Climbing
Industry News
Athlete Michelino Sunseri has broken the 12-year-old fastest-known time (FKT) record for the Grand Teton in Wyoming. He completed the nearly 15-mile route, which involves climbing and descending 7,000 vertical feet to the summit at 13,775 feet, and returned to his car in an impressive 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds.
On the morning of September 2, Sunseri felt it was the right day as he drove to Grand Teton National Park. The weather was perfect, and he knew he could beat Andy Anderson’s 2012 record if he gave it everything. Sunseri was correct. When he crossed the finish line at the Alpine Meadows Trailhead parking lot, he had beaten Anderson’s time by 3 minutes and 12 seconds. This achievement was a remarkable improvement from Sunseri’s previous summit time on August 30, 2021, cutting it by a staggering 4 hours, 53 minutes, and 41 seconds.
“It was definitely a doozy,” Sunseri shared with GearJunkie after his record-breaking run. “I was moving at what I thought was a pretty good pace. Pretty stupid and reckless, actually. There were some sections of it that I’ve never thrown myself down the rock so hard, landing on my heels, giving zero fucks about my own well-being.”
Sunseri first set his sights on the Grand Teton FKT back in 2020 when he did the Teton Crest Trail, which passes right by the Grand, Middle, and South. That’s when he told himself, “I’m going to go for that one.”
There were three things that had to happen for Sunseri to set this FKT. First, his personal fitness had to be at a level to be able to tackle the challenging terrain. Secondly, he had to have the notoriously tricky route completely dialed in, so he knew exactly where he was on the mountain. Finally—and the one you don’t control—the weather had to line up to be conducive for the attempt. All three came together perfectly.
“The first time I went up, I thought, this is impossible, there’s no way I’ll ever get this, it’s crazy. How the hell did Andy run this fast?” Sunseri recalled. After 44 summits and 4 years of dedicated training, Sunseri understood how Anderson did it: sheer determination. He not only matched the effort but raised the bar, calling this FKT the most significant achievement of his career.
