BUENA VISTA, Colo. - Josh Sanders did it.
At 11:33 p.m. on June 30, the West Michigan man finished climbing his tenth mountain taller than 14,000 feet in one day.
"For me, it's all about the journey and seeing what I can do," said Sanders, a Kalamazoo-native.
The previous record for this feat was nine mountains, and it was set by Eric Lee in 2013. In total, Sanders completed more than 45 miles of running and climbing.
"The 14,000 foot peaks in Colorado are a huge deal," said Sanders. "Being here from Michigan, it's hard to get out there and climb. So when I get the opportunity to go out there, I want to climb as many as I can."
He said that in 2017, he attempted to break the same record but only managed to climb five.
"It ended up being a fantastic learning experience," said Sanders. "I think the success of this trip is due to what I learned from last time."
This attempt, Sanders said, was perfectly executed and better planned.
The previous record holder, Eric Lee, did it within a 24-hour period. Sanders said he wanted to do his within one calendar day, which he says make it harder. He said that he tried going to bed at 4 p.m. and got maybe three hours of sleep.
"I crushed a Domino's pizza at 10:30 at night," he said. Then Sanders set off.
"It was a full moon," said Sanders when he started to climb. "The first 15-20 hours weren't bad. It was fun, and I was doing what I love."
Sanders said that it wasn't until he got to his last few peaks and hours of the day, that fatigue and exhaustion set in.
"It's cool being a flatlander from Michigan, being able to get out and into the Rocky Mountains and go after a record. I love it and it was great getting 10 in one day," said Sanders.
Looking ahead, Sanders said he is going to continue to attempt to embark on more record-setting mountain climbing excursions, including taking on the Grand Canyon.
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