"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."
"In the running community, many of Sunseri's peers were concerned with his fate and sought his release. "The prosecutor and NPS have ignored multiple offers of a civil compromise and volunteer work, instead choosing to spend tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on drawn-out litigation to drive Michelino out of his community," filmmaker Connor Burkesmith wrote on Instagram earlier in 2025."
"As White notes, at issue is whether or not Sunseri spent two minutes of the nearly three hours he took going up and down the mountain on a trail where access was forbidden. A judge still needs to approve the agreement, which would see the case dismissed as long as Sunseri put in, as White phrases it, "60 hours of community service and a course on wilderness stewardship.""
Michelino Sunseri set a new record for ascending and descending Grand Teton. Park rangers arrested Sunseri because his route briefly crossed a restricted trail. Prosecutors and Sunseri are nearing an agreement to avoid prison by replacing incarceration with community service and a wilderness stewardship course. A judge must approve the agreement before the case can be dismissed. The running community organized petitions and offered volunteer compromises to seek his release. The National Park Service cited route violation as the primary concern. A hearing is scheduled for November to address the proposed resolution.
Read at InsideHook
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