FKT Podcast

Hillary Allen speaks with Kelly Newlon of Real Athlete Diets: "Delicious, performance orientated food for active people"!  On June 1 Timothy Olson will start his attempt on Pacific Crest Trail, and Kelly will be there as part of his crew. For 52 days.  What will that be like?  How can diet support a huge effort like this? “I reach out to a Registered Dietician in order to fill in the holes of my k...

The PCT is one of our 10 Premier Routes for good reasons! It is 2,597 miles long, with 420,880' of vert, passes through 25 national forests and 7 national parks ... and is competitive.   And Timothy has been a top ultrarunner, with two wins at the Western States 100 including a Course Record.  Game on! "When you have an opportunity like this, you take it. You go all in." His byline is "Mindful mou...

GOOD TIMING! This podcast was recorded on April 26; when asked "What is next", Dylan divulges he's going for an (undisclosed) FKT "This coming weekend" ... But first, Co-Host Hillary Allen asks D-Bo about his FKT on the Wonderland Trail last year. "I fell into a pandemic funk, too many IPA's, so needed a goal.  We had just moved to Portland Oregon, a couple hours from the Wonderland Trail. I was i...

Hillary is a podcast host (this one and two others), North Face athlete, gravel bike racer, scientist, and now a book author - this is a good conversation! "I don't recommend falling off a 150' cliff, but everyone has a place where they can grow." Hillary almost died while running the Tromsø Skyrace in Norway in 2017.  It was a hard road back.  She learned a lot and describes this process with tot...

Co-Host Hillary Allen discusses bike-packing with two of the best, as they explain the style of these races, which is informative to hikers and runners. The ethos for all bike-packing races is Self-Supported. "Generally the consensus is you are carrying your own food and water, you are not caching; the point is you can buy or obtain anything along the route as long as it is available to everyone e...

The FKT scene in New England has always been very competitive - rather than inventing obscure new route they go faster on the existing lines. The Presidential Traverse is the marquee route - new fastest times often are better than the previous by less than 2 minutes! "People now will train specifically for a route, then do a full taper; the FKT is their race, not an extra thing they do on the side...

Ryan Ignatz is an expert on electrolyte replacement and hydration, and can perform a Sweat Test to determine the exact amount of Sodium YOU lose when exercising. Everyone is very different so this is important! He tested me - what was the result?? "You lose 1,453mg of Sodium per liter of sweat. You are a very salty sweater." I rarely supplement my fluid intake with electrolytes. Does that mean I'v...

There are a million newsletters out there, and Semi-rad.com is the only one I subscribe to. Why? Because Brendan illustrates (literally) how runners actually feel and think - and laugh! "Pizza is a better invention than the Internet." He wrote and produced an excellent video, which has received over 5 millions views because it was real, called "How To Run A Hundred Miles." He even once interviewed...

Co-host Hillary Allen asks, "You set an FKT just two days ago - what FKT did you crush this weekend?" Tyler quickly answers, "It crushed me! I've been wanting to do the Lost Coast Trail for years, and finally did it." The Lost Coast is called that for a reason - located in a state with a population of 40 million, one runs along a deserted beach (be sure to first check the tide tables), then over a...

Joe McConaughy and Coree Woltering independently decided to try for an FKT on the Arizona Trail. Our Social Media Coordinator Allison Mercer heard about this, contacted them, with the result being Joe and Coree decided to start at the same place at the same time ... and see who makes it from the Mexican border to Utah first! "I think we'll have different FKT strategies ... I'm not sure how much he...

"Super fast" describes Brittany - she ran a 2:33 at the Olympic Trials Marathon for 13th place - but she had never set foot on a trail. Since then she won the Pikes Peak Marathon and last month set the Course Record at Moab Red Hot. "I had this stigma about trail runners in my head, like they all were burly with beards. And there were wild animals out there." "But then Covid hit, so no races. And...

One of best known ultrarunners of his generation definitely has not stopped going big and going long ... he now does it across four different sports.  Running, climbing, skiing, and cycling (but no hiking!)  "I never thought or said, 'I'm not a runner anymore'; the space just opened up to do these other sports I'd always been interested in." Once known as the "Apostle of Minimalism", Tony might no...

Roman Dial has done things you never imagined. Do you aspire to do a 100 mile trail race? He's never done one - instead he invented races that make 100's look like a 10k in Central Park. "Three of us decided to see how far one could go completely Unsupported. I ended up hiking 625 miles across Alaska in 25 days. All food and gear with me start to finish. My pack weighed 59 lbs; 45 of which was foo...

Dr. Teddy Bross has finished seven 100 mile races (and 12 of the Nolan's 14 summits :-), and is a physician. Host Hillary Allen asks him for his best advice to manage your long projects in the winter. "The R2R2R.alt is probably too short a swim to develop hypothermia, but is a perfect scenario for 'cold shock'." Teddy confirms Rob Krar's theory (previous week's podcast), that rather than taking th...

What's it like to run long and hard, as a couple? Is it easier or harder; more fun or a struggle? Host Hillary Allen speaks with Brittany Peterson and Cody Lind, who as a team set a big FKT on the Superior Hiking Trail last year, bettering the previous Male time by 18 hours and the Female by over 2 days. "Western States will be interesting - she'd like me to pace her, and I'd like her to pace me!"...

Rob and Mike not only did a great route in fine style, but their photo went big in the FKT world. (It should be on the cover of Outside Magazine!) R2R2R.alt runs across the Grand Canyon, with the same distance and elevation profile as the very popular (overpopulated?) Rim to River to Rim to River to Rim route. Big difference: there is no bridge across the river - have to swim! Join co-host Hillary...

Use this Discount Code!  15% off your first order via their website: FKT Hydration, electrolytes, cramping ... do you need to know more?  Of course you do!  This podcast delivers excellent information - Andy knows what he is talking about - and our own Allison Mercer tested the products. We used to be told to drink up to a gallon of water per day - but more people are hospitalized with Hyponatremi...

The finale! Voters selected the top two FKTs in Europe for Female and Male, from a Nominations List of 23, out of 1,308 FKTs set in Europe in 2020. Each one is different. Each person tells their story, in their own words.  Listen up! Are you enjoying the podcast?  Help us keep doing it - please Donate now: https://www.patreon.com/fastestknowntime https://fastestknowntime.com/support

There were 1,308 FKTs set in Europe in 2020.  A panel of experts nominated 23 of the best, then they voted.  Here is the #3 Woman and the #3 Man; next week we hear from the Top two’s. We start with an Introduction to the European FKT with Matt Lefort, a native of France, who’s been living in Andorra for 12 years, and just moved to Norway. He offers good insights that set the stage. Let’s listen to...

Listen to the amazing stories, directly from the people who did them! Wrapping up the 2020 Fastest Known Time Of the Year Award for North America in this order. Thanks to presenting sponsor, The North Face! Sabrina Stanley - #2 Female - Nolan's 14 2d 0hr 49m; 100mi; 42,000' Joe McConaughy - #2 Male - Long Trail 4d 23h 54m; 273mi; 65,370' Kelly Halpin - #1 Female - Wind River High Route 2d 11h 37m;...

This is a big podcast! We hear stories from who the voters selected as their most inspirational FKTs. Thanks to presenting sponsor, The North Face! FKT'ers we talk to today in order: Adam Kimble - #5 Male - Tahoe Rim Trail 1d 13h 12m 15s; 170mi, 26,913' Alyssa Godesky - #4 Female (tie) - Adirondack 46 High Peaks 3d 16h 16m; 160mi; 67,412' Kaytlyn Gerbin - #4 Female (tie) - Wonderland Trail 18h 41m...

The 2020 FKT of the Year Awards are presented by The North Face. There were 2,784 FKTs set in North America in 2020 - yikes! How do we sort them out, and find the coolest ones? Hillary and Alex are here to help. "Women set FKTs this year that were the fastest Overall - Hillary" "There were 10 different FKTs on just the Wonderland Trail this year - Alex" "Joey's Unsupported time on Nolan's beat the...

YOU asked, and the experts answered! These are just some of the questions from our listeners... What type of sun protection is best? "I'm a fan of covering up" - Mary "A hooded shirt is the way to go" - Andrew Is "Sunscreen the New Margarine?" - Buzz How much of a difference do trekking poles make and how to know when to use them? "Poles are standard equipment. Like wearing a shirt." - Andrew "The...

Sean McCoy has been with the Gear Junkie since this excellent website was started 14 years ago - he knows gear!  Need a holiday gift idea?  Wondering what you need for your next FKT? Sean has been there, seen that - what are his recommendations? "I'm an adherent to the 'buy once, cry once' philosophy - if it's a sport you're committed to, get the best now, and then use it until it falls apart." Ol...

Four short highlights from Season One you may have missed or need to hear again. The best 10 minutes from each! Episode 1: Tony Krupicka on the Longs Peak Duathlon (our most listened-to podcast ever). Free-soloing is all about "how you feel". "Sometimes being successful means just getting back to the car. Alive.” Episode 2: Karel Sabbe crushes the FKT on the Appalachian Trail. How did he beat the...