New Speed Record Set On Kilimnajaro

Spanish mountaineer and endurance runner Kilian Jornet has set a new speed record for climbing and descending Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa, reaching the summit of the 19,340 foot peak, and returning to the base, faster than the previous record, which was held by Tanzanian Simon Mtuy at 8 hours and 27 mintues.

According to this article, which is written in French, and had to be translated via Google, Kilian reached the summit of the Kili in just 5 hours, 23 minutes, and 50 seconds compared to Simon's 6 hours to that point. He then turned and raced back down the mountain, crossing through all five climate zones along the way, and finished with an overall time of approximately 7 hours and 14 minutes! An astounding time for sure.

Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Kilian was greeted and embraced by the former record holder.

Having been to Kilimanjaro and seen the conditions there, this is an astounding feat to me. The tallest mountain in Africa is no easy trek, and to complete it at this kind of speed is remarkable. To put this in perspective, many climbers on Kili make the journey to the summit and back in roughly six days, so Kilian was actually completing a days worth of climbing each hour. Amazing!

Thanks to Louis-Philipe Loncke for sending this my way.