Mount Everest look out! If two fitness fanatics have their way, could this be their next challenge following their recent exploit of climbing three of St Luca’s tallest peaks in one day? Julian Toussaint, the well-known conqueror of the Men in Heels competition along with one of St Lucia’s premiere long distance runners Jason Sayers, accomplished that incredible feat on July 25, in a record breaking time of 9 hours and 15 minutes.
The two men belong to a group called the Adventures, who are waterfall explorers but Toussaint, who in the past climbed Mount Gimie, Petit Piton and Gros Piton on separate occasions, wanted a greater challenge — climbing all three in one day. He had no problem convincing another fitness freak: “I challenged Jason and he said ‘let’s go, we on,’ and that’s how it came about.” Both were confident in accomplishing what many of us would consider mission impossible.
“We set out with an open mind,” said Sayers. “Julian and I are physically able, so going up and down three peaks was a walk in the park for us. The way I saw Julian tip toeing up the mountains was just amazing. Especially watching him go down the most treacherous one, Petit Piton. He was virtually roller skating down. I was virtually trying to keep up with him going down this treacherous mountain. It was amazing.” No big surprise! Having conquered the challenging Men in Heels obstacle course on more than one occassion, this was more or less a cake walk for Toussaint.
First they conquered Mount Gimie, the highest peak in St Lucia (3,117 feet) with ease, in 2 hours 29 minutes and 19 seconds. It was cloudy that day robbing them of what would have been a more spectacular view. Describing the view, Toussaint said: “It was ecstatic. It was a 360 degree view. You could see as far as Pigeon Island, Vieux Fort, Choiseul and Soufriere. You could even see the Millet Dam.”
Petit Piton was next with a height of 2,438 feet. It was not only the most challenging but from their point of view (no pun intended) the best of three for scenic beauty.
Their final challenge Gros Piton (2,618.9 feet) was exhausting, taking into account their two previous climbs had already zapped a lot of their energy. Nevertheless, the twosome completed the climb in two hours 50 minutes and 40 seconds.
When asked about any mishaps along the way, Toussaint replied: “We just slipped and skidded along the way but that’s to be expected. We were very cautious and knew the extremity of what we were doing.”
What’s next for this dynamic duo?
They will continue chasing waterfalls around the island. “That’s our mission,” said Toussaint. “COVID-19 has brought us together to do those things.” And what about Mount Everest, the highest point of earth at a dizzying 29,035 feet. First they both laughed, but Toussaint who loves a challenge didn’t rule it out: “It all depends on how COVID-19 unfolds,” he said. “Travelling is a problem because you can’t go anywhere now, but we will start regionally like Martinique and take it from there.”
