A desired person lives within you.

What does day 1 look like? Is it a notion of a thought? Is it a malfunction of a mindset? Is it something you saw on a billboard on your way to work?

My journey didn’t start with any of those things. I never saw it coming.

In my early twenties, I was a firefighter and EMT. This has set me up for experiences unlike any other profession but doors seem to open in random places due to this tidbit of my background.

It was my first year in Alaska and my first time seeing snow. No really I grew up on the East Coast of North Carolina. We didn't get a lot of snow there. I ended up with a group of friends who were conveniently all athletes. One in particular asked me if I would assist with basic Emergency care on the side of Mount Marathon.

I was in for a rude awakening since I had no idea what Mount Marathon was but I said yes anyways. They were incredibly short staffed and according to my friends this race is considered the Super Bowl of Alaska. Guess, that should have been my first hint.

I remember the conversation in the car on the way to Seward, AK. I learned to snowboard on ice, that the Alyeska Resort is haunted, and your hair can literally turn into ice cicles if you walk outside during winter with wet hair. But what I did not learn was anything to do with running mountains. I did know when I first started my journey there, that people ran mountains. I didn’t even know trail running was a thing.

And there it was. This beast of a mountain. I stood looking up, felt like my neck was going to come off its hinge trying to see the top. 3,000 feet of elevation, nearly straight up. It can’t be that bad, I said with wide eyes and disbelief.

It’s one foot after the other I said to myself. And then I took the plunge. I found myself climbing tree roots literally like a Monkey. There are 3 ways to reach the top of the mountain, I unknowingly choose the toughest. My perch was at the halfway mark, it sat beside a dried up waterfall called the chute. It was climbing the entire way. I started out with a massive medical pack on my back and ended up with my friend carrying both his and mine because I was falling backwards. My equilibrium had no idea how to keep me upright.

We made it to our perch a few minutes before the first wave came down. I really didn’t know what to expect. I kept thinking, why would anyone do this for sport.I could hardly breath, my muscles already hurt and to say the least I couldn’t imagine running up this beast.

Then it was time, they were running down. Their legs and feet acted as springs, so light on their toes. Blood, blood everywhere! Calfs, knees, faces. And then I saw him. Nope this isn’t that type of love story but quite similar if you could fall in love with a mountain the same way you do a human. This tall lanky average looking man came running down with determination on his face, the kind you only see in movies or those really intense Gatorade type commercials.

All I could think was, I want that. I have to have it, how do I get it? And this, my friend is how it all started. My training, my coaching, my realization that without it I suffer from depression.

I must have it.

The next week I drove back to the town of Seward. It took me 4 hours to climb Mount Marathon. It was incredibly painful, but I dug in and kept going and once I made it to the top I became that determined person I never knew I was.

Perseverance isn’t something we are born with, it's not something most of us think about. When the going gets tough you have two options, you get tougher or you back down. Unfortunately; most people would rather walk away from intense challenges because they are uncomfortable.

To become a beast or the person you truly want to be you have to get out of your comfort zone. Standing at the base of Mt. Marathon changed who I was as a person and shaped my life to take on all challenges. What is your Mt. Marathon and why haven’t you tackled it yet?