An Everesting involves repeating the same segment over and over again until you reach an elevation gain equivalent to the height of Mount Everest: 29,032 feet. Usually, people do it on a bike. But Hillary Allen was training to do it on foot, running up and down a 1.9 mile trail on Green Mountain. The trail is iconic in the Boulder, Colorado community and it has special meaning for Hillary. It’s where she first got into trail running. And it’s where she relearned to run when, only a few years ago, a 150 foot fall off of a cliff in Norway broke bones in her legs and back. The Everesting was supposed to be a celebration of recovery, but then Hillary found herself back in the hospital again.

A broken foot derailed Hillary’s attempt, but hers is a story of perseverance. While Everesting Green Mountain would have to wait, she had a new goal in mind: recover and run to the top. Just once. And the pursuit of that new goal would push her harder – and teach her more about herself – than the original ever would have.