Park City man achieves the unachievable, completes the Double 7

PARK CITY — Rob Lea just became the first person ever known to complete what in the endurance world is known as the Double Seven, by climbing the seven highest summits in the world and swimming seven of the world's most difficult open-water channels.

The last of the open-water channels he swam to complete the feat was the Tsugaru Strait in Japan, which he completed in 12 hours on June 30.

Lea, a Park City real estate agent who is married to endurance athlete and 2024 Democratic Party U.S. Senate nominee Caroline Gleich, embarked on this journey in 2009 when he climbed Mount Aconcagua. This massive mountain is in the Andes in Argentina and rises to 22,838 feet above sea level, making it the highest peak in both the Americas and the entire Southern Hemisphere.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rob Lea (@rob.lea)

The following year, Lea climbed Mt. Denali, which rises to 18,000 feet, making it the highest mountain entirely above sea level.

And in 2014, he met Gleich.

"We met on Instagram, of all places," Lea told KSL. "We were married in 2019 in the middle of my Ultimate World Triathlon and it's been a love story ever since."

That love story intensified in tandem with Lea's efforts to complete the Double Seven, which Gleich encouraged him to do. In fact, Lea's next major mountain summit didn't come until May of 2019, when they reached the summit of Mount Everest together.

Lea went on to swim the English Channel just two months later and over the course of the next six years, the two embarked on a supportive journey that no man — or couple had ever done before.

"Whether Rob's crewing me or I'm crewing him, we both give it 110%," Gleich said. "I ran the Boston Marathon in April and Rob was head spectator and he stood out there in his Speedo with a sign for three hours in really cold temperatures.

"We both try to bring 110% to whatever projects we show up to," she continued. "When I was running for U.S. Senate, Rob ended up doing a ton of work on the campaign and I think we just both like to commit to something and when we commit to give it 110%. Crewing, when done right, it should be almost as hard as the thing that the other person's doing."

What Lea completed at the Tsugaru Strait on Tuesday was really hard. In fact, this was his second attempt. In 2023, he was unable to complete the journey, and this time around, it was the strong easterly current that came in that made it even more challenging.

"The hardest thing about this swim mentally was when I was probably 5 or 6 kilometers off the coast, which, in normal conditions without a current, I could probably swim that in an hour and a half or two hours," Lea recalled. "When that current picked up, I ended up having another 6 1/2 hours of swimming to go. Making such little progress towards the goal, even though I was swimming very hard to try to punch through that current, was very taxing mentally and you got to keep going and believe that you'll punch through at some point."

It wasn't just the swimming part; Lea also needed to be aware of the near-freezing temperatures. Due to specific guidelines regarding credit for completing the swim, he couldn't wear a wetsuit. He also put on an extra 30 pounds, which helped insulate his body from the cold.

"At one point (the water) got down to below 60°F and ... I started giving him warm water to help warm him up," Gleich said. "At that point, you just kind of have to embrace the elements."

For 12 hours, Lea swam and finally reached the shore. When he did, he said that it was a mix of emotions.

"The feeling I had most finishing this swim and was relief," Lea said. "If I'm totally honest, this was my redemption swim. I've been here before and wasn't able to succeed. ... There's excitement and there's also sadness. This has been a great goal, and a checklist and a way to travel the world with Caroline."

Completing this journey with her husband was also a highlight for Gleich, who said that joining him on these adventures has been a "privilege."

"We've gotten to experience and appreciate the beauty of different natural environments, from the summit of big mountains to the jungles of Indonesia, to the world's channels," Gleich said. "What a privilege it is to be able to see these oceans and these spectacular mountain environments."

Lea said that he hopes his journey inspires others to try hard things they never thought possible, adding that he has been inspired by others as well.

"Back in 2009, I never thought I would climb the seven summits and swim the Oceans Seven," he said. "I think we're capable of a lot more than we know.

"Take inspiration from the people around you," he added. "I found just amazing inspiration from Caroline. I would have never come up with this project without her. She taught me how to dream big and try really hard things. ... I've found a lot of inspiration from the women in my life and my mother and my grandmother. I've found inspiration all around and that's been a special part of this project for me."

The couple had planned to stay in Japan a few days longer, but decided to head back to Utah early and plan another trip back when they are less tired. They also said that while more challenges and adventures will most likely be in their future, for now, they are looking forward to some "type-1 fun," which may look a little different from most.

"I'm definitely on the recovery and rest phase, but I do have one thing on the horizon," Lea said. "(Caroline and I) will be running the New York Marathon this fall."

Related topics