Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

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defygravity
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Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by defygravity »

Hello 14er Friends!

I am heading out to attempt the self-supported Colorado 14er Record on Tuesday July 5th! Yikes, I couldn’t be more scared right now!

Consider this the official announcement and thread for the attempt. I don’t have a cool website like some of the prior record holders, so the next couple posts will serve as my site!

I’ll be live tracking my Garmin starting July 4th at share.garmin.com/minnesotamountaineer

I’ll be posting on Instagram when I have time as well, so please follow the adventure there as well! @MinnesotaMountaineer or www.instagram.com/minnesotamountaineer/

I’d love it if you are following along and wanted to meet me out on a mountain or trailhead!

I’m targeting a little over 14 days for my record and if all goes as planned, I’ll be starting in Chicago Basin, then moving across the San Juans, to the Sangre De Cristos, then Pikes, to the southern Sawatch, then the Elks, then the northern Sawatch, Tenmile, Front Range, and finishing on Longs.

I’ve spent two years planning my routes and learning every angle of these mountains. It's go time!
Last edited by defygravity on Sat Jul 02, 2022 9:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
2022 Self Supported 14er Record
Allllllmost 300 14er summits RN
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defygravity
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by defygravity »

A little about me: I’m a 36 year old dude from Minnesota, I was born in the Springs but lived my whole life in the Midwest. Yup, that’s right, a flatlander and a native! I quit my day-job over a year ago to pursue this record. I grew up on a farm in WI and didn’t start climbing mountains until my mid 20’s, having literally no athletic experience prior to then.

In 2013 I was struggling with severe depression and a battle with suicide. I woke up one morning that May and blurted out that I was going to climb all the 14ers that year. I didn’t even know how many there were when I said it… but consider that it was a divine intervention as it was how I beat depression. I completed them in 24 days, end-to-end that summer. I had only 5 summits of experience before starting and had absolutely no idea what I was doing (not a recommended plan, FYI). But I survived and finished way faster than planned. Most importantly, I’d found value in myself again, and found my way out of depression. This personal victory also lit the fire to set the record. So here we are 9 years later and praying for a similar victory.

I’m a simple guy, who believes in being kind and doing good for others. I fell in love with the mountains while climbing N. Arapahoe Peak and since then the mountains are where I find God, myself, and the best things in this world. 200+ 14er summits later and I’m still overwhelmed to tears by the summit views.

Everyone in my family has sacrificed so much in helping me prepare for this journey, I am incredibly indebted to them for all of their help and support these past two years. Thank you!!!
Last edited by defygravity on Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
2022 Self Supported 14er Record
Allllllmost 300 14er summits RN
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defygravity
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by defygravity »

Rules for the Self Supported 14er Record.

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the rules as the prior self supported record was set almost 30 years ago and so much has changed in the 14er record community since then.

In accounting there is what is called “GAAP” or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, based on commonly applied rules that have been adopted over time. In the 14er community there seems to have grown the “GA14erP”… Generally Accepted 14er Principles that have been adopted over time. :P

Some of these commonly held rules that I will be following:

- Follow the Colorado Rule (though some self-powered records do not require this)
- Make your effort public before starting
- Track yourself with GPS technology and mark your summits
- The next record setter has to do as much, if not more
- Climb the 58 14ers

I think Cave Dog and Andrew Hamilton have adequately defined the Colorado Rule, You can find their respective descriptions http://www.thedogteam.com/14ers-Web_Pag ... Rules.html and http://andrewhamilton.com/14ers/?page_id=50 , I see no need to reiterate what they have stated. If I set this record, then all future self-supported record holders will need to uphold the Colorado Rule as well.

The only known change I’ve found from Cave Dog’s rules is that I may be using a bicycle from where I park my vehicle to a point at or below 3,000 ft below a summit on a few of the mountains. This still adheres to the Colorado Rule, other record holders have done this as well, and it seems to be generally accepted by the community these days. Sorry Cave Dog!

These are the rules I am setting forth to be qualified as a self-supported 14er record. I think defining “self-supported” is important to the integrity of the record as obviously someone could set this record faster if they had any level of support.

- You drive every mile from the start of the record to the finish
- You supply yourself (food, water, anything else) from the start of the race to the finish
- You prepare food and feed yourself from the start of the race to the finish
- You cannot have friends supply you or provide assistance along the route
- You can gather supplies along the route as long as they were not arranged prior to the start time of the record attempt. Supplies need to be gathered from established businesses or random strangers, not your friends or family. Just to clarify: Arranging, before the clock start, any form of supply, vehicle, gear placement, etc, is not allowed, no matter what. This includes mailing yourself packages to post offices. This may differ from self-supported bike-packing races.
- You must carry your own pack, food, water, self-navigate, and pace yourself for the entire record attempt, including below the Colorado Rule limits.
- As I’ve considered the nuances and gray zones of being self-supported, I realized that having a passenger in the vehicle with you would be a huge leg up. They could hand you things, give you food while you are driving, etc.. This will not be allowed in the self-supported record. I took the passenger seat out of my vehicle just to make this clear!
- Giving other hikers a ride up a 4wd or other road is allowed and I think it is the good thing as a human to do, just be sure they are not assisting you during the drive.
- A self supported record setter can totally hike with others. The record setter cannot receive any form of pack carrying, navigation, pacing, or any other help though. The record setter needs to always be in the lead when hiking with others.
- Receiving digital encouragement or communications from others, even if prearranged, is just fine for the self-supported record.

As with any of these mountain records, there is a sense of honor involved and these rules are informal, essentially voluntary, and can only be kept by the record setter. Please be a good person and don’t cheat.

This is not an absolute sport. These record attempts occur over many days and some errors may occur. GPS devices may be off by variable margins as well. No record holder or attempter should lose their record over marginal errors that occur in their noble attempt.

Another quick thing, the self-supported 14er record should not be done with the use of aircraft. One could theoretically use a helicopter to set a very fast record, which would be exciting, but only available to someone with great resources. In the spirit of equality and keeping the record available to as many of our community members as possible, aircraft should not be used. Personally, I think it’d be nice if all the 14er records had this caveat.

I want to make it publicly known before I start, so there is no misunderstanding, that my dad who is in his 60’s, will be following me in his own vehicle, for the duration of my record attempt. He has a deep love for the mountains and is hoping for this to be a pretty enjoyable vacation / tour of Colorado for himself! He has been my inspiration to set this record and gave me my love for the mountains, I wouldn’t want him to miss this for the world. We have a very clear understanding of the rules set forth for me being self-supported and will be strictly maintaining those lines.

All vehicle traffic laws need to be obeyed. This is a firm rule to be held by all record setters. Secondly, I feel strongly that no record attempter should push themselves to the point of causing harm to others. Especially for the self-supported record as the record attempter will be driving while exhausted. No record is worth harm to yourself and especially others. Please be mindful to be a good human and put others first.

Last I want to include this quote from Cave Dog. He has imbibed the spirit of this sport better than I ever could.

“It should be remembered that these rules, as all rules for any game or competition, are completely contrived. The rules themselves do not matter. They are only guidelines that are a point of reference to compare one achievement to another. These rules should never be used to denigrate a challenger's achievements. These rules should never entice a challenger to do something dangerous or unethical. In fact, there are nearly an infinite legitimate number of groupings of rules that could have been created for this one event. In addition, there are many different reasons to legitimately argue for or against any particular rule; however, any particular distinction is insignificant. Having rules is what matters. They provide a level playing field for competition. Without rules there could not legitimately be a record because the individual efforts would not be comparable. Each effort would stand solitary by its own achievements. That is fine. Unfortunately, it is not compatible for having a record. In the end, who holds the record is even less significant. The important aspect of any adventure is the growth of all the individuals involved and how they can share what they learned with others. It is to this ideal that we all strive.

Live the Dream.”

- Teddy Kaiser “Cave Dog”
Last edited by defygravity on Fri Jul 22, 2022 11:45 am, edited 8 times in total.
2022 Self Supported 14er Record
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stickmann
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by stickmann »

Huge undertaking! Good luck to my fellow Minnesotan, I'll be following along.
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by Danger_D »

Good luck, man! You seem well prepared and in for a heck of a trip
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by seano »

defygravity wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 9:45 am ... the mountains are where I find God, myself, and the best things in this world...

Everyone in my family has sacrificed so much in helping me prepare for this journey, I am incredibly indebted to them for all of their help and support these past two years. Thank you!!!
Word.

Between preparation and execution, this is a huge undertaking and a great challenge. Good luck, stay focused, and drive safe!
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by Codyhill1991 »

Excited to follow along. Have a great time, careful driving.
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by headsizeburrito »

Good luck! Looking forward to a full report when you are finished.

I appreciate the detailed discussion on rules. Rules are of course made up, but in theory reflect the general consensus of the community and are needed to make a meaningful comparison. The Fastest Known Time podcast actually just had a discussion about this subject with Stringbean, who holds a number of long trail FKTs: https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/18 ... mcconaughy
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by justiner »

Good luck!

What's the plan on Lindsey?
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

justiner wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 2:40 pm Good luck!

What's the plan on Lindsey?
Also the first thing I thought of. Hopefully he has been able to work out legal access with the landowner, like Andrew was forced to do with the Kite Lake group a few years back.

Good luck!
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by tortilla »

Dan?

Either way, good luck!!
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Re: Self Supported 14er Record Attempt

Post by climbingcue »

Looking forward to following your progress. Good luck with the record attempt.
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