President Trump has pardoned a trail runner who briefly used a restricted path last year while attempting to break a record for running up and down Grand Teton, the tallest peak in the Teton Range of western Wyoming.
Federal prosecutors had charged the runner, Michelino Sunseri, with using a prohibited trail, in what he and critics called an example of overreach.
On Monday, Mr. Sunseri, an ultrarunner who lives in Idaho, wrote on Facebook: “In an unbelievable twist that even Hollywood couldn’t write, I woke up this morning to find out I’ve been given a PRESIDENTIAL PARDON from Donald J. Trump.”
He posted a pardon letter signed by Mr. Trump, as did Alex Rienzie, one of Mr. Sunseri’s attorneys. The White House confirmed that Mr. Trump had granted the pardon.
Mr. Sunseri’s pardon stands out as a nonpolitical one, and came on the day that Mr. Trump granted clemency to dozens of people accused of trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including his former lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani.
Mr. Sunseri used a shortcut on Sept. 2, 2024, on his way down the mountain to avoid hikers, which led him to a “restricted” trail, according to the Pacific Legal Foundation, which helped in his legal defense.
During that run, Mr. Sunseri broke a speed record, going up and down the 13,775-foot peak in two hours, 50 minutes and 10 seconds.
Days later, federal prosecutors filed charges against him, saying he had violated National Park Service regulations that prohibit people from straying from designated trails because of concerns that it could lead to erosion.
Mr. Sunseri and the legal foundation argued that others had used the restricted trail in past record-breaking runs on Grand Teton.
“We’re not done fighting against unconstitutional regulations that give low-level park officials the power to criminalize harmless conduct,” Michael Poon, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation, said in a statement on Monday.
Mr. Sunseri was convicted in September of taking the shortcut, a misdemeanor.
“This case was a massive waste of taxpayer money and government energy from the start” Mr. Sunseri wrote on Facebook, adding: “Unfortunately, instead of working with me, the system tried to make an example of me.”
Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news.
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