LOCALadk Magazine

28 Winter 2015 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk 24 in 24 By Mim Frantz with photos courtesy of Jeff Mogavero and Jan Wellford "24 Peaks in 24 Hours" is a catchy title and an interesting con- cept, but to most people it is totally incomprehensible. "The 24 Peaks" refers to the High Peaks of the Adirondacks (46 peaks, each above 4000 feet). The "24 Hours" is simply, one 24-hour day. The route covered over 52 miles and 25,000 feet of both elevation gain and loss. Even more as- tounding, is that more than one person recently accomplished this previ- ously unknown and unfathomable feat. Remarkably, both men had been planning and attempting the trip independently for years and ironically they each accomplished the journey on the very same day, Friday, Sep- tember 4, 2015. Jan (pronounced Yahn) Wellford, 34, started in Lake Placid at 3pm and headed toward Wright, Algonquin, Iroquois ending 23.5 hours later in Elk Lake. Jeff Mogavero, 21, started at 9am in Elk Lake toward Macomb and South Dix ending just over 23 hours later on the Summit of Wright peak. Mogavero and Wellford, prior to connecting on the trail in darkness and solitude of 11:30 pm, had not met previously but were aware of their shared goals and knew of each other's plans to hike the same day. Mogavero, having planned this hike for the better part of two years did regular Google searches on the topic of 24 peaks in 24 hours. Two days before his intended hike, Wellford's blog about his upcoming trip popped up and they connected to discuss routes and strategy. These two athletes, from different backgrounds, different stages of life, share the same passion for pushing themselves to the limit in the great outdoors. They have also both had tremendous success in distance and adventure racing. Most people hike for adventure, exploration, solace, beauty, self-satisfaction, fitness and various others reasons. In this case, for both men, it is all those things that lure them onto the trails, but they have a gift for speed that includes both stamina and perseverance. More- over, they seem to also share the common traits of a low-key, humble attitude and an incredibly optimistic outlook. When Jan Wellford is not running over mountains, he is running after his young children and works around the clock as a self-described, "Profes- sional Father," (Finn, age 3 and Matilda, 8 months) from Keene, NY. He has been racing and climbing around the Adirondacks for most of the last decade. Owner of The Mountaineer and former employer of Well- ford, Vinny McClelland, remarked, "Jan has done extraordinary things, he is always setting the bar. He is not only in remarkable shape, but he is also disciplined, calculated and extremely knowledgeable. In addition and most importantly in my opinion, he is one of the most modest men I have had the pleasure of knowing--which makes him truly inspirational." Wellford holds several records of hiking peaks in what is know as FKT (Fastest Known Times). In 2008 he set a FKT record of the 46 High Peaks (supported with aid) in 3 days, 17 hours and 14 minutes. To accomplish this he was on the move, and moving fast, at least 17 hours a day for 4 consecutive days to cover over 155 miles and 60,000 feet of vertical. If that context is hard to wrap your mind around, many people have "46'er" stickers on their car windows, proud to have accomplished this great feat of the 46 highest Adirondack summits in a lifetime, let alone a long week- end. In speaking of this recent milestone accomplishment adding to Wellford's long resume of records and challenges, McClelland added, "I know how difficult it is to accomplish what they've done-- to do the Great Range in one day is a huge accomplishment and it's a big day—this is beyond-- what these young men are doing is truly superhuman." Wellford first tried the self-designed 24-Hour feat back in 2007. "This is an idea I had been toying with for a very long time, once I did 17 (peaks) consecutively and it gave me the idea to try for 24, and when I set out to do it I was only able to accomplish 21. I made some mistakes and I think I just wasn't good enough at the time." Over the past 8 years, he cred- its the improvement to training his aerobic capacity by running (often 50-miles a week), racing, hiking and honing his system of what to carry and what to eat. Of the many stories and lessons he takes from this most recent epic adventure, he claims that despite his experience, this time he made a mistake in nutrition. In order to pack light and have efficient, di- gestible foods, he packed mostly carbohydrates like GU gel, energy bars, Gatorade and the like. In retrospect, he felt his stomach had rejected this Jan Wellford Jeff Mogavero

• Cover