, but made that an entire mountain!

As soon as I started climbing, my worries faded away. Coach Renee's training plan had me ready for this, and even after some lengthy weather delays, I checked off Red Hat #2!

Of course, Sun Valley and Jackson were not easy, but the struggle was manageable. Snowbasin ratcheted things up - by far the hardest mountain for me.

It was dry, it was high, and it was hot. I struggled to catch my breath as I hiked slowly up the sun-baked Utah dirt on ascents 3 and 4. With Coach Sarah's help, I modified my plan on the fly, and thankfully, never got too far behind on the clock.

With a huge relief, I summited my 13th ascent on Saturday afternoon and pulled on Red Hat #3, and with it, officially joined the Black Bib club.

Whistler was the mountain I was most excited for, mostly for the scenery. The trail was beautiful, and it didn’t hurt that temperatures were dramatically milder compared to Snowbasin!

Late into the night, I ended up on the disco gondy, and let me tell you... normally, it might be fun.

But in Whistler, after a grueling, long ascent up the mountain, the last thing I wanted was 30 minutes - that's right, 30 minutes is how long it takes to get to the base from the summit - of bright lights and blaring music. It might get some people amped up, but it's not for me!

In all seriousness, it was another great mountain - even if it was a little rainy and wet - and will probably go down as my favorite.

Red Hat #4 was done!

The Canada theme continued, and I guess I have a thing for that country because Mont-Tremblant quickly earned its place as my 2nd favorite mountain.

The rain from Whistler seemed to follow us, and most of Saturday was spent in a downpour, but I was still enjoying the mountain - Mother Nature wasn’t going to ruin my time with a little rain!

Red Hat #5 was in the bag!

Before I talk about TRAIL, let’s rewind slightly.

Stratton in '23 was supposed to be the start of a big birthday year for me. I was turning 60 the next year, so 29029 Stratton was going to be a kick-off event for a year of adventures that was hopefully going to culminate with me running my first marathon - I had my eyes on Berlin, the day before my birthday.

Obviously, the foot injury meant that didn't happen and became the reason that cascaded into me entering all seven 29029's in 2024.

That new plan was quickly proving to be an upgrade on my original plan anyway - I mean Berlin was just a marathon, TRAIL was 3 mountain marathons in 3 days!

The first day was the best for me - as I’m sure it was for all of us. Fresh legs, new terrain, and an entirely new type of event for the 29029 community meant that everything was invigorating, exciting, and novel.

At the finish line - after breaking the tape - I realized something: I have to get up and do that again tomorrow.

But, just like the mountains, when I woke up the next day, I felt inspired to keep going.

As soon as you start, it gets a lot easier to finish.

I went 3x3, and instead of a Red Hat, I earned my golden TRAIL Scarf.

My 6th event was down and there was only one to go - the mountain that started it all.

My return to Stratton was perfect.

Sure, it was cold, but I was learning that worked for me.

Of course, by now, not only was I well-trained, but I was also well-versed in how to handle the mountain.

The challenges, the hard parts, and the low moments all get a little easier to manage when you expect them, and by now, 7 events in, I was extremely familiar with that.

It's hard to pick a defining moment from the year - probably because of how many mountains I'd climbed - but capping off my season with Stratton would certainly be a front-runner.

That final ascent marked my 87th of the year.

174,174 vertical feet climbed - and that’s not even including the climbing from TRAIL!

Red Hat #6 was firmly on my head.

I’d done it: 7 events in a single year!

Thinking deeply about these experiences is new to me.

When I first signed up for 29029, I wasn’t searching for a grand revelation - I just wanted to do it.

While that hasn’t entirely changed, looking back on six mountains and TRAIL, I realize I’ve proven something to myself.

I can push through hard things.

I can overcome obstacles.

I can take on something big and see it through.

And I’m not done yet.

The 10x Finisher Award is in my sights, so in 2025, I’ll be back at Sun Valley, Park City, Whistler, Aspen, and Stratton.

More hard things, more mountains, more moments that make it all worth it.

At the end of the day, that’s what drives me. I’m not drawn to the easy or the ordinary. I want the kind of challenge that 29029 brings. It’s an off-the-beaten-path adventure. It’s brutally hard but unbelievably fulfilling, and dare I say, fun.