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On September 2nd, 2024 friend and professional endurance athlete, Michelino Sunseri etched his name in the arena of the gods by breaking Andy Anderson’s FKT on the Grand Teton in 2 hours 50 minutes and 50 Seconds. 

In the aftermath of what was undeniably one the of the greatest feats of mountain running the sport had ever seen, Michelino’s record was rejected by Fastest Known Time and Michelino was investigated and charged by the NPS citing violation of 36CFR 2.1(b). 

This all came to be due to Michelino’s choice in descent route - where Michelino bypassed a switchback using a historically significant climbers trail, leveraged in the last 6 of 7 established FKT’s on the route. 

In the weeks that followed, dozens of articles were written by major outlets that painted Michelino’s effort in a light that did not reflect the facts of what actually took place on September 2nd, 2024. 

To help provide a factual account of Michelino’s effort, Alex Rienzie, mountain athlete, community member and photographer on Michelino’s record attempt was kind enough to provide a factual first hand account of the details of Michelino’s effort as well as discuss in detail the climbers trail, Michelino chose that spurred this conversation. 

It is my hope that with the conclusion of Michelino’s NPS hearing that FKT would reconsider splitting the route into old and new routes, acknowledging FKT’s prior endorsement of the climbers trail, given its historical significance of 6 of the last 7 records. 

Please note that this discussion and any views belong specially to myself and Alex and in no way reflect any statements from Michelino Sunseri. 

Grizzlies & Avalanches (Alex's Substack Article) - https://www.grizzliesandavalanches.com/michelino-grand-teton-fkt/

Alex Rienzie Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/alexrienzie
Michelino Sunseri Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/michelino_sunseri