FKT Podcast

Simple question?  Let's hear answers from 3 people who should know: Peter Bakwin - Co-Founder; 26 FKTs (9th overall) Marcy Beard - 32 FKTs (4th overall) Jason Hardrath - 82 FKTs (going for 100!) Peter: • The route resonates with you - personal expression. • Do the homework - practice on it • If it's a new route, convince us why others will want to do it • Consider what might go wrong - then be fle...

Allison Mercer is our Social Media Coordinator. She and Ben Mercer met on the trails, she admired his FKTs, so they got married and now have set some together! In October they did the Georgia segment of the AT together, Unsupported, finishing it in "a Michael Jordan time of 23:23!" Allison also answers all your questions submitted on the Contact Form. So we quizzed her on the spot with actual ques...

What is an FKT Challenge? (Michael started one, and their Award Party is November 15). "These are the routes we like to run. They are quite technical. You can never be too competitive, because they are very rocky and steep, but that’s what we consider a good FKT route." "We had 100 people trying one route in one month." How do tourist boards help create FKT routes? "People were thinking, 'I’m not...

David, along with his wife Megan, is an excellent runner, and a renowned coach ... and is he also the most positive person in the world? We asked four of his clients what they thought! "He is very high bandwidth -- making hundreds of runners feel like he's truly their personal coach." "I'd say he's the most enthusiastically and eternally optimistic person there is when it comes to his athletes." '...

Meghan Hicks has run countless ultra marathons, while she seems to specialize in the really long adventures. Such as five top-ten finishes at the Marathon des Sables! More locally, she has great results on the iconic Nolan's 14 line. "I played around on the Nolan's line for 2-3 years before I thought it was even possible to do it". Then she set the Female FKT in 2016. Which Sabrina Stanley broke o...

Zoë is a podcast host (see link in her CV below), has graduate degree in Environmental Journalism, and could be a public speaker - you should listen to this one! "It's a tough time to be an independent publisher. I urge people, if there's something you like, you should absolutely become a supporter. It's not enough to just enjoy what we enjoy, we must become mindful consumers." And her insights on...

Sean O'Rourke defended his PhD thesis in 2009 (so he is a doctor) and instead of starting a job, immediately moved into is car so he could climb more mountains (thus he's a legit dirtbag too). And those 18 FKTs? "I’m a so-so runner and climber who has found a niche and focused on it." Nice work Sean! Dr Dirtbag has since written a book, bike-packed in South America, and ... lives out of a slightly...

Matt is a longtime endurance athlete who wrote a startling new book, just published on October 6, on the Alberto Salazar doping scandal and the dominant (domineering?) Nike Oregon Project. This corporate giant was on top of the running world, until Salazar was given a 4 year suspension last September 30, causing the NOP to shut down immediately after. INSIDE NIKE RUNNING AND ITS CULTURE OF DECEPTI...

This is cool! The two ladies started on the same route at approximately the same time, but from different places - who would complete the route first? "I’m very surprised we seem to be the first to have done a “race” style FKT, it certainly added a fun element to the attempt." - SARAH "It was good to know Sarah was out there - a little different because it added pressure, but helpful." - ALYSSA Th...

That's no typo: the Rocky Mountain Slam has 432,500' of elevation gain. He climbed 205 summits in 1,030 miles, and set FKTs on Colorado's Highest Hundred and the Wyoming 13ers en route, without attempting to do so. "This summer I had originally planned on a 2-month international mountaineering expedition, but had to cancel at the last minute due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions in early...

We've heard from people doing the incredible high routes, going non-stop often above timberline for days - now let's hear from one of the fastest FKT runners out there!

Dang - this is the last big route I always intended to do myself! It's that good, that big of a prize. Justin Simoni finally accomplished it, then 19 days later Nick Pedatella and Ryan Smith crushed this huge route on the Continental Divide in Colorado. "It seemed right on the edge of feasibility - that's what attracted us to it." Staying on the crest, they summited 50 named peaks all over 12,000'...

Thanks to PATH Projects for sponsoring this episode! Visit pathprojects.com "The World's Toughest Race" - probably is! After a 17 year absence, Bear Grylls brings back Eco-Challenge on steroids, with a massive budget and plenty of stories, all on a bigger and badder course. The 417 miles on Fiji, included all kinds of paddling, trekking, biking, ropes, and wading through hypothermia-inducing cold...

What's new, cool, and coming? Find out on our 100th podcast, with the four people who keep track of what you do. Sign up for the FKT Newsletter here! Very good content, and unlike most newsletters, it's not all advertising. Every Monday. FKTs in the news: Five Thirty Eight documents the increase in FKT's with great graphics in, "Canceled Races Aren’t Stopping Endurance Athletes From Setting Wild N...

Courtney once ran 279 miles ... and received a "DNF"! Huh? How did that happen? "They ring a bell when it's time to start, and if you don't go right then, you're out. That's it." "It takes two to tango, two to keep the game going, to see what's possible." From choices of candy, to Bronchitis on the Colorado Trail, and the amazing world of Big's Backyard Ultra, Courtney offers wonderful, simple, an...

She recently set an incredible unsupported FKT on the Wind River High Route - solo! We're talking with Jackson, Wyoming's Kelly Halpin, an artist and athlete who takes on huge challenges. Among her other notable FKTs is the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup (WURL). This episode is supported by Athletic Brewing Company. Go to www.athleticbrewing.com to buy their award-winning, no-compromise, non-alcoho...

Damian is highly respected in the UK, and it's easy to see why: besides a 5th place at UTMB and numerous big FKTs, his team collected trash all along the Pennine Way while setting a new FKT. "I've been thinking about this Pennine Way for 4 years, but at 268 miles I was intimidated by it. And I could always say, 'Well, I have a race to prepare for, I can't fit it in.' But this year of course, all t...

The Pennine Way is 268 miles long and one of the first National Trails in England. The FKT was held by Mike Hartley for 31 years until John broke it. Less than a week later, his friend Damian Hall broke it again! Both Mike and John in attendance at the finish - FKT action is really hot in the UK right now - will John have another go? I asked him - his answer is very interesting! John is a native o...

Seth is one of those 'fast guys'. On one of the legendary CU track teams. He ran a 1:06:50 Half Marathon - while running a full Marathon. Meanwhile, Seth set FKTs on many of the Colorado 14ers, from Longs Peak to Mount Elbert ... where he tied Anton Krupicka's 8 year old FKT ... to the second. The very next day, Ryan Phebus broke it by a mere 3 seconds! "After the pressure of college, I took 4-5 y...

There are now 52 Routes in Sweden, 34 of which were established just in the last few months!  Why? We like to challenge ourselves, and FKTs are a wonderful outlet. Our view is FKTs should be an ultra distance. Ultra indeed.  Welcome to the country that invented ÖTILLÖ, which is "island hopping" by swimming to multiple islands, running across them, then swimming to the next one. You just put two po...

Strava is everywhere! Quietly, not saying much, even though this company is fundamental in our recreational lives. But what goes on behind the curtain? Strava reminds me of Apple - the minimalist interface, the super clean look - and you don't spray, you let the products do the talking. We're focussed on what athletes need and want. We were able to hire the best people in San Francisco because the...

On June 15 Joe "Stringbean" McConnaughy took an entire DAY off the previous best Unsupported time on the oldest long trail in the US, Vermont's 273 mile Long Trail. How did he do it? Daylight is an under-recognized factor ... I would run the entire day with sunlight, set up camp at 9pm, eat as much food as I could, pass out for 2 hours until 11pm, be moving by 11:15, run until 3am, pass out at 3:1...

Jason Hardrath and Ashly Winchester have notched 81 FKTs - 61 for Jason, and 20 for Ashly - in only the last two years. "I'm not fast, but opportunistic, and will snag the women's FKT whenever possible." "I go back to what Peter Bakwin told me: FKTs are like art - you know it when you see it, and you know it when you don't." Their most recent FKT is the Lava Beds National Monument Traverse: "It's...

Tim Mills brings us news from across the pond, explaining the British FKT scene. Enjoying hearing from these great people? You won't hear any ads, there is just YOU - so we're suggesting a donation of $10 or more - please do it here: – https://www.patreon.com/fastestknowntime – https://fastestknowntime.com/support

Listen to me horribly mispronounce Bart's name, his kind correction, and then Bart explain the situation in Belgium: "Starting today, we have entered the 'Exit Strategy' in Belgium - groups of 20 can go for a run - but no competitions until at least 7/31." Western Europe has a VERY organized trail running scene - routes not only have their own webpages, but are all are clearly marked and identifie...