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In 2002 Jeanne took a technical mountaineering course in the Pacific Northwest with Alpine Ascents International, a climbing company from Seattle, Washington that specialized in guiding the Seven Summits. She signed on for the first of the seven, climbing Mt. Elbrus in Russia in July that same year.
In 2003 and 2004 she summitted Denali, Vinson Massif (Antarctica) and Aconcagua (Argentina) using her running to endurance train for the climbs.
In 2004 and 2005, Jeanne attempted climbs of Mt Everest. A condition, later to be identified as vocal cord dysfunction (a breathing disorder difficult to detect), necessitated medical evacuation from Everest. Once she was able to start running again, her she signed on to climb Kilimanjaro.
Between October of 2006 and February of 2007, Jeanne ran the Melbourne Marathon in Australia in 3:47 (second in her age group), the Soweto Marathon in South Africa in 4:08 (a race run 6,000 feet above sea level, all hills, and typically 80 degrees), the Pacifico Marathon in Chile in 3:45 (first in her age group), the Dubai Marathon in Asia in 3:40 (second in her age group), the Miami Marathon in 3:46 (first in her age), the Valencia Marathon in Spain in 3:37 (first in her age group), and finished with the Antarctica Marathon in 5:22 again first in her age group. In just 141 days, Jeanne completed seven marathons on seven continents and reached the summit of Koscuiszko in Australia, leaving Mt. Everest as the final climb in her 7/7 quest.
On March 29, 2007, Jeanne returned to Mt. Everest to complete the one climb that had eluded her. She took the South Col route with Alpine Ascents International and on May 22nd at 7:10 a.m. she reached the summit of Mt. Everest, fulfilling her dream and completing her quest to summit the highest peak and complete marathons on each of the seven continents, unofficially becoming the first woman to do so. At age 56, she may also be the oldest woman to reach the seven summits.
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