Picture this: You are running alone in the mountains with minimal equipment and only a liter of water. But this isn’t a day trip to the Colorado Rockies. You will be climbing Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world in the Himalayas. And they’re doing it without supplemental oxygen or climbing partners.
Don’t you think it’s dangerous? Tyler Andrews, a 34-year-old endurance athlete from Massachusetts, would be the first to agree. The runner has racked up an impressive list of feats on the treacherous mountain, including 69 fastest known times (FKTs), putting him among the world’s most elite runners.
Last year produced some of Andrews’ most impressive records to date. He installed new FKTs on Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. On both mountains, Andrews surpassed previous records set by running legends like Karl Igulov and Killian Jornet.
But this week, Andrews told GearJunkie that he wants to be “the best in the world.” That’s why he decided to test his skills on the biggest stage: the Himalayas. On September 19, Andrews climbed the 26,781-foot Manaslu in 9 hours and 52 minutes, shaving more than two hours off the previous record set last year by Nepalese mountaineer Pembe Gerye Sherpa.
Tyler Andrews has signed with La Sportiva as a sponsored athlete in 2024. He has been spotted here in Quito, Ecuador. (Photo/Chris Fish)
These mountains were usually the domain of mountaineers, not trail runners. Because many of them require sections of vertical climbing, Fastest Known Time has long excluded speed records for these mountains, allowing the Himalayan database to track them instead.
But now, thanks in part to Andrews, who works part-time for the FKT organization, things are changing. Since Manaslu’s main route lacks technical climbs, he thinks it’s fair play to turn the summit push into an FKT. And he believes the training he does in these mountains, including bringing a stationary bike to his base camp in Manaslu, represents a fresh approach to Himalayan adventure.
We sat down with Andrews to find out how he does it, from nutrition and gear to timing and technique.
GearJunkie: Congratulations on installing the new FKT in Manaslu! You have already set many records. Can you tell me what this means to you?
Andrews: First of all, this is my first 8,000 meter speed record. That’s really special. But to be honest, I think the most special thing was trying and failing a year ago.
And on big mountains, you can often only photograph them once a year. That’s the worst thing, but it definitely makes it more special when things are going really well. I think the bigger the mountain, the bigger the stakes, the bigger the stage, the more important preparation becomes. And it makes this year doubly special that what has objectively been a pretty tough year has gone so smoothly.
Tyler Andrews runs through the Atacama Desert in Chile. (Photo/Chris Fish)
GJ: You first achieved this record on a training day. Last year, I ran to the top on the day I was supposed to be training, but ended up being too tired to attempt the FKT. What did you learn and what changed?
TA: 100%, that’s right. Last year, I definitely burned a few too many matches on summit day. However, there are very few opportunities to practice this, so you have no choice but to make mistakes. The reason I did that is because on almost every other mountain, I would summit first before attempting the FKT. And it always works, even up to 7,000 meters.
But it was too much (in Manaslu). Last year I was completely rushed and didn’t have gas on FKT day. So the plan was not to do that this year. The biggest thing I learned is that there is absolutely no information on this subject. No one knows what they’re saying, including me.
I always say training is an experiment. And that’s even more true when you have something like this that’s really the tip of the spear. Conventional common sense doesn’t apply at all. So it’s really just an experiment. This time I definitely bet in the opposite direction and ended up doing the job.
Tyler Andrews treks near Manaslu. (Photo/Chris Fish)
GJ: I read FKT’s gear list in an interview. He pointed out that it would be extremely dangerous to climb an 8,000 meter peak with just that equipment. Did you have a contingency plan in case something went wrong? If so, what was it?
TA: That’s a very interesting question. I think a lot of people think, “Oh, I’m running with minimal gear, so it’s very dangerous.” In fact, I think the way I travel through the mountains is safer than the average person.
Let me explain. The amount of time spent in dangerous areas has been significantly reduced. I can now move much faster, whether it’s over 8,000 meters above sea level, under giant seracs, or in avalanche terrain. You know, last year when (athlete and photographer Chris Fisch) and I went through Kumquat Weissfall, we went through it in two hours. And some of our road trips take 10 hours.
That means exposure in the most dangerous parts of the mountain is reduced by 80%. Obviously, it’s a gamble and I’m aware of that too. It’s a tradeoff. I don’t have big boots. I don’t have a big jacket. But we are also talking about Manaslu.
There were about 700 people on the mountain, and I asked Do, the leader of the expedition, to speak on the radio. He is gathering people to the mountain. So there’s a little bit of mountain ethics. Even if such a catastrophe happens, people will look out for each other.
Tyler Andrews of Manaslu; (Photo/Chris Fish)
GJ: How did you manage your nutrition in this business? What and how often did you eat?
TA: I’ve always tried to tackle really big mountains, similar to ultra running. So I’m not approaching it as a mountain guy. I am participating as an ultra runner. If you’re doing a 10-12 hour ultra, you know exactly how many grams of carbs you need to eat, what you need to bring, and how much water you need. So I try to eat 300-400 calories per hour.
The only issue I had with nutrition was the water situation. We set out from base camp with 1 liter of water and that was all we had for the 10 hours to the summit. So it was pretty tough. And again, that was mainly because I had a tent at Camp 3, and my plan was to climb up there, walk maybe another hour, and then come back down.
So when I left Camp 3, I thought, “Hmm, I can boil snow and drink water, but I can only go up for an hour and come down for only 30 minutes.”
I thought I’d be back soon. And I ended up going. From camp 3 it was 6 hours up and down. To be honest, it was quite difficult. Hydration was tough.
GJ: Can you describe the mental battle you go through when you reach the death zone? What helps you cope with the extremely difficult situation of climbing that altitude without oxygen?
TA: To be honest, I think a huge amount of the work at altitude, above 7,000 meters, probably 7,500 meters, is all on your shoulders. It’s completely different from any other type of athletics I’ve ever had to do. There are no works that I feel are particularly difficult or bad. That’s how it manifests itself as a feeling to me. It’s a really tremendous desire to change direction.
I’m just like, “God, I don’t want to do this.” And I love breaking things down mentally. I think this is another superpower of mine that I tell people. I’m incredibly good at lying to myself. Self-deception is one of my greatest strengths.
So I say, “Oh, I’m going to go another 50 meters and then turn around and go down.” And you say: “Okay, okay…now I’ll try again.” And the truth is, you’re just guiding yourself through that rep. And it’s exactly the same there.
If you look closely, it must be Tyler Andrews running near Manaslu. (Photo/Chris Fish)
GJ: Where and how does running training and aerobic capacity development, along with all the other variables you’re trying to train for, factor into your preparation for an outing like this?
TA: As an athlete, this is what surprises people the most when you meet them on an 8,000 meter mountain. Basically, I approach it in the same way as training for a trail race. Really big mountains obviously require a skill set, right? I mean, the balance between skill and fitness is always important, right? So, just like running on a treadmill, your fitness is 100% and your skill is 0%.
I’m approaching this as a runner. So the most exciting routes for me are the ones where fitness is a big part of it. One of the reasons we see this record is because people approach it as a skill rather than a fitness challenge.
And for me, 90% of the route is like walking uphill. There’s a reason Manaslu is (and is considered) a beginner’s mountain. Many of them are walking uphill. It’s basically a test of the engine. I know how to make engines really big and fit.
This is probably the most outrageous thing I’ve ever done, but I actually took my stationary bike all the way to base camp at 4,900 meters.
GJ: Did you bring an exercise bike to Manaslu Base Camp? How did you use that in your training?
TA: The reason is that this is my third 8,000 meter expedition. My training over the past few years has taught me that staying active is very important for fitness. So every day I would go out in the morning, climb up to Camp 1 or something about 1,000 meters up, go down and take a break and have lunch.
Then, in the afternoon, I ride a stationary bike for a few hours. It wasn’t just the amount of training that mattered, but also the intensity. Again, it goes back to the idea that no one knows what they’re doing, including me. It was an experiment, but it seems to have worked pretty well. But most people think this way. “Did you bring your bike to camp?” That doesn’t make sense. ”
But I was really approaching it like an uphill race.
Portrait of Tyler Andrews. (Photo/Chris Fish)
GJ: How do you view your accomplishments in the context of Reinhold Messner, who proved 52 years ago that it was possible to climb these mountains without supplemental oxygen? Now athletes like you are setting FKTs on these mountains without supplemental oxygen. What do you think about your place in mountain history?
TA: When Reinhold Messner tried to climb Everest without oxygen, people said: He can’t do that. ”And, you know, I think he was another guy who went against common sense and thought, “Hey, I’m going to figure this out.”
I’m not trying to cheat death. But when people tell me what I want to do is impossible athletically, it just really motivates me. I’ve heard it many times. I think Messner probably had something like that as well. So it’s an honor to think of him and me in the same sentence.
GJ: What do you hope to achieve by applying these running techniques to the world’s best?
TA: Hopefully (Chris Fish and I) will be heading to the Khumbu Valley/Mount Everest region tomorrow. It’s really exciting and there are a lot of goals out there. It is the most beautiful and spectacular place on earth. Whatever we end up doing, it’s going to be great.
I wasn’t an athletic kid at all. But then I completely fell in love with high altitude training. I was doing a lot of hiking and climbing back then, but I didn’t think about doing it competitively for a long time, until I was probably 30 years old.
It was a journey that combined my love of self-discovery and pushing myself with this incredibly competitive inner drive.
Some of this is competitiveness towards oneself, and some is a desire to be the best in the world. And I’m not shy to say it. We want to go to the most competitive routes, the biggest mountains, the biggest stages and the most pressure points. That’s exciting for me.
Since his interview with Andrews, the young athlete has already set new records in the Himalayas. He and athlete and photographer Chris Fish ran from Lukla to Mera Peak (6,476 milliseconds) and back to Lukla in less than 44 hours. This required 51 miles of running in addition to the summit.
