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an endurance event like this. "Unlike marathons where you can just go online and find a good training regimen, this is rela- tively new and not something you can find your own training program for," he said. Luckily, he was supplied with a training plan ahead of the race, which included training for 4 months prior. It's mostly leg and cardio workouts, Dr. Odette said. For example, 3 weeks ahead of the race, one of his training exercises was to run for 30 minutes and rest for 30 minutes, repeating for 8 hours. This is necessary because the 29,029 vertical feet must be completed in 36 hours come event day. Dr. Odette speculated that the altitude would also be a factor. The course starts at about 6,500 feet and increases to an altitude of around 9,000 feet. After this ascension, partic- ipants then ride a gondola down the mountain. To reach the goal, in this case, required 13 loops. Dr. Odette added that the altitude in Texas is much lower than in Utah, so he expected some adjustment would be needed and that this might cause him move to slower than in training. F or John Odette, MD, the milestone of his 40th birth- day inspired him to challenge himself. That challenge came in the form of 29029, an endurance event, also referred to as "Everesting." In this event, participants complete a certain number of mountain ascents to to- tal the vertical height of Mount Everest—29,029 feet. Dr. Odette spoke to EyeWorld both before and after this feat, which took place in Utah, detailing his training and his ultimate success. Before the event, Dr. Odette shared how he first learned about the event through a podcast. "I've always wanted to climb Mount Everest, but with two young children and no time to go acclimatize and train appropriately, I thought this sounded like a cool thing," he said. 29029 rented a private mountain at Snowbasin Resort in Utah where a basecamp was set up. It's limited to 250 partici- pants. Dr. Odette explained that he's raced before, particularly half marathons, 10Ks, and 5Ks, but he has never competed in Ophthalmologist conquers height of Everest in endurance race O UTSIDE THE OR Dr. Odette's endurance race took place in Utah at the Snowbasin Resort. 62 | EYEWORLD | NOVEMBER 2019