Anyone from the RIMS Academy 2023 remember your comrade? She continues to do amazing things to make us all proud. Check out this post.
A standing "O" for Karen Eustice! (Check out the video) Two years ago Karen's husband of 31 years passed away unexpectedly. Suddenly the life journey she was on was forever changed. The grief Karen has experienced and the periods of dark depression have been rough. She knew she needed to redirect her focus in order to reset her life at 61 years of age, so she signed up for a tough physical challenge - 29029 Mountain! This event requires participants to climb the vertical feet of Mt Everest (29,029 feet) up a ski slope over 36 hours. Karen made it up the mountain one time! (13 climbs were required to "complete" the challenge.) Instead of giving up, she doubled down and signed back up with 29029 for a new event called "Trail". This event requires participants to run/hike three trail marathons in three consecutive days in the mountains of Tahoe. Karen had never done anything like this! We connected December of 2023 and started working together in an attempt to get her physically ready for 80 "ish" trail miles! She trained hard, sacrificed a lot and was incredibly determined. She had weeks of such debilitating depression training couldn't happen. She had weeks of great progress too. Throughout it all, we focused on "Who do you want to be on the other side of this experience?" Doing something this hard is going to change you. Moving through the loss of someone is beyond difficult. Attempting to get fit enough for something this significant, while grieving, demands your full attention. We continued to say "This is going to be Epic! When you cross that finish line on day three, you're going to be a changed person." ~ Day one: Karen made it 18 miles before she started puking. We hiked six more miles together - hike, puke, pray, hike, puke, pray - until she had to stop at mile 24. She didn't finish the day, but she'd moved farther than she ever had in her life! ~ Day two: Karen showed back up at the 6am start determined to get in at least another half marathon. She said, "Last night there was no way I would go back out there, but here I am!" When she finished she said, "I'm so glad I did this! I came here to do hard sh!t" She's tough! I'm blown away. ~ Day three: Karen got back on course, and sent a text as she passed the half marathon sign stating, "I'm gonna keep going until they make me stop!" What happened next was the best part. Participants lined the finish area and cheered her in like a rock star. She was the last person to finish. She completed 28 miles on day three. Truly remarkable! 63 miles in all. It was powerful! It was beautiful! As we walked back to the hotel, people stopped her to say "You're an inspiration," "You're amazing" and "Can I get a picture with you?" Karen received a standing ovation at the awards ceremony. In those moments, she transformed grief into empowerment. Karen, you are an inspiration to us all! Colleen Rue Marc Hodulich Jesse Itzler Matt Burrell