Scaling an Oregon mountain for a day sounds like fun, but two Northwest peaks back-to-back? That's crazy. And then add a 108-mile run in between — it sounds near impossible.
Ultra runner Christof Teuscher did just that last month when he successfully summited Mt. Adams and then ran south to summit Mt. Hood, which he said took him just under 65 hours to complete. He said he got just three hours of sleep in that time, and another five were dedicated to rest and changing gear.
As far as he knows, he's the first to complete such a journey.
Teuscher, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Portland State University by day, spends his free time crafting and taking on his own ultra running routes.
"There's a real beauty in coming up with your own challenge, plan it, train for it, and execute it," he said in an email. "I love the process in all of that. It requires you to be very driven, persistent, and tolerant to failure. Failure is very important in doing things that push your limits. Failure allows you to learn and to do better next time."
Teuscher documents his numerous adventures on his website and YouTube channel. Last year, he trekked up Mt. Adams and then up Mt. St. Helens in the same trip, but his latest challenge was twice as long.
"Many of the challenges I set myself simply as part of the training for races," said Teuscher. "But I try to always have a few crazy adventures in the works. Goals help me to focus and to train hard."
Teuscher's next race is the Nut 100K, more than 60 miles along the North Umpqua River Trail on June 13.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
