Tyler Andrews’ – Concord native Tyler Andrews, 36, says he summited Mount Everest using supplemental oxygen in 9 hours and 55 minutes—more than an hour faster than the prior 2003 record. His GPS tracking and account of a long, failure-filled climb have brought renewed attentio
When Tyler Andrews stepped onto the summit of Mount Everest, it was the timing that mattered most—and for him, the numbers were almost impossible to sit with: 9 hours and 55 minutes to reach the peak, using supplemental oxygen, and then 16 hours and 32 minutes total for the round trip.
The Massachusetts man. a Concord native who said he reached the top Thursday. is claiming a new speed record after breaking a 23-year-old mark. While Nepal’s mountain authorities still need to verify his time. Andrews’s GPS tracking shows him beating Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa’s 2003 record of 10 hours and 56 minutes.
Andrews, 36, posted his gratitude late Thursday on Instagram. “So. so grateful to Apu Sagarmatha. Chomolungma. Everest for allowing me safe and speedy passage to the top of the world (and down safely). ” he wrote. “So grateful as well to the team of amazing humans who helped me get there. Much more to come once I’ve had a good night’s sleep.”.
The climb carried a weight beyond the record itself. Andrews dedicated Thursday’s summit to his friend Greg Krupa. described as “a fellow runner and mountain-lover” who died in Ecuador in April. Andrews wrote that Krupa was a longtime supporter of The Chaski Foundation. a nonprofit Andrews co-founded that aims to “break down barriers for emerging athletes while protecting mountain environments.”.
“He believed in what Chaski was building long before many others did — in the athletes. the communities. and the idea that sport could be a force for real change. ” Andrews wrote on his website. “He showed up for this mission in the way he showed up for everything: with generosity. curiosity. and genuine love for the people and places involved. He is deeply missed.”.
Speed climbing Everest, however, is not simply a test of strength. Andrews framed the effort that way long before Thursday’s summit. “The fitness is the easy part. ” he said in a 2025 press release announcing his bid to crack a different Everest record. “The challenge is managing all the variables on the mountain itself.”.
His father, Tim Andrews, said the journey to this moment was anything but smooth. Tim Andrews told The Boston Globe that Andrews’s boot zipper got stuck on his first try. Later attempts were foiled by bad weather and by oxygen running out too soon. Tim Andrews also described how his son thinks about the risk up there: “He always says the question is. ‘Is the mountain going to say yes today?’”.
Thirteen years of ambition is hard to reduce to a single ascent. but the record itself is anchored in the path Andrews has taken to get there. He is an ultra-runner and high-altitude speed climber who transitioned from road running to mountain athletics in 2020. On Thursday. after what he described as the eighth?—no. the “six unsuccessful attempts” detail matters—he said the effort finally came together. In a Strava entry for the climb. Andrews wrote. “7th time’s the charm 😂. ” and told ThePrint Friday that he is “happy and relieved” to be back in Kathmandu.
“This has been years in the making for me. I have spent the last several years chasing this goal. and after six unsuccessful attempts. there were definitely moments where it felt discouraging. ” Andrews told ThePrint. “For everything to finally come together on this attempt felt incredibly satisfying.”.
For Andrews, the motivation is tied to more than athletic history. He is a survivor of childhood aplastic anemia. and his website says he holds more than 100 world records across mountains. roads. and trails. Those achievements include records at Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Fuji. but Everest—the tallest mountain in the world—has demanded something different.
If the GPS data holds and Nepal’s authorities confirm the time. Andrews’s claim would reset the pace on a mountain where so much can still go wrong. In his own words. the mountain is the final arbiter. and on Thursday it appears to have answered him—after years of trying to get the variables right. and after moments when the climb almost seemed to slip away.
Tyler Andrews Mount Everest speed climbing supplemental oxygen GPS tracking Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa Greg Krupa Chaski Foundation Kathmandu Nepal verification