Almost exactly a year after Alex Rienzie first chatted with me on Singletrack he’s back with an update on the legal case that kept the trail running community on perpetual whiplash for the entire year of 2025. Now with a full pardon in hand, Alex can share what really went down behind the scenes of Michelino Sunseri’s FKT run on the Grand Teton. This is a story that takes us way beyond the mountains and the trails and into court rooms and board rooms and yes, all the way to the White House. What a bonkers story that makes one feel like up is down and down is up.

On September 2, 2024 Michelino Sunseri set a new speed record on Grand Teton in 2h 50m 50s. It was supposed to be a new FKT, beating an old record that has stood for over 12 years. What ensued afterwards turned an epic run into a much talked about news story, a social media fire storm, and an eventual lawsuit. Friend of Michelino, Alex Rienzie was out on the trails that day and shares his observations and some background info on all of it. Alex joined Singletrack on his own initiative and any views expressed are his alone.