Steve Kukta posted:
There's a new official record for running up the Mauna Kea Volcano from the ranger station to the top and back down. Jorge Maravilla, the current RRCA 100 Mile Ultra National Champion ran a 1:44 uphill and a :52 downhill for a total time of 2:36 (not including a 10 minute break at the top to enjoy the view.
. As near as we can tell, he broke the current "fastest known time" by a massive 89 minutes.
He'll be posting his Garmin data on Strava shortly, but the vital stats are that his run measured 8.6 miles each way for a total of 17.2 miles, beginning at the ranger station, running to the absolute top of the mountain at the highest observatory. Those of us who watched him accomplish this astonishing feat, could barely breathe at the ranger station near 9,000 feet. Jorge, on the other hand, ran the entire mountain, climbing about 5,000 feet to near 14,000 feet while slowing only for a restroom break and a little fuel at the 5.5 mile mark.
The run began at approximately 8:00 a.m. Temperatures were brisk at the ranger station and near freezing at the summit. Winds were approximately 20 mph.
Oddly enough, Jorge's run coincided with Venus' transit across the sun and the observatory was packed with newly minted Jorge Maravilla fans (astronomers) who cheered him throughout the run and asked for pictures with him at the finish.
One other interesting fact: The Strava record for climbing an 8.3 mile stretch from the ranger station to the top of Mauna Kea on a bicycle appears to have been 1:49, five minutes slower than Jorge ran the route.
Note that Maravilla's GPS data on Strava showed RT time of 2h51m26s.