MENTAL FEAT FOR MENTAL HEALTH

A Fundraiser by Nicolas Escobar for Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi

August 24, 2022 at Koko Crater

Congratulations Nicolas on an epic climb! Your perseverance, motivation, and voice lent to supporting mental health efforts and ending stigma for those in need has truly been felt throughout our community.

On August 24, 2022, Nicolas exceeded his goal of going up and down Koko Crater 37 times by completing a total of 40 repeats. He inspired everyone who heard about and followed his journey with each step he took.

His efforts resulted in over $8000 in donations to Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi. If you would still like to be a part of this adventure, you can still donate to this fundraiser by clicking on one of the buttons below.

Mental Health America of Hawaiʻi is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Tax ID #: 99-0076458

I am 30 years old, and I work at Tiki’s Grill & Bar, and I’ve been on the island for 3 years. I love living in Oahu because it reminds me of where I was raised, in the small town of San Gil in the Santander department of Colombia. Here, my family encouraged me to spend time outdoors.  My weekly escapes to the rainforest were spent near my grandparent’s farm in the remote village of Virolin. My earliest years and memories are filled with waterfalls, cliff jumping, hiking, and fossil hunting along the Virolin River.

My father would tell me stories of how he would run from the nearest town to Virolin with his brothers, and that always intrigued me.  I was confused why someone would run this far for fun.  A few years later on the drive to the farm, my uncle, my cousin, and I, got dropped off on the side of the road to “run for a little while.” We had decided to run to the next tienda (a tiny little store) and then, continue on by car.  When we arrived, my legs didn’t want to stop moving. I still don’t understand it, but somehow my body wanted me to keep going.  So I did, alone, until I arrived at the house. And that was how I got into running.

A few years later we moved to Maryland, and I decided to pursue it.  I ran all year round in high school, placing 3rd in the mile and 4th in the 3200 at states. I then went on to run Division I at University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Since then, I have continued pursuing endurance exercise and pushing my limits.  I have tried to achieve as much as I can, and break as many records as possible. I train partly for some goal still unknown to me, but also for the pure fun of it. I love competing and I don’t enjoy sitting still for too long.

My most recent accolades are all here on Oahu, which include:  

Course records:
7/28/22 – Current Record Holder for the most consecutive Koko Head repeats in a 12 hour period – 24 repeats  – 9:30
7/23/22 – Tantalus half marathon (new course) – 1:58
6/11/22 – Kealia Quad Crusher (11 miles) -1:46
4/23/22 – Wa’ahila 5.5 miler – 54:58
7/24/21 – Tantalus Half Marathon (old course) – 1:58
7/21/21 – Kailua 4.4 miler – 25:57
5/8/21 – VIs 7 miler – 51:58

Notable placements:
7/2/22 – 2nd at Kaena Point 11 miler – 59:55
6/12/22- 4th at Mango’s 5k – 15:46
11/24/19 – 6th at the 21k Xterra Trail worlds – 1:39
10/13/19 – 1st overall at the Tantalus 10 miler – 1:02

Recent personal best performances:
Ran a 4:32 mile (4/21/21) and a 15:46 5k (6/12/22) – best since college

Future ambitions:
Maunawili Out and Back (22 Miler, August 13, Oahu)
Tantalus Triple Trek (30 Miler, September 3, Oahu)
Broken Arrow Skyrace (26k and VK, June 17-19, Palisades Tahoe)
HURT 100 (January 14, Oahu)

I have now been training for my Everest attempt for four months. This is the most elevation I have done in my entire life: 20+ hour weeks of cycling, running, hiking–pushing myself to the limit for this goal.

I will be Everesting the Koko Crater tramway, which is a 930 foot climb up (and down) a tuff cone in Oahu HI, with a 39% grade. I will be climbing 33,500 feet (more than Everest) on August 24th (it’s my 31st birthday so why not do something special) to raise awareness and money for Mental Health of America of Hawaii. I will then be doing a true Everest the month after. I have already half Everested Koko Crater three times thus far.

What made you decide to do this?

The primary reason for this challenge was my friends. We began to do “Koko Wednesdays” as a way to bring all of our friends together, as some of them (and myself) were dealing with big changes in our lives. Unfortunately, trying to figure out how to cope with losses, breakups, moves, career changes and past traumas has debilitated not just our mental wellness, but also our health and decision making processes. Our Wednesday night ritual became a place where people can come and see their friends during the challenging week while also doing something healthy together. My friends jokingly thought up this idea a few months ago during one session that I should Everest Koko Crater. I decided this was a great way to bring light to mental health, as Koko Crater brought us all together in the first place, and the dream was born.

The secondary reason was that since the Ulman Cancer Fund’s 4K for Cancer (Team San Francisco 2016) I’ve been itching to make a difference in my community, and since I moved to the island I haven’t done anything prominent to contribute to an organization (or cause).

Throughout my training, I’ve realized how large of a test of mental fortitude this will prove.  Everesting is one of the most difficult climbing challenges in the world.  I want to prove (to others) that if you put forth all your effort you can do anything you want.

What is the ultimate/ideal wish for doing this?

Because working out has been such a healthy way to manage my mental health, I have been a huge advocate for healthy living.  If you ask any of my friends, they’ll say I’m obsessed with being outdoors and pushing myself.  Whether that is in a natural environment doing some bouldering and hiking or a couple of laps around the track, I am very much set against our modern, sedentary culture.  This is a big reason why I began Koko Wednesdays: to get everyone outside that might not have a reason to do so otherwise.  I hope this further promotes the idea of spending time outdoors, not only for the physical reasons but for the mental benefits as well. Another reason I push myself to do “crazy things” is so anybody can feel encouraged to start somewhere.  When I started my Koko Wednesday training, friends and strangers came to try Koko Crater as well.  It got a lot more people excited to get outside and work out. Some came because they wanted to see for themselves the guy doing Koko Crater 18 times in a row.  If someone sees me Everesting Koko Crater and doing something they thought was impossible, and that inspires them to get out to do a hike, that’s a great start.  I hope by pushing my limits and achieving some outlandish things, that others feel they can at least start to lead a healthier lifestyle, and maybe even chase their own dreams.

The ultimate goal for my Everesting attempt is to connect people with better resources to cope with their mental health.  Whether it’s reaching out to get professional help, starting a group that brings a community together, reconnecting with their friends, or even just getting outside for some fresh air. If it helps them, I get the joy of sharing what I love and knowing it makes a positive difference for others. A win for them is a win for me!