#grand-teton

#grand-teton

Sunseri set a new record for ascending and then descending Grand Teton; unfortunately, the National Park Service was more concerned with his route, which led to his arrest. An online petition calling for his release observes that Sunseri was following a similar path to other mountain runners who had taken the same trek - and who were not imprisoned as a result of their feats.

Michelino Sunseri climbed past boulders on his way to a record-breaking feat: The extreme runner reached the summit of Grand Teton, one of the highest mountains in the American West, and then rushed back down, all in less than three hours. The National Park Service, however, didn't celebrate. Instead, it charged him with a crime. In September, Sunseri, 33, was found guilty of a misdemeanor for spending just two minutes during the run on a prohibited trail in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.

Just over a year ago, on September 2, 2024, Michelino Sunseri, now a 33-year-old professional trail runner, tagged the summit of Wyoming's Grand Teton and returned to the trailhead in 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 8 seconds, faster than the long-standing fastest known time (FKT) held by Andy Anderson since 2012. But while the clock said Sunseri was faster, a controversy kicked in almost immediately, landing him in federal court.