FKT Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Bad Training Advice ... plus good advice, with Hillary Allen - #178 Feb 25, 2022

Show notes

How many times have you heard bad training advice? Right; there's a lot of it. Here's a quick list, plus some (hopefully) good advice as well. More is Better. Maybe not - without rest and recovery, the stress of training just makes you tired instead of creating an adaptive response. Just Run. Most other sports emphasises technique, while some runners just run a lot - cardiovascular training is imperative, but poor form can lead to injuries and is inefficient. Strength Doesn't Matter. Especially for women and older athletes, and when on technical trails, it does. Strength training can help prevent injuries and prepare you up for increased training load, and aging athletes lose endurance slowly but lose strength significantly. Train Hard All Year. The best runners in the world go easy in the off-season. You should definitely keep moving, but recharge yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Paleo Diet Helps Endurance Performance. While eliminating processed foods is helpful for everyone, ancient humans certainly ate plenty of whole grains and beans. And each individual should do what works best for them. However, glycogen is our main energy source no matter what we eat, especially as exercise intensity increases, so taking in food that is easily converted to glycogen makes sense. "The fat burned during exercise is endogenous." - Hillary (Meaning it's already in your body from various food sources, as ingestion of fat can take hours to become available as energy). To Acclimate to Altitude, arrive at the race a couple days in advance. This may be the worst thing you can do. Most people feel fine the first day at altitude, poorly shortly after, and adjust in 3-4 days, and to actually increase your hematocrit level takes much longer. "It takes 19 days to make a red blood cell." - Dr. Tom Hornbein (told to Buzz personally). So your optimal arrival times are 3 hours, or 3 days, or 3 weeks in advance. There's more! Listen up.

Anton Krupicka - The endurance monster still does huge runs - and rides - #177 Feb 18, 2022

Show notes

Anton was our very first podcast, 3 1/2 years ago! He was very articulate even back then: "Sometimes being successful means getting back to the car. Alive." He was also Episode 127 last year: "I don't identify with any one sport - it's about the pure experience" He's still crushing some huge, creative routes; last summer he cycled to the 6 highest peaks in 6 different mountain ranges, ran up them, then got back on the bike. Alone, Unsupported. ""Sagebrush & Summits" was the focal point of my summer - it took most of July - and ultimately it set me up to race Leadville again in August." Indeed, after cycling 2,300 miles over 21 days, he finished 3rd in the Leadville Trail 100. Besides prodigious endurance, Anton also remains a very thoughtful student of the sport, and an extremely articulate spokesperson - don't miss his thoughts: "When I set an objective for myself, I'm really trying to create an experience that's going to be meaningful to me, and put me in a situation that will force me into a headspace and orientation to surroundings I don't get in everyday life. Even having a partner will be a different experience." The 6 summits, from the blog post for La Sportiva: Kings Peak in the Uinta Range (Utah’s high point, 13,528’); Grand Teton – the Teton Range’s high point, 13,775’); Granite Peak in the Beartooth Range (Montana’s high point, 12,807’); Cloud Peak – the highest mountain in Wyoming’s Bighorn Range, 13,166’; Gannett Peak in the Wind River Range, Wyoming’s high point, 13,804’; Longs Peak (14,255’) in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, the dominant peak of the northern Front Range.

Nick Elson: High, fast, and very technical - #175 Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

"People think the natural progression is from running to scrambling to climbing, but it's better to start climbing with a rope for safety. You gradually learn the skills, learn what you can do, then when you start scrambling you have the experience to do it safely" "The Grand Traverse was mostly 3rd and 4th class with some technical sections." What? The North Ridge is one of the 50 Classic Climbs of North America. You can tell Nick's background is climbing - very under-stated! Youtube video of a Traverse in the Tantalus Range : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8hROWRHUO8

Tyler Andrews: Want to climb Aconcagua? Our South American Regional Editor has the scoop - #176 Feb 11, 2022

Show notes

Tyler twice ran in the Olympic Marathon Trials, and now runs up the biggest mountains in South America. From a 2:15 marathon to climbing Aconcagua (22,841') in 3:32. "A big reason I went to Aconcagua is because that is where the best guys go." No kidding: the legendary Bruno Brnod still has the fastest round trip from basecamp, Kilian Jornet had and FKT before Karl Egloff (#1 FKTOY in 2019 on Denali) broke it, and now Tyler has the Ascent FKT from both Base Camp and the Trailhead (13,838' of vert). We discuss gear and tactics on the 'Big A'. Being one of the Seven Summits it is very popular, and large guiding company's set up lux operations at base camp. Clients then spend a week shuttling loads to camps up the mountain, in standard expedition style. Is this a required tactic, or does it just exhaust would-be climbers? "You are digging yourself into a hole the entire expedition." Tyler is very experienced, with 27 FKTs, climbing many of the big Andean summits. His thoughts on safety are a must-listen: "We see the stuff that goes well, but don't hear anything of what didn't. Out of those 27 FKTs, I've probably turned around or failed a hundred times. No, more than that." "There is a really fine line between being extremely tired and it being really hard, and needing to push through it, and the situation becoming unsafe, and needing to turn back." Tyler is also a professional coach who founded a coaching collective (read his list of coaches). (Correction: In the podcast Buzz said Alex Huber had a previous fast time on Aconcagua, but he had him confused with the Argentine guide Willie Benegas).

FKT of the Year #1 Winners - #174 Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

Nika Meyers FKT: Colorado Trail (CO) Time: 9d 14h 19m 00s Notes: 22 hours faster than a FKT set last year; Self-supported within 4 hours of Supported time Athlete Comments: "If you have a dream, go for it, because there will never be a perfect time. Be proud that you're going to take the risk." John Kelly FKT: Pennine Way (UK) Time: 2d 10h 04m 53s Notes: First to go sub 60 hours on the UK's most competitive and famous long trail. Athlete Comments: "These trails have a huge history. And the level of support has been incredible; I love the community here. This is a team effort."

FKTOY #3 and #2 Awards Announced - #173 Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

#3 Female: Anna Troup FKT: Pennine Way (UK) Time: 3d 00h 46m 37s Notes: The premier long trail in the UK is also very competitive; 8 hrs quicker than her own FKT set 2 weeks earlier Athlete Comments: "It was typical English weather, which means it rained most of the time.” "The classic style in the UK is full Support, partially because we've been doing this a long time, before GPS and watches and so forth, so people were just there to watch and verify you. And to share in the joy." #3 Male: Timothy Olson FKT: Pacific Crest Trail (CA, OR, WA) Time: 51d 16h 55m 00s Notes: Very consistent pace (51.3 mpd) on a very long trail (2,653 mi) while navigating numerous Fire Closures; 16 hrs faster than Karel Sabbe 2016 Athlete Comments: (None at this time) Previous Podcast: https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/137-timothy-olson #2 Female: Mikaela Osler FKT: Long Trail (VT) Time: 6d 11h 33m 00s Notes: Unsupported fast time on a gnarly Premier Route; 7min faster than Nika Meyers 2020 Athlete Comments: "If I had went Self-supported I could slept at my own house next to the trail! I underestimated the food so I was hungry the whole time. This Trail is so hard; there are no switchbacks." Previous Podcast: https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/118-fktoy-2020-p1 #2 Male: Karel Sabbe FKT: Via Alpina, Red Trail (Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, Monaco) Time: 30d 08h 40m 00s Notes: Traversed the entire Alps through 8 countries, starting and finishing on the sea; 14 days faster than Self-supported from 2019 Athlete Comments: "My plan was 87km/day, the same at the AT, but the Via Alpina has 20-25% more vertical gain. Originally I desperately wanted to hike the PCT, but didn't have enough time off work to do it slowly - that's how I got started with fast thru-hiking." Previous Podcast (our 2nd ever!): https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/episode-2-karel-sabbe

FKTOY #5 and #4 Awards Announced - #172 Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

#5 Female: Addie Bracy and Corey Conner FKT: Grand Canyon R2R2R (AZ) Time: 08h 06m 41s Notes: Unsupported quick double crossing of the Grand Canyon; a Premier Route. Athlete Comments: "Corey) "This was the longest run of my life by 3 hours! I was so scared my teeth were chattering. I may have over-compensated, because I ate and drank so much at the beginning I had to relieve myself 5 times in the first hour. But that meant I felt strong on the brutal climb out at the finish." #5 Male: Pawel Szafruga FKT: Colorado Fourteeners (CO) Time: 43d 6h 49m 34s Notes: He not only climbed all 58 summits over 14,000' high in Colorado (Premier Route), but hiked between them all with no support. Athlete Comments: "I sprained an ankle so had to take a half day off. Unfortunately that was in Aspen, where the hotels were the most expensive. My budget was like a Little League team. Fortunately, gas station food can be pretty good." Previous Podcast: https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/157-pawel-szafruga #4 Female: Brooke Thomas FKT: Te Araroa (New Zealand) Time: 57d 12h 16m 0s Notes: This route traverses the entire country North to South, coast to coast! Includes 150km of kayaking. Athlete Comments: "Logistics were by far the hardest part. My parents supported me, but 2/3 of the time I was by myself, and once I had 8 straight days out with no Support. I didn't mash myself, and enjoyed every day, even though some were really hard, and I didn't know how to kayak. All your lows become your highs." #4 Male: Joe McConaughy FKT: Arizona Trail (AZ) Time: 14d, 3h, 21m, 0s Notes: Supported; encountered deep snow, quit, re-started. 2d 19h faster than previous. Athlete Comments: "This is an epic 800 mile trail; the most bang for the buck of anything I've done. You think Arizona you think desert, but there's a ton of vert, and I almost got snowed out. Seek out the adventures that matter to you." Previous Podcast: https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/129-arizona-trail-race; https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/92-joe-mcconaughy; https://fastestknowntime.com/podcast/119-fktoy-2020-p2

FKTOY - Hillary Allen rates the contenders! - #171 Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

46 people from around the world have been Nominated for the Fastest Known Time Of the Year award! Wow. Let's talk about it with Hillary. "Can you believe this guy? He not only did the 58 Colorado fourteeners, but he walked the entire distance between them, with no support!" "I really like what Kelly is doing - she ran Gannet Peak by herself, which is high, remote, and technical." "Great to see Hong Kong on the List. And 5,000 meters of vert? That's over 16,000 feet in a city that's on the ocean!" "I'd never heard of the Larapinta Trail, but I liked what she wrote: 'Hot, remote, wild; very Aussie in experience.'" Interesting! So definitely go to the Nominations List to click on the route name, and see photos and read stories written by the athletes themselves. This is your world bucket list of cool routes to do. Podcast Schedule 12/31/2021: We catch up with Hillary, and review the year. 1/7/2022 (This one): We discuss the FKTOY contenders 1/14/2022: We announce the #5 and #4 winners (Female and Male) 1/21/2022: Announce the #3 and #2 winners 1/28/2022: Announce the #1's There was no advertising on this podcast - we rely on YOU. Please show your support here! (The Internet is NOT free). Please Review and Rate the Fastest Known Podcast (this helps people find the show).

Hillary Allen - What's new with the 'Hilly Goat' ... and the rest of the world? - #170 Dec 31, 2021

Show notes

We catch up with the "indomitable force" for a quick introduction to the upcoming Fastest Known Time Of the Year award, and more. "This is my favorite time of the year! We get to discuss all the cool FKTs." But first, we delve into the wonderful world of gravel-bike racing. Many runners got into SkiMo, which we've discussed here, but now the new cross-training sport is gravel riding. "I got into cycling after an injury, and now I love it. It's so fun. And so easy on your body - you can ride all day, and the next day you feel fine." We discuss the 'super bowl' of gravel racing, Unbound Gravel, in Emporia Kansas. "It was really hot, and windy, and sunny ... it was carnage out there ... riders were flopped out the shade on the side of the road." "There was this guy drafting me, and he wouldn't come around. He just wouldn't take a pull. So I started crying. That's what you do, right? He finally comes around, then doesn't do anything, so he's actually slowing me down. So I pass him back, and this time pull away, still crying." "That's what endurance sports are. It's so incredible what the body can do. And the mind." Rob Krar on the Tonto Rim, "Hole to Hump" in the Grand Canyon, and why there are many FKTs in the UK but few in France ... this is a fun conversation. And lastly: Buzz propositions Hillary live on air! What was her response? There was no advertising on this podcast - we rely on YOU. Please show your support here! (The Internet is NOT free). Please Review and Rate the Fastest Known Podcast (this helps people find the show).

Year End Review - #169 Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

Our Co-Founder and our Director of Community Partnerships gives us the scoop - - - PB: "Races are resuming so FKTs are coming in at a more manageable rate. The UK has a very strong tradition so a lot of action there, including in winter. Australia is active as well." AM: "It's been an amazing year! We forget that Rob Krar and Mike Foote did R2R2R.alt almost a year ago. Then Stringbean beat the AZT by 3 days after temporarily quitting due to snow." FKTs are now a standard part of the sport. The term is used all over the world, the same in every language, pro runners go for FKTs like they would a race, and we all can participate ourselves. PB: "You can - and should - find what is meaningful to you." AM: "I love FKTs! I met my husband doing them, and am continually amazed and what people come up with." Their advice? PB: "Learning and growing is fun. That's probably how I got into this." AM: "Do your homework." It's time for year-end gifts. Consider us! There was no advertising on this podcast - we rely on YOU. Please show your support at fastestknowntime.com/support! (The Internet is NOT free). Please Review and Rate the Fastest Known Podcast (this helps people find the show).

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected