Grand Teton FKT Rejected: Recent Record Disqualified Over Cut Switchback

The FKT on Grand Teton made waves in the endurance world when Michelino Sunseri claimed it earlier in September — however, one shortcut may have cost him the record he's chased for years.

Photo byConnor Burkesmith

Michelino Sunseri’s FKT is no more, or technically, never was. Last week, GearJunkie reported on Sunseri’s FKT attempt, in which he summited the Grand Teton in 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds. The record was not certified.

Nobody doubts Sunseri climbed and descended the Grand Teton in record time. But the official record was disqualified after park rangers and arbiters at fastestknowntime.com learned that he disregarded a signed closure by short-cutting a switchback on his descent.

“It was reported to us by several sources, including the National Park Services and park rangers as well as his Strava,” Allison Mercer, the director of fastestknowntime.com told GearJunkie.

The record keepers at fastestknowntime.com did not choose to disqualify Sunseri’s record lightly. Mercer told the local publication WyoFile that they discussed it extensively before making the call.

Sunseri described descending from the peak in a wild rush. When GearJunkie interviewed him, he said, “I’ve never thrown myself down the rock so hard, landing on my heels, giving zero [bleeps] about my own well-being.”

A side-by-side showing the FKT route for Grand Teton (on the left) and Sunseri’s Grand Teton route (on the right);Photo byFKT.com and Strava

WyoFile reported that on Strava, Sunseri said of the ascent, “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. If I had to make this choice again, I would 100% make the exact same choice.” And that, as he was descending, he shouted to a member of his trail crew, “We’re cutting the switchbacks!’”

His Strava route seemed to confirm that he had, indeed, taken a shortcut — one that is expressly prohibited within Grand Teton National Park. Park Rangers caught wind of the fact that Sunseri might have broken that rule. They contacted fastestknowntime.com to raise their concerns.

“We very rarely reject routes, only when the submitter doesn’t realize it isn’t a faster time by mistake,” Mercer said. “We haven’t had to deal with laws being broken like this.”

Grand Teton FKT: Rejected Over a Switchback

It is not uncommon for fastestknowntime.com to take several days to confirm a new record. But in the days following Sunseri’s Grand Teton FKT, the website’s silence was notable. Then, when the website posted the following message to the Grand Teton FKT webpage, questions started circulating.

“The National Park Service has emphasized that cutting switchbacks on this route is a violation of the park service regulation 36 CFR 2.1(b) … Any future attempts to cut switchbacks will result in complete rejection, and the NPS intends to pursue criminal charges against athletes who engage in this behavior.”

Michelino Sunseri and previous FKT holder Andy Anderson hold the Grand Teton FKT list;Photo byMichelino Sunseri

It wasn’t until September 18, 2024, 16 days after he thought he’d claimed the record, that his FKT attempt was officially rejected.

GearJunkie has got ahold of Sunseri for this story but he declined to comment.

FKTs have become a highly sought-after objective for endurance athletes in recent years. Fastestknowntime.com is the official record keeper and arbiter for FKTs on different routes around the world. Athletes have profiles, and record attempts are tracked as the athletes are making them. Photos and GPS tracking data are submitted as proof to the website, which then confirms (or denies) each and every FKT.

With Sunseri’s record being dismissed, the Grand Teton FKT goes back to its long-time holder, Andy Anderson. In 2012, Anderson ran the route in just 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 2 seconds.