Millionaire banker, 43, dies after hiking up and down Wyoming peak SIX times in a row for 'Everesting' challenge

Daily Mail​

4 days ago

A millionaire banker has died after he hiked a Wyoming mountain six times in quick succession as part of an advanced endurance event.
Slava Leykind, 43, died in an Idaho hospital on July 2, just a few days after participating in an 'Everesting' challenge at Snow King Mountain in Jackson Hole.
The event is meant to simulate climbing Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world at 29,032 feet.
Leykind would have had to scale Snow King roughly 19 times to achieve the same vertical incline. With each successful climb, hikers were taken down to base camp by gondolas.
The challenge began at 6am on June 27 and Leykind was able to complete six laps up the Snow King Bootpack trail before falling ill, Jackson Hole News & Guide reported.
At 11:28pm, Jackson Hole Fire and EMS was called to the mountain for medical assistance and transport.
Leykind lost his life due to 'an electrolyte imbalance causing cardiac arrest,' said Teton County Coroner Brent Blue.
The father-of-three lived in Westport, Connecticut with his children and wife, Amy Keller Leykind. He spent nearly 20 years at the New York City-based investment bank CG Sawaya Partners.
He was born in 1982 in Belarus, while it was still under the Soviet Union's control. He emigrated to the United States in 1988.
He'd later get a degree in business administration from the University of Michigan before embarking on a long career in finance. Although he had a demanding job, his first priority was his family.
'Despite his significant professional success at a young age, Slava's role as a husband and father was his greatest achievement, passion and pride. He fervently supported his children, bringing love and a sense of calm to the wonderful chaos of a full house,' according to his obituary.
It is unclear what specific type of electrolyte imbalance Leykind developed during his hikes, but the most common form experienced by athletes undergoing extreme exertion is called hyponatremia.
The condition stems from low sodium levels in a person's blood. It can be caused by number of different things, including certain medications, medical conditions and hormonal imbalances.
It can also be brought on by drinking too much water during or after extreme exercise.
At endurance events like the one Leykind participated in, medical teams trained on the signs and symptoms of hyponatremia are always on site.
Symptoms include lightheadedness, nausea, headache, vomiting and an altered mental state, including confusion and seizures.
These symptoms sometimes mimic dehydration, but certain tests can differentiate the two issues.
It is not clear what treatment Leykind received, but if treated incorrectly, hyponatremia can be deadly.
Dr. Andy Pasternak, medical director of Western States Endurance Run in California, said there is really only one treatment that should be used for athletes experiencing hyponatremia.
'If someone's truly symptomatic and hyponatremic, the only IV fluids that you want to give them is what we call hypertonic, or 3 percent saline,' he told News & Guide. 'Anything else, in my mind, is not appropriate treatment.'
At Leykind's funeral on July 8, his family, colleagues, neighbors and friends all gathered to remember him.
His wife, Amy, told stories about how devoted he was to their three kids, while his brother-in-law Alan Isenberg remembered his 'playful energy.'
Leykind's close friend Robbie Salter eulogized him and talked about how he cherished the time he got to spend with him.
'In thinking about this moment, the only comfort I can offer, and the central theme I come back to is this: appreciation for the quality, not the quantity, of time we shared with Slava,' Salter said.
'Because when someone like Slava leaves us far too early — and let's be clear, this is unfair — you begin to understand that relationships aren't measured in years but in depth.'