One More Mountain to Climb

Jim Fowler felt the ambulance doors slam shut on October 24, 2006, as the paramedics pulled away from the construction site where he had been working. As they raced toward the hospital, Jim, age 47, couldn’t help but wonder if he would walk again after his twelve-foot fall while placing a long steel beam, a beam he was still sitting on when it fell with him to the ground.

A battery of tests confirmed Jim’s worse fear - he had broken his back, an L-1 compression fracture. When told that there was only a fifty percent success rate with surgery, Jim opted to let his back heal on its own. Using the walker for the first time, Jim remembers, “There was a small hump going into the elevator at the hospital. The pain was so incredible! I couldn’t imagine how I was going to get over that huge mountain.”

Four years later, Jim stood at the base of another mountain. Wanting to celebrate his 51st birthday in a big way and also raise money to take a group of kids to the Grand Canyon from Sunshine Acres Children Home, Jim decided to organize a marathon on his favorite mountain in Phoenix, Arizona. A marathon would require eleven trips up and down Camelback Mountain, covering 26.4 miles, with an elevation gain and loss of 27,808 feet.

The city of Phoenix was not interested in sponsoring a formal event but gave permission to Jim to have a non-advertised event with family and friends. Word spread quickly, however, amongst the hiking community and Jim soon had people calling and emailing him for more information. Most wanted to do four-eight climbs, donating funds for the cause, but of the 101 participants who showed up on February 12, 2010, twenty-four people agreed to attempt the full marathon. 

Jim Fowler

On the morning of the marathon, Jim stood at the trailhead, bending and stretching, trying to loosen his back from the injury that still bothered him. Jim hoped it would not slow him down; he planned a consistent pace, setting a tentative finishing time for under 11 hours for his eleven trips up and down the mountain.

On that moonless morning, the racers waited for the clock to reach 6:00 a.m.

Besides Jim, the eclectic group included: Eric Blossey, 29, triathlete; Sean Peters, 34, an experienced rim to rim to rim hiker in the Grand Canyon; David Marcianti, 43, and Steve Venerable, 44, both extreme marathoners, Scott Conner, in his 50’s, who competed in every Rock and Roll Marathon in the country in 2009; Lisa Kravetz, 45, who had hiked Camelback over 4000 times in 13 years, Jimmy Lehnen, 25, who climbed Camelback in under 20 minutes and David Metzler, 40, who was known in this group as the fastest guy down the mountain in under ten minutes (Incredible video, you should watch it!)

Most were members of the elite Under Thirty Minutes or Under Twenty-Five Minutes Club for ascending the mountain, a difficult task for the casual hiker.

Phil stamps Jim's passport.

Jim was worried about doing the first ascent in the dark, but was happy when he put in a time of 49 minutes for the first leg, in spite of the darkness. Six of the guys stayed in close contact for the first four legs, with Blossey assuming the first place position as he gradually pulled away from Fowler, Lehnen, Peters, Marcianti and Venerable. Kravetz and Metzler both hit the wall on the sixth climb, causing Metzler to take a 45 minute break, giving his legs and knees a chance to recover.Lisa Kravetz would later admit that “it was right up there with having my kids; the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” Peters confessed that he found running rim to rim to rim in the Grand Canyon easier than the marathon because there are “enough flats to recover”, compared to this race that was “always up or always down with no in between.” Marcianti said it was “the hardest thing I have ever done.”

For Fowler, the mountain began to extract its revenge on the tenth ascent, when Jim’s hip flexors and knees began to burn. By the time Blossey lapped Jim on the tenth descent, Jim was cramping everywhere, including his arms which he had been using regularly on the steep ascents to save his legs. “My tenth trip down Camelback was a nightmare,” Jim admitted, but the same grit and determination that started Jim swimming 1000 meters daily in the gym just thirteen days after the accident and completing his first hike just one month later in a back brace using poles, would push him forward now. “I kept telling myself, ‘Pain is the body’s way of getting rid of weakness,’” Jim said.

Sammy, oldest runner, 5th trip.

After stopping briefly at the aid station, Jim began his last trip up the mountain. He had been running, climbing and going over boulders for over eight and a half hours. Peters caught and passed Jim on the final descent to take over the second place position but Fowler could not push his body to go any faster. Jim finished his eleventh climb in 58:17, with a total time of 9:44:00, well ahead of his projected eleven hour finish. He was met at the finish line by a large group of people, including fourteen members of his family, who had also taken several climbs that day.

Jim with Sunshine Acres kids at the Grand Canyon

At the end of the event Jim was excited about raising $7890 to take the Sunshine Acres kids to the Grand Canyon. Not only would it cover all the finances for the trip, it would also outfit all the kids in new hiking gear. Jim hoped the Grand Canyon trip would inspire the next generation of hikers who wouldn’t be afraid to take on a mountain.

The Group that Finished the Marathon.

Nine people finished the entire marathon. They were: Eric Blossey 8:32:00, Sean Peters 9:36:00; Jim Fowler 9:44:00, Jimmy Lehnen 9:47:00, David Marcianti 10:18:00, Steve Venable 10:32:00, Lisa Kravetz 11:21:00, Scott Conner 12:14:00 and David Metzler 12:20:00.

This year, on Feb 11, 2011, a group of hikers will hike Camelback for twelve hours, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.If you want more information, contact Jim Fowler at: jfstl@cox.net.