When most people sign up for 29029 they get used to being asked “but Why?”

Why in the world would you want to climb the same mountain for 36 hours?

Why would you want to put yourself through that?

Why would you climb in the rain, the sun, the dark, the snow?

Why would you dedicate so much of your time to earn a red hat?

Joannie Rich has been asked “why” more times than she can remember. That’s probably because she was the first 29029 participant in 2021 to wear a black bib, signifying that she had completed 3 previous events. She didn’t stop there, not even close.

Joannie went on to become the first participant to earn the designation of “10-time finisher” in 2023. Remember, when the co-founders started 29029, they didn’t even know if people would come back more than once.

To date, Joannie has come back 13 times, climbed every single mountain we’ve offered and has never gone home without a red hat.

Whether she likes it or not Joannie has become a legend on the mountain. She’s fun-sized and fierce and always has the perfect outfit for her final lap of the weekend. 29029 wouldn’t be the same without her and with this little peek behind the curtain you’ll realize why Joannie’s answer to why is usually “why not!”

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Carolyn Custis James: Malestrom