Due to the pandemic, the Cirque Series — the premier max elevation mountain race — was canceled. That didn’t stop this runner from taking on a very big challenge. In fact, he logged 400K+ feet of elevation in 30 days, setting a new world record.
Chris Fisher just broke the Guinness World Record for max vert in a month (in October, though it’s only now official). How? He logged 400,246 feet of elevation gain by running up and down mountains — a lot, everywhere from Colorado to Salt Lake City, Utah. The 25-year-old from Breckenridge, Colo., also broke the record for “Combined Uphill & Downhill Max Vert” in a month.
Our burning question, and probably yours too: why would someone want to do this? And, if you are a runner who is thinking about a max vert challenge, how do you do it? Chris Fisher might have some answers.
Q&A With Chris Fisher
GearJunkie: For runners who aren’t familiar, what are max vert challenges?
Chris Fisher: The premise is to climb as many feet in a month, and see how far you can go. The Cirque Series started the whole thing — it started last year, so this is the second run. Editor’s note: Max vert is short for maximum vertical gain (also known as elevation gain).
My goal was to hit 400,000 feet. And I really wanted to get close to the record. The Guinness Record was something low like 118,000 feet. The actual record — held by Noah Brautigam from the 2020 Cirque Series — was 342,000 feet of vert.
GJ: What was it like to train for this?
CF: I was dealing with a bunch of injuries, so my training load leading up to it was actually much smaller. If I had to do it differently, I’d build up my training a little more so I’m not straining myself at the start of the month.
GJ: Where did you run? Did you run every day, and for how long?
CF: I ran the first 5 days in my hometown of Breckenridge. Then I drove out to Salt Lake City, Utah, and spent the rest of the month there. Last year I did the whole month in Colorado, and I think I climbed 24 different peaks. This time, I focused on staying in one place.
And I think just depends on your goals. I was going for 400,000 feet, so [staying] in one place was more efficient.
I was definitely doing laps most days. Depending on the trail, it was 5-10, sometimes 20. I did 8 laps on the Manitou Incline (which gains 2,000 feet in under a mile) in Colorado. That really sucked.
GJ: What hurt? Did you deal with any injuries?
CF: So I started with two 15,000-foot days, and my knees didn’t cooperate very much. I could barely walk uphill after. So I took a whole day off on Day 6 to get my knees checked out.
Then, I sprained my ankle (the same one) for the sixth time this season mid-challenge as well. I had a bunch of quad and calf issues, soft tissue issues that could’ve stemmed from the knee injuries. I tried to just push through, but the last week of the month I was battling tendonitis in my left foot. It was definitely bad.
GJ: What was your high point and low point of the month?
GJ: Was it as difficult as you expected?
GJ: What is your recovery routine like?
GJ: What are a few training tips you could give runners who want to tackle more vert?
The Max Vert World Record: Stats
- Total Max Vert: 400,331 feet/121,995 m
- Max 24-Hour Uphill/Downhill Vert: 18,530 feet/5,647 m
- Total Distance: 539 miles
- Longest Day: 25 miles
- Longest Trail: Grandeur Peak, summited about 20 times (1-2x/day)
- Steepest Trail Grade: 45%
- Average Trail Grade: 29-30%
Chris Fisher’s Essential ‘Max Vert’ Gear List
- Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 5
- Socks: CEP Compression Socks
- Rain: Rab Phantom Pull-On
- Clothes: Rab Force Tee, Rab Pulse Tee, and Rab Pulse Hoody
- Poles: Black Diamond Carbon Distance Z
- Headlamp: Black Diamond Spot
- Watch: Garmin Fenix 6
- Nutrition: Gnarly Fuel2O
- Recovery: Hyperice Hypervolt Massager
