The Climbers

I believe we will summit Aconcagua, and it is my climbing mates that lend me that confidence. All of them have run marvelous distances and endured great hardship; I only hope I can keep up.

I have climbed before with Marshall, Terri and Rich. As yet I don’t yet know Louise, Frank or Nancy, but I am sure I will know them well – better even than some of their friends – after this adventure.

Marshall Ulrich put this whole outfit together. I came to know him in 2005, when I joined a trip he organized to climb three of Mexico’s biggest volcanoes. He smiles as he checks in with you, then zooms out of sight up the trail without seeming to exert himself. Marshall has done more than 116 ultramarathons (footraces of at least 100 miles each). He is also the only person to complete all nine Eco-Challenges and, to top it off, has climbed the Seven Summits (the highest peak on each continent). But none of this seems to have gone to his head. He’s still the most affable, humble guy to ever smoke your ass on a trail.

Terri Schneider is a good friend of mine and the person to whom I owe my presence on this trip. A longtime professional triathlete and top-five finisher in the Hawaii Ironman, she is one of the most experienced female adventure racers in the world and also runs insane distances, like the seven-day stage run she did across the Sahara two years ago. She trained for Aconcagua by climbing Kilimanjaro last month. When you  hear a booming laugh coming at you from down the trail, it is usually hers.

Rich Shear exudes a small-town warmth that he comes by honestly. He is from the tiny town of Wellsville, New York, where he owns a shoe store and a farm, and where he founded the Ridgewalk & Run, a popular charity event. He is also an ultradistance marathoner, heading out West every year or so to run 100 miles in the Sierras. 

Frank Fumich goes big on the first try. His first footrace ever was a marathon, his first triathlon was an Ironman,  and his first summit was Washington’s Mt. Rainier. Since those days he has seasoned himself with other grueling events like the Hawaii Ironman, the Badwater, and the Marathon des Sable. Big mountains to his name include Mt. Kilimanjaro and a harrowing climb up Mt. Elbrus in Russia.

Louise Cooper has raced in the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon seven times and has an expedition-racing career almost as long as the sport itself. In 1998, however, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and took on treatment with the same grit she applied to racing. Five months after she finished radiation treatment she raced in the 135-mile Badwater ultramarthon and came in second. She works as an elementary-school teacher.

Nancy Bristow is an adventure racer and a friend of Louise and Terri.

The seventh member of our party is at the moment a stranger. He or she will be furnished by our guiding service.