CHRISTOPHER FISHER

In October 2021, Christopher Fisher, a 26-year-old, Texas-born endurance athlete living in Breckenridge, Colorado, climbed a whopping 400,332 vertical feet in one month. That’s the equivalent of summiting a 13,000-foot peak from sea level every day for 31 straight days. It’s likely a world record, too (he’s submitting it to Guinness), and maybe just a bit, well, crazy. Here’s what Fisher had to say about the feat.

I wanted to learn how to push through. I dropped out of college; it wasn’t my thing. Then I tried to become a Navy SEAL, but I quit during Hell Week. I couldn’t hang, and I’ve regretted not finding a way. All my pursuits now, from ultrarunning to big mountain link-ups, are about building the mental strength to break through to the other side. These challenges are more mental than physical, and I want to show hikers and runners everywhere what’s possible.