According to Drew Francis, “The state of Colorado has 58 peaks that rise over 14,000 ft in elevation. The current record to climb all the peaks is 9 days, 21 hours, and 51 minutes. My goal for the summer of 2023 is to break this speed record, climbing more than 150,000 ft of elevation, 300 miles of trail running, and summiting 7-8 peaks every 24 hours over the course of 9 days!”

Well ok then! Please come and talk to me! And talk to me he did. We discussed his career as a firefighter, his mom’s battle with cancer that sort of inspired this crazy challenge, and then we spend the bulk of the episode talking about the prep, the training, and the logistics of this challenge. It’s way more complex than I even could have imagined considering Drew is going to have to cover a huge amount of the state, deal with some paths that are now privately owned, contend with weather, and feed and fuel 9 people over the course of more than a week.

Here’s the thing, though. Drew has a warmth, a charm, and a level of determination I’ve rarely encountered. At the ripe old age of 22, he’s taking this thing head-on with good humor and an inspiring outlook. It was a pleasure to feature him on my show, and I cannot wait to see how this challenge goes for him.

If you’re inspired by Drew, donate to him at his website. You can follow along with him on his Instagram page.

This episode is available on iTunes, streaming on Spotify, on podcatchers everywhere or at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

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