1st Ever Answer The Bell Finisher & Youngest IronHike Participant: Isabelle Roode
By: "Izzy" Isabelle Roode - IronHike Answer the Bell Basic Finisher
The Answer the Bell Ultra Basic is a 24-hour test of discipline, focus, and mental resilience. Inspired by backyard ultras and last-runner-standing challenges, the Basic requires athletes to complete 24 laps in 24 hours. Each 1.2 miles with 600 feet of vertical gain and loss. When the hour strikes, gear up and turn that headlamp on and head back up the mountain.
The First to Ever Finish
This is the story of how I became the first person to finish Answer the Bell, and the youngest Mountain Athlete in IronHike history to attempt something this demanding, driven by a stubborn, unwavering willingness to rise every time the mountain tried to knock me down.
Birthday Plans: Finding an Event to Break Me
A few weeks before the October 2025 event series, I Googled “ultra marathons near me.” On findarace.com, I stumbled across IronHike and noticed an event scheduled for my 17th birthday.
When people asked how I planned to celebrate, I said:
“I want to test my mental toughness, and my physical limits.”
Why Suffering Matters
I’ve seen how quickly lives can change within a second, especially as a volunteer firefighter and EMT myself. We take our privileges truly for granted until tragedy strikes. But resilience lives in the ability to pivot. Growth hides in discomfort, and in the pain most people avoid.
That’s what’s so special about IronHike events; it forces you into rewarding suffering, surrounded by a tribe of people who choose to prove their level grit to themselves.
Nightfall, Fueling, and the Low Point
IronHike events are 90% self supported with food, hydration, and recovery. The other 10% comes from ‘pit crew’ who know exactly when to give a cup of hot noodles or encouragement to you.
I knew my low point would hit somewhere between 01:00 and 04:00. There were just two of us on the mountain during those hours: myself and Jason Dow, who was on his third attempt at The Olympus Mons Ultra and later finished. Everyone else had gone to sleep in their tents to finish in the morning.
I did this all completely with no music while trekking, so I could be locked in on my plan. Meaning I was alone with my thoughts for 24 hours; Think of it as like a long meditation session.
The night was cold, which definitely made climbing easier until morning hit. When the sun rose, exhaustion settled in. My stomach turned, and I couldn’t get food down for the rest of the event. Falling behind on fueling overnight created a domino effect. Plans inevitably fail, especially in endurance events. But it’s how you recover from it that matters.
Racing the Mountain and Myself
At some point, it stopped being a 24-hour race with the clock and It became a race against every weak thought that was brewing in my head.
I was told that the last six laps were really the most grueling, and they didn’t lie! But I came here for a reason: to finish, to earn the title of youngest IronHike finisher, and to prove that no matter what odds you believe are against you, there’s always a way through.
On my final lap, wearing my orange Finisher'sat on the 23rd hour, looking over the mountain, I took one final moment to breathe in the dewy mountain air at the top of the summit, and to ground myself in gratitude.
This event broke me down but surely rebuilt me twice as resilient.
If You’re Thinking About Signing Up…
Do it!!
Holding yourself accountable to a training schedule, and keeping promises to yourself, is how you build a stronger relationship with your mind and body. Most importantly, you’ll have a lot of fun doing it!
I hope my story gave you a glimpse into what it feels like to be on that mountain hour after hour, and maybe even inspired you to chase something that scares you a little.
Just a reminder, You absolutely have the potential to achieve great success no matter what age you are.
Izzy