Tyler Andrews is making the most of his winter this year, as he just broke an Everest world record on the dreadmill last weekend. Then, a few days later, he announced he’s going back to the actual Everest next year.
On December 21, Andrews completed the equivalent vertical height of Mount Everest, 8,848 meters, on a treadmill set to a fixed 20 percent incline, finishing in 8 hours, 17 minutes, and 9 seconds. The effort, done inside the La Sportiva store in Boulder, Colorado, set a new world record for the Everest Treadmill Challenge, improving the previous record by just under 39 minutes.
The run lasted 27.75 miles and also served as a fundraiser for the Chaski Foundation, which supports youth athletics programs in Nepal and Ecuador. According to Andrews, the effort raised more than $25,000.
An Everesting record on a treadmill is definitely a niche category, but Andrews’ time was pretty impressive for how decisively it lowered the standard. The previous record stood at 8:56:00. Andrews finished well clear of that, maintaining pace for more than eight hours on a gradient that leaves little room for recovery.
Within days of the attempt, Andrews announced that he plans to return to Mount Everest in the spring of 2026 to pursue a fastest known time on the mountain itself. He will attempt the climb from the north side in Tibet, without supplemental oxygen, targeting Kilian Jornet’s 2017 record of 26 hours from Base Camp to the summit.
It will be Andrews’ third attempt at an Everest speed record, but his first from the Tibetan side.
In 2025, Andrews made two expeditions to Everest via the standard southeast route from Nepal. In the spring, he made three summit pushes without reaching the top. He returned again in the fall, climbing on ropes fixed by Andrzej Bargiel’s team, but turned around at approximately 8,400 meters.
After those attempts, Andrews opted not to return to the same route. The north side is often seen as more suitable for speed ascents and descents because it avoids the Khumbu Icefall, though access is more complex and conditions can be colder and windier.
There is also ongoing uncertainty around regulations governing no-oxygen ascents on Tibet’s 8,000-meter peaks. When the region reopened to foreign climbers after COVID restrictions, some operators reported that climbing without supplemental oxygen was no longer permitted, though enforcement appeared inconsistent.
Recent expeditions suggest that no-oxygen ascents are still possible. In the fall of 2024, Nirmal Purja and Mingma G summited Shishapangma from the Tibetan side without oxygen, along with several clients. Anja Blacha also climbed Cho Oyu without oxygen that same year. No penalties were reported, and expedition leaders involved said they had obtained the required permissions.
An Everest guide told ExplorersWeb that there was no explicit reference to oxygen use in the regulations issued by the China Tibet Mountaineering Association ahead of the season.
Andrews is organizing his 2026 Everest expedition through Asian Trekking, in collaboration with the CTMA, and has said he will follow all applicable rules. The attempt will also be documented by a film crew.
Andrews holds more than 90 fastest known times across mountainous routes in Nepal, South America, and Africa, most of them unsupported or self-supported. In 2023, he set speed records on Mount Kilimanjaro, reaching the summit in 4 hours, 32 minutes and completing the round trip in 6 hours, 37 minutes. He also holds the FKT on Manaslu, at 8,163 meters.
Everest has remained the exception.
The treadmill record does not change the variables Andrews will face on the mountain, where altitude, weather, and timing windows are decisive. What it does show is that he is continuing to pursue controlled, measurable tests of endurance while preparing for another attempt in far less predictable conditions.
His Everest attempt is planned for the spring 2026 season.
