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Lynda Leavitt

More Than Just a Plan

By 29029 Everesting

September 29^th, 2025

I came to athletic pursuits a bit late in life. A colleague inspired me with her athletic pursuits, and over the years, I joined her for a few 5Ks and eventually triathlons.

I couldn’t swim more than 25 metres when I started, but over a few years I progressed from barely swimming, to sprint distances, to completing a couple of Ironman 70.3s.

It was great, and with that momentum, I decided I wanted something more.

I stumbled across a video for 29029, and something sparked.

I wanted to do that.

I convinced my husband to join me, and we entered 29029 Sun Valley.

From the very start, I knew I wanted a coach.

I’m naturally pretty disciplined and motivated, but I wanted the accountability.

I wanted guidance.

I wanted help to make sure I earned that Red Hat.

That’s when I started 1-on-1 coaching with Jen Segger.

Very quickly, I knew it was the right fit.

Coach Jen was supportive and resourceful, but also straightforward.

She laid out the plan, but also let me do my thing. When life got in the way, she made sure we worked around it.

It felt like she knew me.

When we arrived in Sun Valley, I didn’t know what to expect.

I was nervous about everything.

The climb, the gear... whether I even had what it took.

Coach Jen had answered all my questions, but the self-doubt still sat heavy the morning we were set to climb.

The morning was hectic, nerves were high, and by lunch time, I realized I had made a major mistake…

I’d forgotten to drink a coffee!

It’s not like I’m an addict, but I drink a big coffee every day.

Except the morning of 29029 Sun Valley apparently.

It sounds silly now, but those first few ascents were brutal. Everything felt harder than it should, and I seriously considered quitting.

If it’s this hard now, it’s only going to get harder. I’m not sure I can do it.

When we broke for lunch, I saw a coffee carafe.

That’s when I realized I had yet to have one.

And let me tell you, that jolt of caffeine was exactly what I needed!

It’s not like things got suddenly easy, but at least I was back in the game.

The mountain still demanded a lot. The Wall loomed each lap, a stretch so steep it felt like it would never end.

But the aid station at the top of it was always waiting, cowbells ringing, and volunteers holding out a hand to help.

The energy carried us.

As we kept ticking away each ascent, the energy on the mountain really surprised me.

Cowbells. Music. Strangers cheering like old friends.

Every voice reminded me that nobody climbs alone at 29029.

And it helped.

Finally, late in the day on Saturday, I summited the final time alongside my husband.

I was filled with pride.

Not just for Everest itself, but for everything it represented.

All the hard work. All the training. All the choices to not take the easy path.

And all the time working towards proving age was just a number.

I could climb mountains at 67.

It was all there in that Red Hat.

After Sun Valley, I knew I wanted to continue with Coach Jen.

I didn’t even know what was next, but I didn’t want to lose what I’d built.

Being fit felt really, really good.

I wanted to keep the momentum going, so I kept training with Coach Jen even before I’d found my next goal.

While flipping through the 29029 Yearbook, I found it.

TRAIL.

It looked audacious.

Huge.

It was bigger than anything I’d ever attempted, but that was the point.

If I was nervous before Sun Valley, I was doubly nervous before TRAIL.

I’d never run a full marathon before.

Certainly not three in three days.

And not on rugged trails, or at elevation.

Everything about it felt bigger and scarier.

But I also knew, if I worked the plan Coach Jen had prepared for me, I could get there.

The first day hit me harder than I expected... My legs screamed on the climbs AND the descents.

Elevation made my breath feel short, and there were moments when I wondered if I could finish even one marathon, let alone three.

But we made it to the finish line on the first day.

Day two was no easier.

Going up felt manageable, but coming down the ski slope - or what I've since called rock hill - nearly broke me.

The descents were harder than the climbs!

All I could do was keep moving.

And eventually, I broke the tape again.

By day three, it wasn't just the miles in my legs that were the struggle... it was the clock ticking!

I was terrified I was running out of time, and the thought of going home without reaching my goal consumed me.

So I kept pushing.

And we made it.

I broke the tape once more.

I'd earned the Gold Scarf!

This time, it wasn't about conquering a mountain.

It was about discovering I could keep going longer and further, even after I thought I was done.

I'd done it.

3x3.

And I had the Gold Scarf to prove it.

Looking back now, I don’t think I’d have made it up the first mountain without Coach Jen.

Without her expertise, guidance, and training, I wouldn’t have earned a Red Hat.

And I wouldn’t have even thought to try TRAIL.

Jen shared her knowledge and kept me accountable in the process.

It sounds simple, but if you work the plan, it’ll get you to where you want to go.

And at 68 now, I know this: age is irrelevant.

You can keep chasing big goals.

I’m training for 29029 Aspen now.

And I don’t have to do it alone.

Coaching gives you the plan, the accountability, and the belief to keep pushing higher.

That’s what got me to my Red Hat, to TRAIL, and soon to Aspen.

And it’s what will carry me to whatever summit comes next.

Footnotes

Voice: Lynda Leavitt. Words: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff.

Button Label

FootNotes

Voice: Lynda Leavitt. Words: Evan Wishloff. Photos: Megan Dunn, Brendan Ladd, Evan Wishloff.

Charlotte Huisman

Lynda Leavitt

More Than Just a Plan

FootNotes

No Emotion, Just Motion

Brian Goldstein

The Foundation for the Summit

Tom Turcich

Higher Together

Brent & Kyle Pease