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Teri Griege

A Mountain Worth Climbing

By 29029 Everesting

June 24^th, 2022

I’ve always enjoyed sport and athletics, but I was a bit of a late-comer to the world of endurance sport. I began running marathons in my forties before my interest in Triathlons was sparked. I set my sights on the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, a race you have to qualify for.

In 2008, at a qualifying Ironman in Louisville, after swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112, and running 26.2, I missed qualifying by only 5 minutes! That next year, I was more determined than ever - I was going to shave that 5 minutes off my time. I was going to make it to Kona!

In 2009, training was a struggle. My body didn’t feel right, and even though I’d put in the time and trained more than ever before, I missed qualifying for Kona by 10 minutes. I knew something was wrong, and my suspicions were confirmed when a was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer with metastases to my liver.

The 5-year survival rate was 6%. I didn’t think I had much time, but with that little time I thought I had left, I wanted to raise awareness. At the age of 48, when I was diagnosed, I’d never had a colonoscopy - the screening age for that was 50. My sisters had never been screened either, so they both got checked out shortly after my diagnosis. One had a pre-cancerous condition, and the other had Stage 3 colon cancer. It felt like my diagnosis had saved her life!

I wondered if I could raise awareness to save others too. I had become an accidental advocate. I wanted to seize the opportunity while I still could, so I applied to race the Ironman World Championships as an inspirational athlete.

At the age of 50, while still undergoing chemotherapy, I finally achieved my goal of crossing that finish line in Kona!

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

The following 10 years were no cakewalk. The cancer would come back, and at one point I’d been on chemo for 9 straight years. It didn’t always look like I’d make it to 60, so when that milestone birthday approached in 2021, I knew I had to do something epic to commemorate it.

Since my diagnosis, I had spent a lot of time raising funds for cancer research and advocacy. I was a stark supporter of the Pedal the Cause, a local event in St. Louis, as well as Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC), a national-based organization.

Fight CRC had an event called Climb for the Cure, which I had partipated in 5 times leading into 2020. Of course, the event in 2020 had to be cancelled due to COVID, and going into 2021, it looked quite touch-and-go as to if the event would take place.

There was a hole in my calendar for a milestone year, so I was looking for something epic.

A friend had mentioned 29029 to me, so I started looking into it. It was epic. It was a lot of climbing. It was a test of endurance. It checked all the boxes.

And most importantly to me, it related to the Climb for the Cure for Fight CRC. I could do something epic while raising awareness for a cause so close to my heart.

Before finalizing my decision to enter, I went for what I call a slog - a slow jog - for 13 miles. During that time, I listened to the 29029 podcast. I must have listened to three quarters of them by the time I finished, and I was sold.

I entered 29029. And I was going to use my time on the mountain to fundraise.

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

My goal, aside from pulling on that Red Hat, was raising $1000 for colorectal cancer research for every thousand vertical feet I climbed.

I hit both goals, but I’m getting ahead of myself…

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Wherever you look, there’s a lot of hype around 29029. Whether it’s the buzz around the community or the cool factor of climbing a mountain, there’s no other way than to describe it as an event with a lot of hype.

I wasn’t sure I was going to drink the kool-aid. Is it really going to be that cool? I mean, I’ve done dozens of absolutely amazing events - marathons, Ironmans, and more. I wondered how 29029 would stack up.

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

I’m one of those people that prepares to the extreme. I was well-trained and had thought everything through. I hit the slopes of Utah ready to conquer!

The first ascent was the most nerve-wracking. Climbing in such a big group with only a headlamp to help guide the way was a bit anxiety-inducing, but after that, I settled into a rhythm and just kept climbing.

Of course, it wasn’t easy, but I expected that. Once you accept that something will be challenging, you can focus on doing what it takes to achieve your goal, and that’s exactly what I did.

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

I’ve often thought of highlights from the event, and there are, of course, many! Every single time I set foot in an aid station, that was a highlight. The volunteers are some of the absolute best I’ve ever dealt with. They were attentive, interested, and helpful: built-in cheerleaders.

Colleen was another highlight. It didn’t matter what your story was, she was going to find out about it. Her true engagement with every single participant was something you can’t replicate, and I’m sure it helped more than a few people continue climbing up that mountain.

And finally, there was the highlight of finishing. I had climbed 29,029 vertical feet! And more importantly, through that, I’d raised closed to $40,000 for colorectal cancer research.

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Teri Griege

Earlier, I mentioned that I wasn’t sure I’d drink the kool-aid. But I have to say, after 36 hours on the mountain, I did!

The experience on a 29029 mountain is like no other. The challenge itself is epic, along with all the things you’d expect from a well-organized event, but what truly makes it unique is the culture - a culture that stems right from the staff on through the participants. The staff put that welcoming, amazing vibe out there. They give you permission to let your guard down and tell your story, whatever that story may be. They challenge you to find your why. They challenge you to find the best version of yourself out on that mountain.

When you sit down at the pre-event kick-off, you’re sitting with 250 strangers. 2 days later, at the closing dinner, you’re amongst 250 friends. No other event can claim that kind of community. No other event can claim that kind of experience.

29029 is a mountain worth climbing.

Teri Griege

Footnotes

Story by Evan Wishloff, photos by Natalie Starr, Stirl and Rae Media Haus, and Jeff Bartlett Media.

FootNotes

Story by Evan Wishloff, photos by Natalie Starr, Stirl and Rae Media Haus, and Jeff Bartlett Media.

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