On November 7, 2025, just over two months after being found guilty for cutting a switchback in Grand Teton National Park while attempting to set a fastest known time (FKT) on Wyoming’s Grand Teton, ultrarunner Michelino Sunseri received a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump, clearing him of the charges.
The controversy all started on September 2, 2024, when, after running from the trailhead to the summit, Sunseri cut a switchback on the established trail on his descent, taking the “old climbers’ trail” instead. The shortcut has a precedent of use, but had been marked closed by two small signs. After Sunseri posted his track on Strava, he acknowledged cutting the controversial switchback, but said, “I would 100% make the exact same choice” if he did it again. A few days later, the National Park Service (NPS), the government agency that administers the U.S.’s national parks, including Grand Teton National Park, issued him a mandatory citation under 36 CFR 2.1(b), which prohibits shortcutting on federal trails. It was a Class B misdemeanor charge and punishable by up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine.
Michelino Sunseri warms up before the 2025 Trail World Championships Short Trail. Photo: iRunFar/Eszter Horanyi
The situation escalated quickly and became a heated topic in the outdoor world, raising questions about environmental ethics and prosecutorial overreach. Much of the controversy was based around the charges and potential punishment, and whether it was all too much for cutting a switchback. Sunseri’s defense team, led by Jackson-based attorney Edward Bushnell and including Harvard Law graduate Alex Rienzie, had argued that the case exemplifies overcriminalization. Rienzie, a filmmaker, had also been documenting Sunseri’s FKT. The defense team raised concerns about the punishment for the crime, citing a May 9, 2025 Executive Order from the White House, which called for federal agencies to avoid unnecessary criminal penalties for regulatory infractions.
In fact, on May 19, the day before the trial began, Frank Lands, NPS operations deputy director stationed in Washington, D.C., attempted to stop the trial by sending an email to Grand Teton National Park officials and the lawyers involved stating, “We believe that the previously offered punishment, a five-year ban and fine, is an overcriminalization based on the gravity of the offense. Therefore, we withdraw our support.”
Michelino Sunseri outside the courthouse at his trial for cutting a switchback during his 2024 Grand Teton FKT attempt. Photo: Brad Boner
Still, the trial went on, and after two days of testimony, including some from well-known trail runners who admitted to taking the shortcut before, U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick deliberated for over three months and found Sunseri guilty on September 2, 2025.
