Anthony “Mic” McClaren Climbs Above Parkinson’s

By Rachel Forrester

Take a moment to consider what it would mean to climb a 29,029-foot mountain. On average, such a feat would take even an experienced mountaineer around two months.

Now keep in mind that as you’re reading this article, alumnus Anthony “Mic” McClaren, Esq. (BA 00) is somewhere on Mount Everest, battling below-freezing temperatures and extreme altitude in order to climb those 29,029 feet to the peak. And he’s doing it in hope of inspiring anyone suffering from the effects of Parkinson’s disease (PD) to never stop moving, never give up and continue to climb and overcome the disease.

There are few mountaineering accomplishments more impressive than climbing the highest peaks on each of the seven continents. In fact, fewer than 750 people have successfully completed the venture – dubbed the Seven Summits Challenge – and of those people, fewer than 150 are American. The undertaking usually takes years, if not decades; however, Anthony McClaren summited Kilimanjaro, his first of the Seven Summits, on Nov. 24, 2017. In the coming weeks, once he reaches the top of Mount Everest, he will have climbed the tallest peak in the world while also checking off summit number six. At that point, his only remaining summit will be in Antarctica.

Anthony is not only well on his way to completing the challenge within two years, but he has successfully created a platform surrounding his journey to raise money and awareness to fight Parkinson’s, a disease his father and grandfather both fought. In his father’s memory, Anthony created Climb Above Parkinson’s, a non-profit corporation that aids in efforts of managing, treating and curing Parkinson’s while also supporting all disciplines of climbing, an activity that may offer physical and neuroprotective benefits for people with PD. Anthony donates one-third of all funds raised to the Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (USC) for Parkinson’s research. To date, he has raised $10,000 for the medical school, and before he left for Mount Everest, he was striving to raise $20,000 more.

“USC’s Dr. Giselle Petzinger and Dr. Michael Jakowec have a program studying neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s,” Anthony said. “They believe that cerebral, complex exercise is certainly related to the management of PD and somehow tied to an ultimate cure.”

At about 13,000 feet, Anthony pauses to take in the view near Windy Corner on Mount Denali in Alaska.

In addition to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa (Nov. 24, 2017 – elevation 19,341 feet), Anthony has also summited Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, South America (Jan. 3, 2018 – 22,838 feet), Mount Denali in Alaska, United States (North America high peak, June 4, 2018 – 20,322 feet), Mount Ebrus in Southern Russia (Europe high peak, Sept. 6, 2018 –18,510 feet), and Mount Puncak Jaya in Western Papua, Indonesia (Australia/Oceana high peak, Jan. 1, 2019 – 16,024 feet). He sees climbing as a perfect way to combat Parkinson’s because of how much thought goes into every aspect.

“There’s all the planning in advance. Cutting what you don’t need, getting to the mountain, and when you get there the approach could be several miles before you get to the climb,” Anthony explained. “And the climb itself is technical. It’s something I’ve had an interest in for a very long time and now I’m doing something more impactful with it.” He also approaches his climbs with an independent and self-reliant mindset, true to his climbing roots.

By day, Anthony works as the head of labor and employment at ADLI Law Group in Los Angeles, California, where he offers management counseling and advice for mid-size businesses. Just as he does in his fight against Parkinson’s, as a lawyer Anthony absorbs his clients’ problems, emotionally and spiritually, and makes those problems his own.

“I think my empathy for my clients is reflective of my intensity about anything that I deal with,” Anthony stated. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a bankruptcy, criminal, family or a business problem. You’re in crisis mode and you need somebody to help.”

During his third year of college, Anthony went on a one-year exchange through ENMU’s National Student Exchange Program to California State-San Bernardino. There, he met adjunct law professor and former San Bernardino County District Attorney Dennis Kottmeier who encouraged him to pursue law. When he returned to Portales for his final year, he found a mentor in former ENMU business law professor Suzanne Wilhelm, who helped prepare him for the LSAT.

But law school didn’t go quite as planned. “I took the bar and I didn’t pass it the first time,” Anthony recalled. “That was the first time I had failed anything important in my life. But I believe in failure. With climbing, the mountains offer you real life opportunities to succeed and fail so that you can take that back to your personal and professional life.”

After completing his climb up Mount Everest (“with good preparation, execution and luck,” he says), Anthony plans to leave for Antarctica in November to tackle all 16,050 feet of Vinson Massif, his final peak of the Seven Summits. Once he’s reached his goal, Anthony will continue the Climb Above Parkinson’s campaign with other “motivated, bright-eyed climbers who want to accomplish the unimaginable.”

To follow Anthony’s journey, find him on Facebookor visit ClimbAboveParkinsons.net.