Michelino Sunseri’s journey to the summit of Grand Teton was nothing short of extraordinary. The seasoned extreme runner not only scaled one of the tallest peaks in the American West but did so in record time, completing the descent in under three hours. This astonishing athletic accomplishment, however, has landed him in legal hot water.
Rather than accolades, Sunseri was met with charges from the National Park Service. In September, he was convicted of a misdemeanor for briefly venturing onto a restricted trail in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, during his 2024 solo expedition.
The legal troubles have somewhat eclipsed Sunseri’s remarkable achievement. In Jackson, Wyoming, “Free Michelino” stickers have sprouted on posts and benches, emblematic of the support he has garnered. Backers, including some members of Congress, view the charges as an overreach by federal authorities.
Sunseri’s fate is not yet sealed, as he awaits sentencing. However, there is a glimmer of hope. Prosecutors have proposed that the charge could be dismissed if Sunseri complies with certain conditions over the next year, pending judicial approval. A court hearing is scheduled for Tuesday to discuss this possibility.
Federal prosecutors have maintained that the park’s regulations against straying from designated trails are clearly communicated through various channels, including the park’s website, maps, newspapers, and trailhead signage. Despite opposition from officials in the then-new Trump administration, they proceeded with a two-day trial in May.
Prosecutors have repeatedly said the ban on shortcutting designated trails is on the park’s website, the park map, in the park newspaper and also posted at trailheads. They pressed ahead with a two-day trial last May, despite a lack of support from officials in the new Trump administration.
Joey Wilson of Salt Lake City, an ultramarathoner who designs training programs for athletes, said the significance of Sunseri’s achievement sometimes gets lost.
“It’s an unbelievable thing that he accomplished — world class,” Wilson said.
Boulders as big as houses
Sunseri defends himself by saying he took the same route as many previous record holders on Grand Teton, including Kilian Jornet, one of the world’s greatest mountain athletes, in 2012, without any blowback from the Park Service.
He set out on Sept. 2, 2024, sharing the mountain with Labor Day holiday hikers. The path starts flat and wide before becoming extremely rocky on the way up.
“There are boulders the size of small houses,” said Wilson, whose father was a park ranger. “You’ve got to use your hands. If your hands were to pop off in a couple of places, you’re going to fall a long way down.”
Sunseri also had to confront a series of switchbacks as the Garnet Canyon Trail zigged and zagged like a maze. On his way down, shirtless and wearing a hat backwards, he made a split-second decision that would later land him in court: He left a switchback to avoid casual hikers and possible injury, taking a path known as the Old Climber’s Trail for two minutes.
“I was ahead of pace,” said Sunseri, who had trained by running the mountain more than 40 times. “I knew I was going to get the record regardless of which trail I took. I didn’t want to be yelling at people to get out of my way.”
A small sign where he entered the trail says, “Short Cutting Causes Erosion,” while another at the other end says, “Closed For Regrowth.” Sunseri said there was no vegetation to destroy on the steep, narrow, hard-packed ground.
‘Stoked’ by his record time
Later, Sunseri dropped to his knees in exhaustion at the base of the mountain. He had set a new fastest-known time on Grand Teton — “FKT” in the running community — of 2 hours, 50 minutes, 50 seconds.
Sunseri had run a total of 13.3 miles (21.4 kilometers) while gaining an elevation of 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) on his way up the mountain. The summit rests at 13,775 feet (4,198 meters).
“I was stoked,” he recalled. “It’s one of those things where every single thing has to go right — and everything did go right.”
Andy Anderson didn’t bypass switchbacks during his record run in 2012, but Sunseri said he still had his blessing. They had dinner in Truckee, California, and Anderson handed over the prize: a handmade box bearing a commemorative belt buckle and listing the names of past Grand Teton record holders.
Search warrants to get evidence
Sunseri wrote about his epic run on social media. Those words doomed him. Federal investigators used search warrants to get access to the posts, which led to a misdemeanor charge of shortcutting a designated trail in the national park.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick found him guilty in a 51-page opinion released in September. She noted the testimony of Park Service Ranger Michelle Altizer, who said Sunseri’s “actions were high profile” and that the potential to deter others was “very high and an important consideration” in citing him.
Sunseri’s lawyers argued that the signs on Old Climber’s Trail did not explicitly prohibit entry.
“The trail has been sitting in its current state for decades,” Wilson told The Associated Press. “If they really wanted to close that trail they could plant seeds over it and put a log down. Trail closed. Do not cross.”
Prosecutors pushed ahead
After the spring trial, emails obtained by the defense team revealed that Park Service officials in Washington had told prosecutors on the eve of trial that they were withdrawing their support. A U.S. Interior Department lawyer referred to President Donald Trump’s order “fighting overcriminalization” in federal regulations.
“We’re continuing with the prosecution,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Romine in Wyoming wrote back.
Because of the court case, Sunseri’s performance on Grand Teton is not being recognized by fastestknowntime.com, a website for the best times on routes considered to have remarkable scenery or historical and cultural value around the world.
In Congress, U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., is sponsoring a bill that would make willful intent a requirement for prosecuting certain crimes like Sunseri’s trail-cutting misdemeanor. He called the case a “prime example of the problem of overcriminalization.”
