FKT Podcast

This is a re-airing of our November 15, 2019 episode exploring 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 ov...

On October 18, Drew ran back and forth across the Grand Canyon 4 times (R2R2R2R2R). It was his third try, so he learned some things! Which he shares with you ... "They start turning off the water when the weather gets cold. So there's a narrow window when most people try this. I did the first R2R2R at night, so the warm sun made starting the second lap easier." This route was 83 miles, with 22,000...

We finish our 3-2-1 countdown interviews from the Men's podium of the US Mountain Running Championships with the winner, Joe Gray. Joe is one of the best mountain/trail runners in history.  He is very articulate and insightful, and is extremely well respected by other runners, while some casual runners may not have heard of him.  How can that be?  Let's correct it! Joe has won a ridiculous 20 Nati...

We are counting down the podium from the US Mountain Running Championships!  Last week: Joe Demoor, #3.  This week: Max King, #2.  (Stay tuned for next week!) Max runs everything ... does he have the widest range of any runner ever?  He was the World Mountain Running Champion, which is a steep hammerfest of only 12km, then 3 years later became the World 100km Champion, running on a flat paved circ...

When asked if he wanted to be a guest on the podcast, Joe wrote back, "I realize this will be a bit about talking about myself, which I have to admit is one of my least favorite activities." Right on! Joe is the kind of person we especially like talking with. Called the "quiet crusher" by some friends, Joe is a classic mountain person: he works hard, runs hard, and doesn't need to talk about it. H...

Welcome back to a classic episode of the Fastest Known Podcast. That’s right, this week we are re-airing our August 15th, 2020 interview with Kelly Halpin who had just completed the Wind River High Route, solo and unsupported. The route is about 97 miles with 30,000 feet of vertical gain. Her standard point to point route FKT still stands over a year later. A new men’s FKT was set this summer by D...

This is a 42 day thru-hike with almost 300,000 feet of elevation gain, summiting all 58 Colorado 14ers ... entirely self-supported, solo, never getting into a car ... how did he do that?! "For the 3 months leading up, I did more pre-planning on this than my work." "I didn't publicize this in advance. You have to Walk the Walk before you Talk the Talk". "Some people are like, "Why isn't there more...

Bethany wrote to us: "One year ago, Katlin Rhodes and I came together and became the first women to complete the 46 unsupported thru-hike. That summer was my first with Strava and a GPS watch. She and I have learned a lot in one year and have combined for 23 FKTS, going after some big and small. From the thru-hike, I began ambassador work with SheJumps, a national non-profit that promotes more wom...

Scott is the best US Male Ultra Runner ever.  That may change, but for now, no one can match 7 consecutive wins at the WS100 plus wins at other marquee events. He set the S-N FKT on the fabled Appalachian Trail in 2015, with a desperate effort at the end, eclipsing Jennifer Pharr Davis' time by 3hrs 13mins.  The next year Scott's friend Karl Meltzer lowered it by 9hrs 29mins, then "the Belgian Den...

This year, hundreds of square miles in the western US has been on fire, resulting in terrible air quality which often has exceeded EPA guidelines.  Dr Kevin Shilling is a long time ultrarunner, was 10th at the HR100 this year, and is a pulmonary physician based in Salt Lake City.  So we ask him an important question: When does air pollution get so bad it's better not to exercise? "That depends on...

It's a great time to re-air our 2020 interview with Courtney Dauwalter who - only 1 week ago - won her second consecutive Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc title, setting a new women's course record in the process. On top of all that she was the 7th finisher overall. During 2020 when UTMB was canceled, Courtney turned her attention to setting an FKT on the Colorado Trail, going from Durango to Denver. In...

"Mediocre"?  I don't think so! Zack has done 7 ultra races and won all of them.  And he's from Kentucky, proud of it, and why maybe you haven't heard of him. "I like the east. It's green. I'd like to try some things out west, but I'm happy here." Zack graduated in 2017 with a double degree, went to work ... and quit 3 days later. "Running is what I love.  Yes, I took a pay cut, but this is what I...

Riding and Running on trails is more connected than you know!  The Western States 100 originally was a horse race, not a running race.  And this year Susie Kramer did both, with one of the fastest combined times ever.  With a broken toe, after her horse stepped on it. "I guess some scar tissue had formed, so the pain wasn't too bad." Yeah, endurance horse riders are tough. Ride and Tie is a very t...

89 FKTs is a lot!  And 51 of them have been in 2021, including sometimes 2 in one day.  I presume this is intentional? "I used to race more, but the pandemic caused me to focus on where I live.  And we have a huge history here - some of these routes go back hundreds of years." "It's always about the journey, not the goal.  But FKTs are great - this has provided the structure for me to learn and ex...

Wow - a new running shoe company! That's gotta be hard - why are these two men doing it? "We've been designing shoes for 25 years for other company's. There was always a compromise. We wanted to build a shoe that was the absolute best - no compromise." "We're always told what the price has to be, and then worked backward from there - we wanted to start with the best product and go forward." Can a...

He's done it again! After 5 YEARS of planning, Andrew climbed the hundred highest summits in Colorado in a huge non-stop effort of 22 days. And established two new Routes and FKTs within that effort along the way. And he claims he's not that fit ... "I don't know what it is about me; I can just suffer and keep going." No argument there! He tells great stories of being alone at night in the high mo...

There are 490 FKT Routes in the UK - get the insider scoop on them - Our two Regional Editors from the UK tell us what is new and cool, and then walk us through some classic FKT routes. "1,051 FKTs have been reviewed and Approved in the UK in the last 12 months - that's 3 per day - it's been really busy!" These are all really long, super hard efforts - many of these are multi-day, and some have ov...

The 2021 Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run starts today. Two days before the run an important meeting took place where the event announced a new policy to increase women’s participation. Starting in 2022, the percent of women’s entrants will be no less than the percent of women’s lottery applicants. Darcy Piceu who won the the race three times (2012-2014) is now a Hardrock 100 board member and s...

You need to hear this inspiring story! Jim Mann, a top ultrarunner from Scotland, had this brilliant idea: ask race directors to give runners the option of having a tree planted in their name instead of being given still another t-shirt that won't get used. "The reason for starting this was 2 fold - I had loads of race t-shirts and kept getting more (I couldn't wear them all and they don't wear ou...

Coree rose to prominence after his 21 day FKT on the Ice Age Trail, exactly one year ago. Before that he was seen rockin' a Speedo on the 10-part "World's Toughest Race" show on Amazon Prime (a great series). Coree has fun, and he has style. This is a very fun conversation with an intelligent and unique person - don't miss his captivating thoughts! "We intended to start everyday at 5:30am - the fi...

The Boundary Waters is 1.1 million acres of incredible glaciated terrain way up in northern Minnesota on the Canada border, and yet is the most-visited Wilderness Area in the United States. Because it is so good. Even if YOU have never been there! "Boundary Waters is as remote as it gets. Alex had everything dialed - those people are hard-core canoists - they paddled over two hours to get to the s...

“The animals never forget who we are because they see us every day in their world,” added Angelo. “The best way to remind ourselves who we are and where we belong is to go out into the world and have relationships with our relatives.” Angelo Baca is a Navajo and Hopi filmmaker, and a PhD candidate in sociocultural anthropology at NYU. A graduate of the Native Voices Program at the University of Wa...

Dave is old school: extremely nice and will never talk about himself ... but don't enter a race that he is in, because you will probably get beat by a guy with one leg. How would you feel about that? (He feels fine.) On May 22, 2015, during a casual run above Boulder, Dave stepped on a large boulder which rolled 30' downhill, landing on top of his leg. He lay pinned there for hours, calmly directi...

Co-Host Hillary Allen asks Jason the obvious question, "Why go for 100 FKTs?" "It's been a wild journey; in the works for two, going on three years. I had a wild 2020; I did 60 FKTs last year." "The game gets harder the more you play it. I had to learn new skills, get more creative, become better." How do you find the time to do all this? "If you know Ironman training, you know I was used a lifest...

Many climbers and hikers visit Indian Creek and the Needles District of Canyonlands NP each year; they run a trail for 10 miles, or climb a couple of 200 foot routes, then leave, feeling pretty good about their accomplishment. Heidi has been everywhere on 350,000 acres for 56 years, winter and summer. She knows every spring, every route, and countless Anasazi petroglyphs you never knew existed. Du...