Canadian Nick Elson Gets Speed Run Record up Half Dome


Speed records, also called fastest known time (FKT) in the running world, are becoming more and more popular.
Canadian Nick Elson, 34, has claimed the speed record for a fast lap up and down Half Dome in Yosemite.
Dean Potter set the record at 2:17:52 back in 2015 in a combination of climbing and running.
Elson followed Potter’s descent route in both directions (involving a combination of the hiking trail and the route known as Snake Dike), resulting in the “fastest non-technical route” and an impressive new FKT of 2:03:52.
Ten days after Potter set the record, he and friend Graham Hunt were killed in a wingsuit accident, also in Yosemite.
“With hardcore rock and ice climbing and high-altitude alpinism ingrained in his DNA, Nick Elson is poised to become a world-class force in organized mountain running events,” said Squamish climber Rich Wheater.
“But more so, his primary interest in wilderness adventure hints that his potential will likely be realized in the world’s great mountain ranges, far from any crowds.”
Elson is also credited with helping save Adam Campbell’s life in 2016 when Campbell suffered life threatening injuries during a mountain run in British Columbia.