The post Para-Athlete Alexis Trougnou Sets Mount Kilimanjaro FKT, Helps Pave Way for Para-Speed Efforts appeared first on iRunFar.
On February 20, 2026, French athlete Alexis Trougnou set the men’s supported para-athlete fastest known time for ascending and descending Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. At 19,341 feet (5,895 meters), Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa.
Trougnou is visually and hearing impaired, and he recorded a time of 26 hours, 41 minutes, and 22 seconds for the approximately 30-mile (48 kilometers) Rongai Route. The route, which gains over 12,000 feet in elevation, approaches the mountain from the northeast and is less used than many of the other options. Trougnou had guides for visual and auditory assistance and called the project “Le Kilimandjaro Pour Voir Plus Haut,” or “Kilimanjaro to See Higher.” The project was driven by a strong purpose to show that impairment should never be a self-imposed limitation. He is the first para-athlete to set a fastest known time (FKT) on the mountain, the first person to submit an FKT on the Rongai Route, and one among a growing community of para-athletes setting speed records on routes around the world.
Alexis Trougnou (center) and his two guides setting a para-athlete FKT on Mount Kilimanjaro. All photos courtesy of Alexis Trougnou.
Trougnou has Usher syndrome, a genetic degenerative disorder that results in a loss of vision and hearing over time, and has a field of vision of less than five degrees. As stated in his report on the Fastest Known Time website, he sees “as if through a straw.” At night, he is blind, and during the climb, he relied completely on his main guides — Vanessa Marc Mórales and Florent Marc — to relay the conditions of every step to him. “The role of a guide is extremely demanding,” says Trougnou. “They must manage their own effort, find the best path, and at the same time, continuously communicate information to me. It is a real responsibility. I am very grateful to them, and without any pun intended, I place blind trust in them.”
A Team Effort
This was Trougnou’s first project at high altitude, and he and his guides first completed the Rongai Route over six days for reconnaissance and acclimatization. For this, they were accompanied by three Tanzanian guides and 18 porters from Explore Trekking Adventure, as well as Trougnou’s partner, Charlène Boucher, who managed all the administrative work for the project and was there to support Trougnou with daily tasks so that he could focus on the attempt itself.
Alexis Trougnou with his team on his way to setting a new para-athlete FKT on Mount Kilimanjaro.
For the actual record attempt, the team consisted of Trougnou, his two main guides, three Tanzanian guides, and three porters. Mórales, one of his main guides, holds the women’s supported FKT for the ascent and descent of Kilimanjaro via the southern Mweka Route. Trougnou didn’t personally know her before this project, but was inspired by her. He says, “A friend with the same condition as mine told me about a Kilimanjaro project, but I wanted to go beyond a simple trek. When I saw that she was accompanied by Vanessa Marc Mórales, I thought: Why not try to go for a record as a visually impaired athlete with Vanessa as my guide?” He reached out to Mórales on Strava, and she and her husband joined the team, alternating in the guiding role. According to Trougnou, although they were initially strangers, they have since built strong bonds.
Setting an FKT and Paving the Way
For the FKT attempt, the team set off from Rongai Gate at 4 p.m. on February 19 in favorable conditions, with only a brief rain shower at the start. Approximately 16 hours and 35 minutes later, after moving through the night, they reached the Uhuru Peak summit on Kilimanjaro at 8:35 a.m., allowing them to descend the most technically challenging and visually demanding section in daylight. Throughout the entire FKT effort, Trougnou’s guides continuously relayed the trail conditions so that Trougnou could negotiate the terrain safely, and they arrived back at the trailhead at 6:41 p.m on February 20.
Alexis Trougnou celebrates on the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Trougnou has completed athletic challenges before, including crossing France from east to west on a tandem bike and running the 75k Ultra Trail des Montagnes du Jura, but says this challenge “represented a real step into the unknown.” It required 18 months of preparation, with an average of five training sessions per week, as well as altitude training. “I have always had a competitive mindset through the different sports I have practiced,” Trougnou says. “Being part of an official record, having your name recognized on a global scale, is something powerful.”
But he is also keen to assert that this was a team success, not an individual one, and it was a chance to “change perspectives and break down prejudices,” hopefully inspiring others with impairments to push their boundaries. “For me, disability is not a barrier. It should not prevent you from dreaming or having ambition,” Trougnou says. “Whether you have a disability or not, the important thing is to dare, to surround yourself with the right people, and to stay determined.”
Speed efforts for para-athletes are a quickly growing segment of the sport. The Fastest Known Time website established a para-athlete category in early 2025, and at the time of this article’s publishing, it has documented 11 efforts by eight para-athletes, including Trougnou’s on Mount Kilimanjaro.
Alexis Trougnou on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Trougnou says he enjoyed the high-altitude experience — experiencing sensations he had never felt before — and hopes to do something similar again. For now, he will focus on more local projects that are less logistically and financially demanding, such as the Grande Traversée du Jura mountain bike route, or the GR20, a 112-mile (180k) trek across Corsica, France. “The idea remains the same: to challenge myself,” he says.
Filmmaker Pierre Petit, from Meije Productions, accompanied the team on the FKT and is currently producing a documentary about the project and daily life with a visual impairment.
Para-Athlete Alexis Trougnou Sets Mount Kilimanjaro FKT, Helps Pave Way for Para-Speed Efforts by Lydia Thomson.
