Sometimes a job is more than just a job, and a hike is much more than just a hike. University of South Carolina two-time alumnus Zach Watson (B.S. Sport and Entertainment Management '18, Master of Sport and Entertainment Management '20) has long been aware of the former. This summer, he experienced the latter firsthand as he climbed the 1,600-foot Snow King Mountain trail in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 19 times in less than 36 hours.
Watson’s hike earned the coveted Red Hat for completing the 29029 challenge. He hiked 29,029 vertical feet, the height of Mount Everest, in just over a single day of grueling exertion.
“It took me, from start to finish, about 34 hours. That's with two and a half hours of sleep and probably another three hours worth of meals,” Watson says. “Every hike that I was doing was averaging a little over an hour. You hike up to the top, take the gondola back down, and then hike up again, 19 times altogether.”
The 29029 challenge is offered periodically at mountains around the world, and has become very popular. Limited spots for the hikes are in high demand, despite entry fees of $5,000 or more.
“Essentially, it's the Taylor Swift of sporting events. They sell out every mountain in less than five minutes,” Watson says.
Watson’s chance to participate came through his job as operations manager for the Kyle Pease Foundation, a nonprofit with the mission of improving the lives of individuals with disabilities through sports and beyond.
Foundation co-founder and Executive Director Brent Pease is the official head coach for the 29029 challenge. The fundraising efforts of employees like Watson and other supporters will raise approximately $300,000 for the foundation this year.
Watson began working with the foundation in 2022, with a very unusual and unexpected addition to his onboarding process.
“I actually ran the Publix Atlanta Half Marathon with the Kyle Pease Foundation in 2022. I was just in town interviewing for the job. They had some volunteers not show up the morning of the race and they asked me to run,” Watson says. “And I’ve pretty much been doing endurance events related to the job ever since.”
Watson joined the foundation partly because of his firsthand knowledge of the challenges of a friend’s sister who is living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
“She's fully wheelchair bound. She went through college, finished grad school. But we didn’t have anything like the foundation in the Greenville-Simpsonville area when I was growing up, nothing to provide opportunities for her. So it's kind of a give back, and hopefully one day we can get her down to Atlanta to come participate with us.”
Watson learned and experienced a lot as a South Carolina student, working big events including the NCAA men’s basketball final four while earning two degrees from one of the best programs of its kind in the world. 29029, however, was a challenge unlike any other.
“It's not just the physical part that you endure, it's the lack of sleep. I mean, I hiked for the first 18 hours nonstop. But the biggest thing that you don't, maybe for those that may not have ever done an endurance event to that distance is the mental toll that comes with it. You're fighting the negative talk. You're fighting yourself and a lot of those things. And trying to find a positive little niche that will get you to that next step or get you to that next platform or that next point where you're trying to get to,” Watson says. “I think that's part of why a lot of people do events like this, because you're pushing yourself to the absolute brink. For some, it's not necessarily getting all 19 hikes. One lady I hiked with for a little bit had come just hoping to do five, and she did 10. People push past what they think they can do, which I think is really cool.”
Up next for Watson is a new challenge, climbing a metaphorical mountain as the Kyle Pease Foundation’s capital campaign aims to raise a million dollars to fund its inclusive employment program. The campaign culminates with the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii on Oct. 26 where cofounders (and brothers) Brent and Kyle Pease will compete together.
Watson has been making appearances on podcasts and in other public forums to get the word out. His focus is now on talking instead of walking, but all in support of the same cause.