Grand Teton speed record rejected
By Jeannette Boner
Jackson Hole News&Guide
Via Wyoming News Exchange
JACKSON — On Labor Day, professional runner Michelino Sunseri of Driggs, Idaho, set out to establish a new record for the fastest ascent and descent of the Grand Teton.
Sunseri, 32, bounded up and down the 13,775-foot peak in 2 hours, 50 minutes and 50 seconds — more than two minutes faster than the previous record set by Colorado climbing ranger Andy Anderson in 2012.
It’s an astounding time, given that a fit climber typically struggles to get up and down the mountain in a day, and many mountaineers take two days. Sunseri touted his feat on the running app Strava and thanked Anderson for “inspiration and focus.” Sunseri’s announcement quickly was picked up by one of his sponsors, The North Face, which posted his news to its Instagram account followed by 5.4 million people.
But there was a problem with Sunseri’s attempt — he cut at least one switchback on the trail. And the organization that serves as an arbiter for such feats of speed in the mountains has rejected Sunseri’s claim to have set a new record.
“Running up the very last uphill of the route, I made the decision to cut the last switchback and avoid the Congo line [sic] of hikers that would be heading up Lupine Meadows Trailhead,” Sunseri wrote Sept. 2 on Strava, referring to a conga dance line. “If I had to make this choice again, I would 100% make the exact same choice.”
This sounded the alarm among professional mountain guides, ultra-mountain athletes and the National Park Service, which is investigating the alleged cut on the route.
The Park Service follows Leave No Trace principles that include, “Stay on designated trails and hike in single file. Never shortcut switchbacks.” It’s also a codified federal law.
As part of its investigation, the Park Service reached out to organizers of the website Fastest Known Time, which is owned by Outside magazine. As its name implies, the group compiles a comprehensive list of the “fastest known times” in which various peaks around the world have been climbed, or FKT for short. Because there is no official body to sanction such feats, Fastest Known Time serves as a sort of 21st-century Guinness Book for ultra-mountain runners.
“Based on our conversation with the [National Park Service] and in accordance with our own guidelines, we have decided to reject Sunseri’s submission,” Allison Mercer, director of Fastest Known Time, wrote in an email Tuesday afternoon.
Sunseri, a former collegiate cross-country runner and popular bartender at Grand Targhee’s Trap Bar, could not be reached for comment. He texted Tuesday that he would be out of cell service until the end of the week. Sunseri took the summer off from the Trap to train and run in the mountains.
Controversy over climbing feats has swirled around the Grand Teton since the 19th century. Billy Owen is widely credited with making the first ascent of the peak in 1898 with a party of mountaineers, but a member of the Hayden Survey Expedition, Nathaniel Langford, claimed he and James Stevenson climbed the peak in 1872. Some circles of the climbing community continue to debate who was first to this day.
Tracking fastest times on the Grand began as early as the 1930s. Bryce Thatcher of Idaho Falls, at age 21, set the first widely known fastest time for ascent and descent in 1983 in 3 hours, 6 minutes. That record stood for nearly 30 years until 2012, when it was eclipsed by another disputed speed attempt. On Aug. 12, 2012, Spanish trail runner Killian Jornet smashed Thatcher’s record by 12 minutes — but he admitted to cutting switchbacks, a common practice in Europe, and an asterisk remains by his time. Ten days later, Anderson, then a climbing ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park, bested Jornet’s mark by 59 seconds and stayed on the trail the entire way.
Following the speed climbs by Jornet and Anderson, the Jenny Lake climbing rangers posted a pointed message that shortcutting trails could be cause for a citation in Grand Teton National Park.
Emily Davis, the park’s public affairs officer, said Monday evening that park rangers reached out to Fastest Known Time to report they are investigating Sunseri’s cut through the switchback, which is visible on his Strava route. Fastest Known Time took the call one step further, posting to its Grand Teton web page a boldfaced warning that “NPS intends to pursue criminal charges against athletes who engage in this behavior.”
Jackson native and professional ultra-mountain runner Kelly Halpin was at the Lupine Meadows Trailhead when Sunseri finished his FKT attempt on Labor Day, Sept. 2. She said she had talked with Sunseri prior to his effort to break the record, lending him her perspective on ethical standards surrounding runners cutting switchbacks that ultimately shorten a route.
She said when Sunseri finished his attempt, he told her he had cut a switchback.
“It’s the Grand record. It is very high profile, and I was disappointed that he cut,” Halpin said Monday. “I believe that especially if you are not just the average trail user, but an ambassador for a big brand, you need to set a good example for [others] in the future.”
Sunseri’s account of his attempt is prolific, as he describes an emotional run through each pitch and roll of the mountain. He writes of climbers cheering him on as he crested the summit on one of the busier days of the season on the Grand Teton. He also wrote about his team on the mountain photographing and also cheering him on.
“I hit [the Catwalk] and saw Connor,” Sunseri wrote of a teammate on the mountain. “I yelled out ‘1:52:20, we’re cutting the switchbacks!’ He yelled back and told me to do what I had to do.”
Veteran mountaineer and writer David Gonzales called the record into question Monday, saying the Grand Teton record holds significant weight in ultra-running arenas.
“The vertical gain is significant — 7,064 feet — and so this [record] in that sport really matters,” Gonzales said. “And it really matters whether or not you take all the switchbacks because if you shorten the route, then you’re basically asking the finish line to be moved.
“You’ve got to do all the switchbacks. Otherwise, how do we judge the performances against each other? Especially when it’s coming down to differences in seconds and minutes.”
Gonzales, who popularized a tri-sport feat known as The Picnic — biking from town, swimming across Jenny Lake and climbing the Grand, then returning in the same fashion — added that he did not think Sunseri was actively cheating on the route.
“I don’t want to diminish what he did and how fast and skilled he was when he did that thing,” Gonzales said. “It’s amazing what he did, but I’m not sure he can claim the record.”
Jackson resident Ryan Burke was working as a guide through Teton Adaptive Sports in 2012, assisting the first blind female climber to the summit of the Grand, when Anderson broke the record. He said on Monday that he remembers the excitement of witnessing Anderson near the summit.
“Andy is well respected, and [Sunseri] gives it all to Andy, but that’s not how it works,” said Burke of speed record attempts in the mountains. “When it comes to trails, you have to stay on them.”
As a record holder and professional ultrarunner, Halpin understands the professional and personal drive on the trails. She said she also has witnessed a big shift in the Tetons since the pandemic as more and more users hit the trails.
According to a 2021 article on ExplorersWeb.com, the COVID-19 pandemic spurred an increase in people’s attempts at toppling FKTs; the site reported a 350% increase after the pandemic hit in 2020.
“This is my home. I grew up in the park. I’ve seen the huge increase in not only trail users and park visitors, but specifically with trail and mountain running,” Halpin said.
She said following the rules on public land not only keeps other people safe in the mountains, but is environmentally responsible.
“I think [Sunseri] is an incredible athlete, and he could break the record without cutting the switchbacks,” she said.
In his account of the attempt, Sunseri wrote that the pressure was on to break the record.
“About 2 miles in was when I first started to have negative thoughts,” wrote Sunseri. “I don’t know why it happened so early — maybe to give me a reason to back out before it gets hard, or maybe to give myself an excuse to not hurt. Whatever it was, I told myself that there was no way I would let my friends down who woke up at 3 a.m. to get to the top of this mountain to help me achieve this dream.”
Burke said he was concerned that Sunseri may have cut corners higher up on the route, which would have put other people in danger if a rock had broken loose. He applauded the National Park Service for reporting the switchback violation to Fastest Known Time.
Speaking on behalf of Exum Mountain Guides, an authorized Park Service concessionaire, Brenton Reagan agreed with Burke.
“To be up there, it’s so amazing,” said Reagan, a 25-year guide with Exum and ultra mountain runner. “It’s so special when someone is going for a speed record, and it feels special to be a part of their attempt,” he said of watching runners in the mountains. And we’re more than willing to get out of the way to watch them break a record.”
But Reagan said regardless of whether someone is attempting to climb the Grand Teton in under three hours or over the course of two days, everyone has the right to a safe journey.
“As an Exum guide, I couldn’t cut the switchbacks. I would lose my job. Please don’t cut short to the route,” Reagan said.
This story was published on September 11, 2024.