About IronHike | Veteran-Owned Endurance Event Series

Veteran and Mountain Athlete Built. Trail Proven. Tribe Approved. 🔆

The Cadre. The Mission. The Mountain.

🤜 Meet the Cadre

John Kolker | Founder & CEO

Trailname: Ironheart

US Army Intelligence Veteran. Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor. Appalachian Trail and New England Trail hiker. Camino Portuguese pilgrim. Embraced extreme Events in 2012 as a form of recovery, prevention, and growth. IronHike is his offering to the world.

🎖️ US Army Intelligence 🌐 Worldwide Hiker 🧡 Cardiac Arrest Survivor

Dr. Scott Festa PhD | Co-Founder

Trailname: Ukulele Scott

Former Enlisted Green Beret and US Army Medical Officer PA. AT Thru-Hiker. First Olympus Mons Ultra Finisher. Completed the solar system's hardest Event in just over 63 hours. Still the unofficial FKT.

🎖️ US Army Green Beret / Physician's Assistant 🥾 AT Thru-Hiker 🌋 1st Olympus Mons Finisher & FKT

Cliff Anders | Co-Founder

Trailname: Bushwacker

US Army Longbow Apache Pilot. Former D1 College Football Player and Team USA Bobsledder. Accomplished musician. Completes his Yearly 100 on the AT every year without fail.

🎖️ US Army Airborne & Pilot 🥾 AT Hiker 🏈 D1 Athlete & Team USA Bobsledder

Dan Allen | Co-Founder

Trailname: Turnpike

US Army Military Police Veteran. World-class Masters Swimmer, triathlete, and AT hiker. IT professional and programmer. Dan keeps the wheels on the machine.

🎖️ US Army MP 🥾 AT Hiker 🏊 World-Class Masters Swimmer

Dave Darcy | Strategic Advocate

Trailname: Mr. Darcy

Former marathon coach and AT section hiker known as much for lifting others up as for pushing past his own finish lines. TGO Challenge finisher who crossed Scotland coast to coast through the Cairngorms and Highlands. He holds more IronHike Event finishes than any Mountain Athlete in the world.

🌐 Worldwide Hiker 🏆 Most All-Time IronHike Finishes 🧭 TGO Challenge Finisher

Tasha Boyd | IronCoach

Trailname: Unstoppable

RN Emergency Medicine. Former L-1 and Kids CrossFit coach. Nutrition coach. Marathon runner. Bodybuilder. IronHike Everest Finisher. Just getting started on the AT.

🌐 Worldwide Hiker 👟 Marathoner 💪 Bodybuilder & IronHike Everest Finisher

💬 "Growth hides in discomfort, and in the pain most people avoid. That's what's so special about IronHike Events. It forces you to find out what you're made of."

— Isabelle · Age 17 · IronHike Kuwohi Finisher

IronHike Endurance Productions

IronHike Endurance Productions is a US military veteran-owned Endurance Event Series founded by Army veterans and Appalachian Trail hikers. We built IronHike because we believe pushing limits through movement can heal, transform, and enrich lives. No gondola. No shortcuts. No podium. Just proof. This is who we are and why we built it.

🧡 What is IronHike?

IronHike is a raw and intense experience that is part hike, part trail run, part group camping trip, and one of the most grueling Endurance Events you will ever face. This relentless, full-throttle Mountain footslog will push you to your absolute limits and beyond.

Our Endurance Events are not races. No podiums. No age group awards. No records to break. Instead we focus on personal transformation through shared suffering and resilience. Your only competition is yesterday's version of you.

Ski patrol medical support is on-Mountain throughout every Event. The Cadre treks alongside you the entire way. You are never alone on that Mountain.

Through shared suffering, you find a new Tribe of resilient Mountain Athletes who understand the depths of your journey. Prove yourself right about you. Lean into each summit with your newfound community. Welcome to IronHike.

🧭 What We Stand For

🪞
Proof

It is not about proving things to others. It is about proving yourself right about you. Change the story you tell yourself in your own head. Get on up there.

🥾
Culture

Plan ahead and prepare. Leave no trace. Leave only footprints. Take only good vibes and photos from the Mountain. Respect wildlife. Be considerate of others. Trail culture runs deep here.

🤝
Tribe

First-timers, day-hikers, trail runners, and elites. Young and old. All on the same Mountain. Side by side, summit after summit. Individuals, Trail Buddy pairs, and Trail Family teams. All welcome.

💬 "From the moment I got to the Mountain and met two of the founders, I realized I had gained a whole new family. Or as they call it — a Tribe."

— Chris · IronHike Denali Finisher

🎯 Ready to Prove Yourself Right

Seven Events. 12 to 84 hours. Solo, Trail Buddy, or Trail Family. The Mountain does not care about your excuses. Neither do we. Veterans, Military & First Responders receive $70 off.
Claim Your Spot. 🎯

💬 "This Mountain broke me down and built me back up. When I finished, I felt invincible. Humbled and full of gratitude."

— Jason · IronHike Olympus Mons Finisher

🔍 Links

You know who we are. Now go deeper.

Home 🏔️ Register 🎯 Events 🏁 Tribe 🤜🤛 Explore 🔍 Guide 📗 Sponsors 🤝 FAQs ✨ Blog ✏️ Contact 📡

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IronHike Endurance Productions

Who We Are IronHike Endurance Productions is the premier veteran-owned endurance event series in the USA. Founded by US Army veterans and Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. Military veteran endurance event series built on the FlexRelay format: solo or team participation, 12 to 84 hours of self-powered vertical gain. Multi-day mountain hiking event Series at Mohawk Mountain in Cornwall Connecticut. 29 states and 3 countries represented.

What Makes Us Different The authentic self-powered Everesting alternative and 29029 alternative. No gondola Everesting — no gondola, no shortcuts. Earn every foot of elevation earned one lap at a time. No podium endurance event. No age groups. Not a race endurance event. You vs you mountain event. Tribe of limit pushers. Prove yourself right about you. Barkley Marathons alternative. Hardest endurance hiking event USA. Affordable Everesting alternative. Self-powered elevation endurance unlike anything else.

The Events Seven elevation-based endurance events: 12-hour endurance event, 24-hour endurance event, 48-hour endurance event, 72-hour endurance event, and 84-hour endurance event formats. Multi-day mountain endurance event Series. Vertical trail endurance event on real terrain. FlexRelay team endurance event built around the last one standing elevation format and backyard ultra on a mountain format. Endurance hiking event USA. Elevation endurance event New England. Elevation endurance event Connecticut.

The Tribe The IronHike Mountain Athlete Tribe spans 29 states and 3 countries, ages teens to 70s. Personal transformation endurance event. Shared suffering endurance event. Multi-day vertical endurance built by US Army veterans. Prove yourself right about you. Trail Family teams, Trail Buddy pairs, and Solo athletes. FlexRelay team endurance event format. Mountain athlete event Series on the East Coast ultra endurance circuit. Welcome to IronHike Endurance Productions.

Veteran and Mountain Athlete Built. Trail Proven. Tribe Approved. 🔆