It is the mountain everyone is told to climb slowly. So what happens when someone runs? In this episode of The Vertical Sky Journal, we tell the story of Kilimanjaro's speed records, the men and women who have raced the Roof of Africa, and the 16-hour attempt that began in a village called Mabungo.In this episode:* The July 2026 attempt on the summit and back in 16 hours, from the place one climber calls the mountain's true beginning* Where does a mountain actually begin? The lovely question behind the Mabungo start* Karl Egloff's astonishing 6 hours 42 minutes, and the record he took from Kilian Jornet* Simon Mtuy, the Tanzanian who did it unsupported in 9 hours 21, food and water on his back* The women's records, from the first single-day ascent in 2005 to 8 hours 32 in 2015* Why the record book is the exception that proves the mountain's oldest rule: pole poleBreathtaking, humbling and told honestly, this is Kilimanjaro at full speed, and the case for climbing it slowly.The Vertical Sky Journal is brought to you by Vertical Sky, an ethical Kilimanjaro climbing company that climbs the mountain the right way, looking after the guides and porters who make every summit possible.Prefer to read? There is a full written companion to this episode over in our Journal at vertical-sky.com.