Colorado has approximately 52-55 (depending on your point of view) mountains over 14,000 feet high. They are called the Fourteeners and have been described as the crown jewels of Colorado. In recent years it has become very popular to climb all the fourteeners, a very difficult goal. I started climbing them with my step dad Henry Siracusan when I was 11 years old, and it took me 12 years to climb them all. Back in the summer of 1999, I set out to climb the fourteeners in record time. My goal was to climb them all in just under 12 days. However, after some setbacks and a whole lot of suffering, I was extremely happy to be able to finish in just under 14 days, narrowly beating the previous record by 1 hour and 28 minutes. Last summer (2000), Teddy Kaiser from Breckenridge set out to claim the record. Executing a nearly flawless plan, he demolished the previous records, setting a new record of 10 days and 20 hours. I certainly think the record he set is beatable, in fact I think it could still go under 10 days. But thanks to Teddy, the fourteener record is now going to be very hard to beat. I thought about going for Teddy's mark, but I decided to try something different this year. This year I plan to climb all of the fourteeners again. However, this time I will never get in a motorized vehicle, meaning I will ride my bike between all of the mountains. Based on information from Gerry Roach's Colorado's Fourteeners: From Hikes to Climbs, I believe that this has been done before, in one form or another. However, I don't know any specifics about it. If anyone knows anything regarding a record of this type, please contact me and let me know. I have the impression that they weren't trying to set a speed record, so in that sense I think I will be the first person to "officially" establish a speed record for a self-powered attempt on the fourteeners. One important point is that I am choosing to skip Culebra Peak, a mountain that is no longer open to the public. I am planning on starting on the 23rd of June, 2001 [note: due to my fractured ankle the start has been postponed-until the ankle is better]. Originally I was going to start at what has become the standard starting place in Chicago Basin near Durango. Then I was to finish at the Long's Peak trailhead after climbing Long's Peak. However, I recently met ultra-runner Peter Bakwin. He told me that he has thought about this record before and he felt it was very important that I start and finish in the same place. After thinking about it I realized that I agree with him, so now I plan to start and stop the clock at my front doorstep. Originally my route was a slightly modified version of Teddy Kaiser's record setting route. However, I am redoing my route to be more of a loop since I decided to start and finish in the same place. If you are interested, you can follow my progress in the progress section of this website. I hope that it can be updated daily, but I can't make any promises based on previous experience. If you are interested, you can read about the technical details of the attempt, including the guidelines that I will be following. Also, there is a detailed plan of how I will attempt the fourteeners. If you are interested in previous speed record attempts on the fourteeners, take a look at the history section. My support crew will consist of my sister Laura, who is on vacation from her job in Antarctica. My mom Brenda Siracusan who is able to help out for a week. My friends Marc Hoffmeister, Gayle Hoffmeister, and Bob Haines who I met through adventure racing with Team VVnW. They'll be able to help sporadically throughout the attempt. Also thanks to my brother Joe Siracusan who will provide support on weekends. Finally, thanks to my wife Natalie who will come down for a few days and will help maintain the website. If you have any interest in this event and would like to join us for awhile, please contact us and we can work out the details of how you might join up with us.

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