US runner sets new Mount Everest speed record

American trail runner Tyler Andrews has set a new speed record for ascending Mount Everest, completing the journey from base camp to the summit in an astonishing 9 hours and 55 minutes. This feat reportedly shaves more than an hour off the previous record held by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa since 2003.

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Of course, it is a very impressive achievement to climb Everest - even with bottled oxygen - from base camp to the summit in this time.

The achievement has garnered attention within the mountaineering community, but it also raises questions about the validity and comparability of such speed records. Billi Bierling, head of the Himalayan Database, commented that while reaching the summit from base camp in that time, even with bottled oxygen, is impressive, most climbers spend nearly that long just ascending from Camp 4 (7,950 meters) to the peak.

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Most people need a similar amount of time just to get from Camp 4 at 7,950 meters to the summit.

Bierling emphasized that speed records on mountains, especially when using supplemental oxygen, cannot be directly compared to records set in controlled environments like a stadium. Factors such as the altitude at which oxygen is used and the flow rate significantly impact performance. She suggested that true records should ideally be set without bottled oxygen, which she has done on several eight-thousanders herself. The perceived altitude is greatly reduced with oxygen, making it a performance-enhancing tool.

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You cannot compare a speed record on the mountain using bottled oxygen with a record in a stadium.

Andrews himself stated that pushing his limits as an athlete motivated him, calling the ascent and subsequent descent (16 hours and 32 minutes) one of the toughest things he has ever done. However, records from the Himalayan Database, which has documented expeditions since the 1960s, indicate that Andrews used bottled oxygen from Camp 2 (6,400 meters) at a flow rate of four liters per minute. In contrast, Lhakpa Gelu used oxygen starting from Camp 4, with typical flow rates at the time being two to three liters per minute. Furthermore, the climbing route itself changes annually, with the Khumbu Icefall reportedly being particularly fast this year.

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The perceived altitude is greatly reduced with oxygen, so bottled oxygen is a performance-enhancing tool.