Tyler Andrews on Surviving Aplastic Anemia, Running Everest in 9:55, and a Decade of Grinding

Joe De Sena sits down with Tyler Andrews, a cancer survivor turned elite endurance athlete who just set the fastest known time from Everest Base Camp to the summit: 9 hours and 55 minutes, breaking a 23-year-old record held by Lakpa Gelu by over an hour.   This episode breaks down exactly how Tyler trained for Everest with hypoxic machines simulating 38,000 feet, a 6,000-foot mountain climb five days a week out his back door in Quito, and a strength program built with a Tour de France-level performance lab.   They also dive into why a decade of consistency matters more than early talent, how to structure altitude and endurance training for extreme goals, and what it took to outpace a record that stood for over two decades.   Things You Will Learn: Why the athlete who was not even the best runner on his Division Three team eventually broke a 23-year Everest speed record. The specific training structure Andrews used to prepare for a single-push summit attempt: hypoxic sessions, uphill volume, and strength work. What aplastic anemia survival at age six taught him about patience, gradual progress, and not boxing yourself into one identity. Tools & Frameworks Covered: Progressive Distance Scaling: Start at the distance where you are competitive, then move up one level at a time. 5K to 10K to half marathon to marathon to 50K to FKT to Everest. Each step confirms the next is possible. Hypoxic Layering: Train at moderate altitude daily (10,000 feet), add simulated extreme altitude on a stationary bike (up to 38,000 feet) for 10–12 hours per week, and stack that on top of sport-specific uphill volume. Decade Rule: Do not expect overnight results. A decade of consistent love of the process and daily grinding is what separates mediocre early performance from record-breaking later performance.   If this episode moved you, do not just listen. Do something about it. Sign up. Show up. Do the work. Spartan.com. No more excuses.   Chapters: <span class= "author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz80zsz81z9ytz75zz83zc2kz79zwz71zz75znvz67zixvcz65zrz67z