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American endurance athlete Hannah Otto has embarked on a Fastest Known Time (FKT) attempt on the ascent of Mauna Kea, Hawaii, considered one of the most difficult climbs in the world.
Source: Press Release
The challenge is extraordinary: an 88.5 km climb from sea level to the summit at 4,267 meters altitude, with over 4,175 m of elevation gain. The last 24 kilometers feature a particularly severe gradient, exceeding 20% in places, before a finish on an unstable gravel track. Between strong winds, extreme altitude, and degraded terrain, the event combines physical and mental difficulties.
In this project, named Infinite Pursuit, Otto explains that her goal goes beyond mere performance: it is as much about the pursuit of the record as it is about the appeal of the process itself, forged by over 20 years of endurance sport. The athlete describes a motivation fueled by the transformation of long-imagined dreams into concrete, ever more ambitious challenges.
Preparation was intense and adjusted until the last moment. After a season of international competitions, notably on the Lifetime Grand Prix, Otto traveled to Hawaii with her SCOTT Addict RC road bike. Local conditions necessitated rapid adaptation, particularly regarding the wind and the condition of the gravel track, whose unpredictable grading led to moving the attempt forward by one day.
This project illustrates an increasingly explored approach in modern endurance: pushing time limits on extreme routes, where strategy, weather, and effort management count as much as physical power.
Beyond the stopwatch, Hannah Otto describes an almost introspective experience, where the emotion of the start and the fascination for the challenge take precedence over the obsession with the result.
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