Lupine Meadows trailhead to the 13,775-foot summit and back: about 13 miles and 7,000 feet of climbing on trail, boulder fields and exposed 5.4 rock, free soloed in running shoes. Bryce Thatcher's 1983 record stood for 29 years. In 2012 Kilian Jornet broke three hours, and ten days later Andy Anderson ran 2:53:02. That stood for another 12 years.
Running the Teton Crest Trail, I came over Hurricane Pass and saw the Grand Teton for the first time. That fall I moved from Tahoe to the Tetons to go after the record.
Bar shifts at night, runs in the morning, naps at the trailhead in between. In the summer of 2022 alone I went up and down the Grand at least 25 times, learning every variation of the route.
A month before my first planned attempt, I strained my right Achilles on the Teton Canyon Skyline. I raced Sierre-Zinal and OCC in Europe instead. That August, Jack Kuenzle made a strong attempt and came up nine minutes short.
Skin laps up Taylor Mountain and the Mt. Glory bootpack before work, treadmill miles after. Once ski season ended I trained full time. The biggest weeks topped 30,000 feet of climbing and 25 hours of training.
I spent the summer dialing in the route, including days with Andy Anderson. By September I had 44 laps on the Grand. A week before the attempt, a storm dropped snow down to the Lower Saddle, and another was forecast for September 3. Labor Day was the window.
7:45 a.m. at Lupine Meadows. Summit in 1:52:20. Back at the trailhead in 2:50:50, two minutes under Andy's record. Andy called that afternoon to congratulate me.
The Grand Teton record comes with a belt buckle, passed from one record holder to the next. Andy met me in person and signed it over.
On the descent I took the old climbers' trail, a line four of the five listed records had used and that dozens of people had logged on Strava. On September 9, FastestKnownTime.com rejected the run. Then came a federal violation notice for 'shortcutting a trail,' with a court date of November 19.
Two weeks later I won my third Rut 50K. In December I finished third at Ultra-Trail Cape Town.
The government offered a plea deal: a misdemeanor, a fine and a five-year ban from the park I lived next to. I said no and took it to trial.
A two-day trial in federal court in Wyoming, with more than 20 federal employees in the courtroom. Trail runners and friends were called to the stand, and so were park rangers.
The verdict came in while I was in Canfranc, Spain, racing the Short Trail for Team USA at the World Mountain & Trail Running Championships: guilty of a misdemeanor.
I received a presidential pardon, and the case was dismissed.
Now
The feature documentary about the run, the years that led to it and everything after. Act I trailer from Fior Productions.
