In the predawn hours of May 9, RMI guide Simon Kearns woke up in his Ashford lodging with just 30 minutes of sleep—business as usual before a monumental mountain challenge. A quick bowl of oatmeal and a cup of coffee later, he was heading to the Paradise parking lot at Mount Rainier National Park. Dressed in top-tier mountain running gear, including Arcteryx shoes and Black Diamond microspikes, he queued up a French reggae playlist and set his sights on the 14,410-foot summit.

At exactly 5 a.m., Kearns took off. Three hours and fifty-three minutes later, he was back at his car, shattering the previous Fastest Known Time (FKT) for a "car to car" ascent and descent of Washington's tallest peak. The old record, held by Alex King since June 2021, stood at 4 hours and 14 minutes. Kearns crushed it by over 20 minutes.

For those unfamiliar, FKTs are the gold standard in the outdoor world—a timer starts at your vehicle and doesn't stop until you return after conquering iconic natural features like El Capitan or entire mountain ranges. It's a test of endurance, grit, and precision.

Kearns, born in Mancos, Colorado, near Durango, was practically born into the mountains. His outdoorsy parents introduced him to skiing, running, and cycling early, and by age 12, he was already running ultra-marathons in the high-altitude terrain of the San Juan and La Plata mountains. After a track career in high school, he shifted focus to alpinism, skiing, and climbing at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Graduating in 2023, Kearns wasted no time—he grabbed the FKT on Mount Hood (also from King) for fun. "This put me back into the mindset of mountain running again," he shared. He then followed the coast to Washington, living out of his truck and training relentlessly with long link-ups and speed runs across various ranges. In 2024, he set his sights on Mount Rainier, and the rest is history.