KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — When you think about mountain climbing records, you probably think of someone from Colorado. As it turns out, the real mountain man is from here in West Michigan.
Josh Sanders, 36, of Kalamazoo, owns two mountain climbing records after he successfully climbed 10 14,000-foot Colorado peaks in one day last week.
“I’m the fastest person to ever climb 10 peaks,” Sanders explained. “I did 10 peaks in 24 hours.”
Previously, he scaled the highest mountain in each of the contiguous states in 19 days, 7 hours.
Sanders competes in what’s known as “fastest known times” challenges, or FKTs. But when your goal is to conquer mountains in record time, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado can be unforgiving.
“Running down, I fell twice,” Sanders said. “A few bumps and bruises.”
But he has proven he’s up to the challenge.
“I love the mountains,” he said. “I’m very competitive and I don’t have a lot of time."
To pull off his speedy hikes, his training is often intense.