RIGHT NOW: American Ultra-Runner Tyler Andrews Is Racing Up Mount Everest in the Dark – Without Oxygen
Right now, as you read this, an American ultra-runner is climbing Mount Everest in the pitch darkness – without a single breath of supplemental oxygen.
Tyler Andrews, 35, left Everest Base Camp tonight (Thursday night Nepal time) with a single, audacious goal: to reach the summit by early Sunday morning and descend back down – all in one continuous push. His target is the no-oxygen speed record of 20 hours and 24 minutes, set by Kaji Sherpa back in 1998. A record that has stood for 27 years.
Not His First Attempt
This isn’t Andrews’ first shot at this record. He has tried before – and failed.
Last September, on the South Side, he was forced to turn back at 7,400 meters when weather conditions deteriorated rapidly. The mountain simply said “no,” and Andrews listened.
But he didn’t give up.
He went home, reset his mind and body, and came back harder.
The Treadmill Record: Just Training
In December 2025, Andrews set a world record for the fastest treadmill ascent of Everest’s full 8,848-meter elevation gain – completing it in 8 hours, 17 minutes, and 9 seconds.
That feat alone would be a lifetime achievement for most endurance athletes. For Andrews, it was just training.
Tonight is the real thing.
The Route and The Risk
Andrews is climbing the South Col route from the Nepal side – the same route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. But unlike those early pioneers, Andrews is doing it alone, in the dark, without supplemental oxygen.
The statistics are not in his favor:
Above 8,000 meters, the “Death Zone,” oxygen levels drop to just one-third of those at sea level.
Climbers who attempt the summit without bottled oxygen face a significantly higher risk of high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) , high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) , and death.
Only 2% of climbers have summitted Everest without supplemental oxygen.
Yet Andrews, a former competitive runner turned ultra-endurance athlete, has spent years preparing his body for exactly this challenge.
The Record He’s Chasing
Kaji Sherpa’s record of 20 hours and 24 minutes from Base Camp to summit without oxygen has stood since 1998. That is nearly three decades of dominance by a Sherpa – a people born and bred for high altitude.
If Andrews succeeds, he will not only break that record but also prove that a non-Sherpa athlete, trained in the lowlands of America, can compete at the highest level of high-altitude endurance.
If he fails, the mountain will keep his story – like it has kept so many others.
The Support Team
Andrews is not completely alone. He has a small support team at Base Camp tracking his progress and a climbing partner, Chip Ginther, accompanying him on the push. However, in the Death Zone, every climber is ultimately alone with their own lungs, their own legs, and their own will to survive.
What Happens Next?
By early Sunday morning Nepal time, we will know the outcome.
If Andrews succeeds: He will become the fastest person to climb Everest without oxygen – a record that has stood longer than many of his competitors have been alive.
If he fails: He will join the long list of athletes who have been turned back by the world’s highest peak.
But win or lose, one thing is certain: Tyler Andrews is climbing right now.
The mountain is dark. The air is thin. The temperature is far below freezing.
And somewhere up there, between Camp 3 and the South Col, a 35-year-old American is still climbing – pushing his body to its absolute limit – chasing a record that has evaded the world’s best for 27 years.
We will update this story as news becomes available.
Primary Sources:
Tyler Andrews’ official social media updates (Instagram/X)
Everest history records – Kaji Sherpa’s 1998 speed record
Himalayan Database – Everest summit statistics
Outside Magazine / Runner’s World – Andrews pre-race coverage