Wendy Booker

Wendy Booker Profile

In many ways an “accidental athlete,” Wendy Booker’s story of overcoming disability to achieve beyond most of our dreams is an inspirational tale of achievement, adventure, travel and empowerment. In 1998 Wendy was diagnosed with relaxing remitting multiple sclerosis. After the initial shock, she decided to turn her casual running hobby into a serious endeavor and has completed ten marathons to date.

Next diverting her incredible determination into mountain climbing, Wendy became the first person with MS to summit Mount McKinley in Alaska. She then set out to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains in the world. Within just five years she had set another record for a person with MS by climbing six of them; after two attempts on Mount Everest she decided she was happy with 6.5 summits!

However, Wendy still got to stand on the top of the world, by reaching the North Pole with a team of sled dogs, naturally following this up by skiing to the South Pole. Her latest ambition is to take on the Iditarod, a dog sled race over 1150 miles of some of Alaska’s coldest and most formidable terrain.

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  In June of 1998, Wendy Booker was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. When first diagnosed, Wendy was devastated. But it took very little time for her to transform anguish into inspiration. She immediately turned her hobby of casual running into a continuous pursuit and has now completed ten marathons.

  Mountain climbing became the next conquest. Taking on one of the toughest mountains in the world twice, Wendy became the first person with MS to stand atop Denali (Mt. McKinley, Alaska) in 2004. That feeling of accomplishment propelled her next aspiration: to climb the Seven Summits. Just five years later, Wendy had reached the top of six mountains on her list – the first person with MS to do so. After two attempts on Mt. Everest, Wendy accepted contentment in climbing 6 ½ of the Seven Summits and leveraging her experiences to empower others facing obstacles to never give up and continue to scale new heights.

  Determined to find a new way to stand on top of the world, Wendy reached the North Pole with her team of intrepid sled dogs on April 23, 2011. On January 14, 2012 she successfully skied to the South Pole, soon to be followed by an epic expedition across Greenland. Having fallen in love with mushing during her polar adventures, Wendy’s new dream is to run the Iditarod! Whatever ‘mountain’ she is pursuing, the mission will be to educate, motivate and encourage anyone facing a challenge to push through and climb on – the view from the top is breathtaking.

  Wendy Booker’s energy seems endless – climbing, skiing, mushing, marathons, and MS haven’t been able to tame her passion for adventure.
  Wendy was the first person with MS to conquer six of the Seven Summits. After transitioning her goal of standing on top of the world away from Mt. Everest, she became the first person with MS to reach the North Pole in April of 2011. The South Pole quickly followed in January, 2012. On a quest for the Polar Trilogy, Wendy will set out to ski across Greenland in 2013.

  Having tackled two of the most iconic
  challenges in sport: the Seven Summits
  and the Polar Trilogy, Wendy thought,
  “What next?” And the answer came as
  she revisited the most touching moments
  from recent expeditions. Her most beloved teammates were the four legged kind. And what better dog sled event to undertake than
  the toughest race on earth – the Iditarod! Wendy
  will start training this fall to run the Iditarod in 2014.

  This inspiring story of overcoming obstacles, living your dreams
  and triumph in the face of adversity will resonate with any audience. Wendy Booker is an ‘accidental athlete’ whose journey of self-discovery, serendipity and stubbornness will leave listeners laughing, crying and seeking their own mountains!