FKT Podcast

Josh has run in 13 different countries in a single day, and run a 5k in all 50 states in 6 days! Like the Jared Campbell Episode 61, Josh is a spreadsheet maestro. "The elite talent I lack can be made up for in logistical planning." Josh lives in Michigan and sets FKTs in the western mountains - Midwesterners take note - you can do this! "R2R2R.alt has the same elevation profile as the over-crowde...

The success or failure - and misery or enjoyment - of a project is often dependent on your partner! Everyone intuitively knows this but we rarely hear any discussion about it - so let's discuss it with Jared Campbell. Talk in advance to ascertain: - Are we inspired by this route or is it a 'resumé-builder'? - Will there be media coverage or will it be private? - Is this 'do or die' or are we going...

Jared discusses the 4 key components - - - 1) Planning Everything is in a spreadsheet! Best weather advice ever (Skurka) Snotel site Plot your route in CalTopo Follow your route using Gaia Best article on how to prolong battery life of your smart phone (Dixon) Rehearse in advance crux technical maneuvers and any new gear "Plan where you're going, and also plan where you might have to bail". 2) Gea...

What is the relationship between speed and safety? What is the boundary and how do you know when you're hitting it? Ultrarunners have the fitness to get really far into the backcountry, but do they have the skill and experience to get back safely? "People are drawn to these routes, because they're super aesthetic, iconic lines. But are they over their head?" "You can download a .gpx file and just...

In 2016 Joe climbed all 57 Colorado 14ers, self-powered, riding his bike to each mountain, taking 31 days - and he didn’t bring a foam pad. Earlier he entered the Colorado Trail Mountain Bike race - on a non-suspension bike with a leather saddle. "An ideal aesthetic is not necessarily a rational thing, it's an emotional feeling." He has finished 2nd, 3rd, and 6th at the iconic Hardrock 100. He's d...

Leor won 36 of the 42 races he entered, then in 2013 stopped racing to do FKTs. He held the FKT on the John Muir Trail AND the High Sierra Trail at the same time - then stopped doing FKTs too! What is his new passion? "Big Sur is just as wild as the High Sierra - there are places no one has ever seen". "I've cataloged 157 waterfalls - some I call "FKS's" - First Known Sighting!" See great photos a...

We discuss the highlights of the year so far, and note that unlike in previous years, there have been no major efforts on the AT, the PCT, or the JMT. Why is that? "FKTs in my opinion can leave the trails and be more creative.” “And maybe the big routes have become too fast!” The California 14ers were just done by a woman, it is somewhat uncommon for a woman to go solo on the technical routes; why...

Once again Chris McDougall finds a seed of truth and sprouts it into a great story - this time the millennia-old bond between animals and humans, and how that connection can still nurture us. And frustrate us, if you've just entered a burro race. "If you and that burro aren't of the same opinion where you're going and how fast, it can drag you up the side of a cliff or through a boulder field." -...

The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup encircles Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Joey lives IN Little Cottonwood Canyon! "The Rustler Lodge is closed in the summer, so it's just 3 of taking care of 85 rooms. It's like 'The Shining'". Joey spent 56 days going NOBO on the AT in 2014 for a new Self-Supported FKT, but he took one car ride to a hospital due to injury ... so he didn't claim it. He is not sponsore...

From an FKT on the Ptarmigan Traverse to 61,000 vertical feet skied in one day, Mike Foote is as skilled as he is at home in the mountains. But here's question: What's the dumbest thing you've ever done? "My first time skiing I didn't have skins, so for traction I duct-taped pine boughs to the bottom of my skis. Then I fell into a cornice overhanging a 1,500' cliff." Listen to Mike's humble, humor...

Katie is from Maine; Germain from France - they both were top 10 at UTMB, then went to New Hampshire for their passion project: the Hut to Hut Traverse. They ran the whole Traverse together, with Katie 2 hours ahead of the previous female FKT. "I was on 'Croo' for 4 summers, and told Germain how at the end of every summer we saw how fast we could go between the 8 Huts." - Katie "The trails in the...

This August, the pair went sub-4 days on the WRHR, a terrific 100 mile traverse of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. "I was into backpacking and climbing, then discovered trail running and loved the lightweight freedom ... I'm fascinated by how far the human body can go, and how much you can see and experience." This is one of the finest routes of its kind in the world, designed to replicate the Si...

The competition is intense - how do you start a new running shoe company, and be successful? "My friend gave me a prototype, and I said, 'forget it, don't even try, you'll never succeed against the big shoe company's. But then I tried them on." "We typically don't talk about the product, we just ask people to try them, and that's what comes back: 'Running on clouds.'" This is a fun discussion with...

Luke has FKTs on the Idaho 12ers (9 summits over 12,000'), and the Utah 13ers (17 over 13,000'). A few weeks ago he did the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup, a gnarly but entirely logical Jared Campbell route ringing Little Cottonwood Canyon, starting directly above Salt Lake City. "The WURL is a fascinating route; it took several years for me to feel ready to even try it. I wanted to be able to move...

The Cascade Trifecta, then the Rainier Infinity Loop - Solo and Self-Supported - one week apart! The Infinity Loop alone is 130 miles with 47,000' of elevation gain. How did he do it? "I slept for 90 minutes the first night, to optimize my summit to start at first light. Then 21 minutes the second night - because I was too tired to move. It delivers full value". "There's something that draws out t...

This is Sunny Stroeer's second appearance on the Fastest Known Podcast. As a person who not only attempts but thrives on self-supported, big mountain FKTs, Sunny offers honest perspective on what motivates women to try fastest known times. Whether it's the "confidence gap" or "low hanging fruit" FKTs, Sunny talks about what's changed in the landscape of women's FKTs since we spoke to her almost on...

Jennifer famously set the Overall record on the Appalachian Trail earning her National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, but is also the author of 7 books, a public speaker, runs a guide service, and is happily married with two children. So how did she go 11 DAYS faster than her previous effort? "I resolved to not set a limit on what I could do - no matter what happened, I would leave the Trail w...

No action yet on the JMT, PCT, or AT ... are the existing times just too hard? But Peter is processing 5-8 submissions per day from all over the world! And, stop worrying about "Supported" vs "Unsupported" - "If you want to go solo, go solo. If you want to go as a team, do that. But don't say one is better than the other." And what are the early candidates for this years FKTOY?? (someone has alrea...

Marcy and her husband John travel the US, living in a camper trailer, and knocking out FKT's everywhere they go. "We've been doing this for 10 years. It's a great way to see the country!" She's also a Hardrock finisher, and done a lap or two of Barkley. But her favorite race? "Big's Backyard Ultra. I'm not real fast, so the 'Last Person Standing' style suits me." Marcy's blog: http://marcy-twss.bl...

Josh is from Michigan - sounds mundane? Think again! You wouldn't believe what this guy is doing ... Fastest person to visit all 50 states - and run a 5k in each: 6d, 6h, 58mins! Most countries visited in one day - and run in each country: 13! Most 14ers climbed in one day: 10 "FKTs have become my new obsession. When I race, I pay a race fee. FKTs are 'free' but I appreciate what you are doing so...

Who won the inaugural Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc and the Hardrock 100? AND, who is a really nice person? You know it's Krissy Moehl. "I love running and I love sharing this with others". She set FKTs on some of the most iconic routes in the west: Tahoe Rim Trail, Wonderland Trail, Trans Zion, and R2R2R. She wrote "How To Run Your First Ultra", and if you purchase it from her website, it comes signe...

The Hut-Hut Traverse is a New England classic, especially with the "Croo" ... "The section between Greenleaf and Galehead is really steep and usually wet - you have to use your hands - that's what those trails are like." Jeff now lives in Colorado, with more big plans.  What's the difference between the Rockies and New England? "There's nothing like New Hampshire. And I'm still living the dream."

On June 20, Karl broke Kilian Jornet's time on Denali by 4 minutes. After more than 11 hours, it came down to the wire? "He used skis, so I was way ahead at the top, but he was much faster going down." Karl is going for FKTs on all the Seven Summits - he holds 4 of them simultaneously right now! "I'm not that fast, but I'm at home on glaciers, up high, in the mountains. This is what I was born to...

Very honest and insightful descriptions of what it takes to survive and thrive in the biggest events, from two of the best! "100 miles is really hard, it’s a long way - we’re not running for our lives; it’s something we choose to do. So what can we learn, how do we get through the dark places?" "I hate it too - but it's a soul-searcher - but you need it in your life." "FKTs are more personal; they...

In 2001 Flyin' Brian hiked the entire PCT, AT, and CDT in one calendar year. He changed the game. "The difference between impossible and possible is very narrow." Brian kept going - he's an engineer who likes to solve problems - so he worked at Barkley, and achieved the "course record" in 2008 on his third try. His wisdom is a delight: "Volunteer trail work is a real joy. I'm doing what I can; not...