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New Speed Record on Mt. Rainier
Chad Kellog breaks five hour barrier
August 16, 2004

On August 9th, 2004, Chad Kellog set a new unofficial speed ascent record on Mt. Rainier via Disappointment Cleaver, barely breaking the five hour barrier with a time of 4 hours and 59 minutes 01 seconds round trip.

Chad chose not to use any timing officials to officiate his climb, citing, "I believe that the climbing community has always relied upon the integrity and reputation of the climber to validate their accomplishments."

Below is a first hand account of Chad’s speed ascent:

At 6:00 A.M. I left the Paradise parking lot. I wore Montrail trail running shoes on the trail run up to Pebble Creek. I switched into Javelin shoes with spikes for the Muir snowfield and glaciers on the upper mountain. The day was warm with the expected freezing level to be higher than the summit. I wore light-weight pants and silk-weight long underwear and a thin pair of Outdoor Research gloves. I carried two liters of water, a set of poles (one fixed with a Black Diamond 'whippet', the other a lightened MSR), my minidisk player, a windbreaker, two bars and a GU.

I reached Camp Muir (10,188 ft) at 7:34 A.M. and continued to the top of the Disappointment Cleaver in 61 minutes from Camp Muir and then 57 minutes to the true summit, for a total ascent time of 3 hours and 33 minutes from the Paradise parking lot. There were a few people at the summit register that entered my name for me as I passed by, I never asked for their names, but thanks! I ran from the summit to Camp Muir in 45 minutes for an elapsed time of 4:18 hours, safely crossing all of the notable crevasses. I passed many guided parties on the descent from the summit and appreciated their encouragement along with the urging from the Muir Climbing Rangers as I ran through camp. The snow conditions were soft and I was able to make it down from Muir to Pebble Creek in 20 minutes flat. I changed back into my running shoes for the remaining descent. I made a better time on the lower part of the trail by using trail runners instead of leather boots like I used in 1998.

I arrived in the parking lot at 10:59:01 A.M., setting a new record and my personal best. I felt like my prior experience was crucial for an improved pace. My goal was to break the five hour barrier and I succeeded on a perfect day. I am very satisfied with my accomplishment.

Last year on June 17th, Chad unofficially broke the speed record for Denali’s West Buttress route, with a time of 14 hours and 22 minutes.

-- Mountainzone.com Staff