For Alex Honnold, climbing Yosemite National Park's notorious El Capitan was not something he dreamt about once and then did it.

It was a goal he pursued and worked for every day for about a decade.

Alex Honnold, speaks at the University of Colorado Boulder on Monday night, (Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder / Courtesy photo)

Just like many things in life, it was not an aspiration that happened overnight, but something that took hard work and perseverance.

"There is no real short cut for that," Honnold said. "I love every step along the way. I love the process of challenging myself in slightly new ways."

Honnold spoke to more than 1,000 people Monday night at the University of Colorado Boulder about his years of work and the journeys he took in order to feel ready to ascend the granite wall in California, which is about 3,000 feet high. Honnold is featured in the documentary "Free Solo," which captures his climb to the top of El Capitan.

Monday's event was the first in-person event hosted by the Distinguished Speakers Board since October 2019. CU spokesperson Andrew Sorensen said 1,600 tickets were sold for the event. Sorensen said he thinks Monday's event was the largest student-led effort since campus reopened for community participation in May.

Honnold, who is now the first person to free solo, or climb without any protective equipment, to the summit of El Capitan, spoke about his life and how his passion for climbing eventually grew into a career.

When he was about 11 year old, Honnold started climbing at gym in his hometown of Sacramento, Calif. Over the years, he continued climbing and traveling.

Eventually, Honnold climbed Half Dome in Yosemite and realized what was next: El Capitan.

But to accomplish that feat, there was a lot he needed to do in between, Honnold said. He traveled to places such as Chad, Africa and Patagonia in South America before ever pursuing his dream.

After years of training, the camera crew of "Free Solo" approached him, and Honnold decided it was the perfect time to make the climb, he said.

Honnold said what he loves about free solo climbing is the feeling it gives him. He is able to feel both extremely powerful and very insignificant all at once.

"I like that about soloing because it reminds you of the human's place in life," he said.