Records & People

A Cancer Survivor Just Beat a 23-Year-Old Everest Speed Record

Ultrarunner Tyler Andrews climbed from Everest Base Camp to the summit in 9 hours 55 minutes on 28 May 2026, the fastest oxygen-assisted ascent on…

By Dawa Sherpa · Jul 20, 2026

Key facts American ultrarunner Tyler Andrews , 36, climbed from Everest Base Camp to the 8,849m summit in 9 hours 55 minutes on May 28, 2026. He broke a record that had stood for 23 years — 10 hours 56 minutes, set by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa in 2003. Andrews is a…

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The record he broke

The previous mark, 10 hours 56 minutes, was set in 2003 by Lakpa Gelu Sherpa — a time so respected in Himalayan climbing that no one beat it for 23 years, despite better forecasting, lighter gear and a generation of elite mountain athletes trying. Andrews…

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An unlikely record holder

He is an unlikely record holder for the discipline. Andrews' background isn't in a Sherpa climbing family or an expedition dynasty — it's in road running. He ran cross country in high school, moved up to marathons, then pivoted to mountain and trail…

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Oxygen, a team and a weather window

The climb was supported rather than solo: Andrews used supplemental oxygen and was accompanied by a team from Dawa Steven Sherpa's Asian Trekking, who managed his food, water, oxygen bottles and route-finding so he could focus purely on moving fast. That…

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What this means for trekkers

What this means for you You will never need to move this fast, and that is the point worth taking home. Andrews' record is the extreme edge of what a body can do on Everest, built on years of elite training, a full support team and supplemental oxygen. Nearly…

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