"On November 7, 2025, just over two months after being found guilty for cutting a switchback in Grand Teton National Park while setting a fastest known time (FKT) on Wyoming's Grand Teton, ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri received a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump, clearing him of the charges. The controversy all started on September 2, 2024, when en route to setting a new FKT, Sunseri cut a switchback on the established trail in the national park, taking the "old climbers' trail" instead."
"After Sunseri announced the FKT and posted his track on Strava, he acknowledged cutting the controversial switchback, but said, "I would 100% make the exact same choice" if he did it again. A few days later, the National Park Service (NPS), the government agency that administers the U.S.'s national parks, including Grand Teton National Park, issued him a mandatory citation under 36 CFR 2.1(b), which prohibits shortcutting on federal trails."
"The situation escalated quickly and became a heated topic in the outdoor world, raising questions about environmental ethics and prosecutorial overreach. Much of the controversy was based around the charges and potential punishment, and whether it was all too much for cutting a switchback. Sunseri's defense team was led by Jackson-based attorney Edward Bushnell and included Harvard Law graduate Alex Rienzie had argued that the case exemplifies overcriminalization."
On November 7, 2025, ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri received a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump that cleared him of charges tied to cutting a switchback while attempting a fastest known time on Grand Teton. The shortcut occurred on September 2, 2024, when Sunseri took an "old climbers' trail" marked closed by two small signs. After posting his Strava track and announcing the FKT, Sunseri acknowledged the shortcut and said he would make the same choice again. The National Park Service issued a mandatory citation under 36 CFR 2.1(b), a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. The incident ignited debate over environmental ethics and prosecutorial overreach, and the defense argued the case exemplified overcriminalization while citing a May 9 Executive Order urging agencies to avoid unnecessary criminal penalties for regulatory infractions.
Read at iRunFar
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