The epiphany... the beginning...

Lets take things back to August 15, 2011... I was driving, the 4 hour drive from Lake Stevens Wa, having just completed the Lake Stevens 70.3 Ironman the day before.  I was stiff, left knee a bit sore and I was tired - all normal... But something was, not quite right.  Something was off.  I raced hard, felt good about my time and like always, met some really great people. Still, there was something not sitting well with me.  At that moment, I had a bit of an epiphany...  

Philosophy Lesson...

I believe in "true value  or true worth".  Lets use denim jeans as an example.  I can buy jeans at a boutique and spend upwards of $250.00, they may have fancy names or cool embroidery or some other attribute that show their designer or creators identity.  I can also go to Target and get a pair of jeans for $25.00.  They look nearly the same, they fit pretty much the same but they don't have the price tag.   The enjoyment I get from both is nearly identical, yet I paid ten times more for the designer model.... I could make the argument then, that if the enjoyment I get is the same - it is only worth $25.00 and I overpaid $225.00 for the other model - inevitably leading to discontent. 

Back to my epiphany...

I just paid $300.00 for an experience and well - the experience wasn't worth $300.00 (not to mention the $300 in lodging and another $300 to feed my family of 4 while they came up to watch).  Sorry IM but you guys better step it up!  I could b*tch and moan about how they have 3 pages of rules and no one to enforce them... the lack of amenities for my family... the lack of amenities for the athletes or soda and pizza as your recovery meal... I am no dietitian but really???  A $1200 investment better deliver a near Disney Land experience and I got a pair of Target Jeans instead.

So, I decided to do something about it.  I decided to create a race that was as hard as anything else out there or harder, a race that has no rules (so no one could cheat and no one had to hold them accountable), a race that required the athletes to carry their own water and their own nutrition.  A race that was beautiful, incredibly hard and delivered an experience that was worth the cost.  Remember the days of "draw a line in the dirt with your heel for a start line and yell, "On your marks..."

I decided to create the Mt Hood Hell Climb.

The Mount Hood Hell Climb is the dream event for the athlete who is looking for the most extreme of short course endurance events. Starting with a 1.2 mile swim in the cold waters of Trillium Lake competitors will then transition to the 8.6 mile climb to Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood.  At the completion of the bike leg racers will begin the run, which is 2.3 miles UP the mountain, and finish at the top of Palmer Glacier Ski Lift.

Bold, Brutal, Real

2011 Mt Hood Hell Climb