New record on all 58 of Colorado's 14ers claimed

A Colorado couple has claimed a new record across the state's highest summits.

Twelve days after they started in the San Juan Mountains, Andrea Sansone and Andrew Hamilton have reported an unlikely mission accomplished: a straight push through all 58 of the state's peaks above 14,000 feet.

"Unlikely" was indeed how the Golden couple put it going into the attempt earlier this month. Recognizing the logistical, physical and mental factors involved with climbing on little to no sleep, not to mention unknowns such as the weather and injury, Sansone told The Gazette: "We like to say if everything goes perfectly we have a 50% chance of success."

Sansone and Hamilton thanked their crew in posting a finish of 12 days, six hours and 43 minutes. A picture showed a finishing hug atop Longs Peak — the culmination of around-the-clock photos on social media from crewmembers tasked with driving, feeding and gearing up the couple.

Sansone and Hamilton are claiming a first "co-ed" record on the log kept by fastestknowntime.com . The website maintains supported and unsupported records by individual men and women across the fourteeners.

Hamilton's supported, solo push of nine days, 21 hours and 51 minutes still stands from 2015. A woman's supported mark of 14 days, 14 hours and 49 minutes has stood since 2000.

It was an early question from people who followed Sansone and Hamilton via Garmin tracker and a 14ers.com forum: Would Sansone be credited with the new female supported record? Fastestknowntime.com had yet to update the record page at the time of this writing.

Sansone's immediate reaction via text before much-needed rest: "Hardest thing in my life."

But she was well-acquainted with sufferfests in the high country.

Her name is on the record books for Nolan's 14, the cult-classic line bagging 14 Sawatch Range fourteeners in one push — including a "mixed-gender team" record with Hamilton in 2023. Sansone previously supported him on a wintertime fourteeners record and a 100-peak effort.

Their latest endeavor was their greatest, according to fans who followed along.

In dashing across the fourteeners, "the probability of failure is more than doubled with two participants," one observed on the 14ers.com forum.

"Insane performance!" remarked another.

And another: "The two of you have accomplished more in 12 days than some dream of completing in a lifetime."