FKT Podcast

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FKT of the Year Awards - part 1 of 2 - #68 Jan 10, 2020

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Let's do this! The #5, #4, and #3 FKTOY for ladies and gents. And EVERY one of these Athletes is on air - 8 people total! Extremely interesting and inspirational - listen to these people in their own words. "I have been chasing what makes me feel alive, what I see is possible, and what scares me...this FKT passion is about the experience, it is about the creativity, it’s about living in a way that’s “worth it” for my own values." (From Buzz: The really hard part was limiting these folks to just 10 minutes - everyone was telling a great story.) "This could be our best podcast ever." Definitely check the accompanying Article on the website for links to the Athletes' own Trip Reports and Photos.

2019 Special Wrap-up with Andrew Skurka and Peter Bakwin - #67 Jan 03, 2020

Show notes

This year's FKTOY coverage is brought to you by the running apparel company, rabbit. Go to runinrabbit.com, enter FKT at checkout, and save 20% on your first order. Thanks for supporting the companies that support Fastest Known Times! Five women and five men will be awarded for the best FKTs in 2019. Who will they be? Peter Bakwin (Episode 65) and Andrew Skurka (Episode 26) discuss what inspired them this year. "One issue with this FKT, is that it's not a well-known Route by a well-known person, so some Voters may not understand how incredibly hard it is - the numbers do not describe this." The next Podcast will reveal the #5, #4, and #3 FKTs of 2019. One thing for sure - they won't be the same-old Routes by the same people! The first three years of FKTOY Awards saw the John Muir Trail, Nolans 14, and R2R2R win 3 Awards and the Appalachian Trail 2 - in 2019, these four towering Routes are not even on the Nominations List! "Six Athletes had 2-3 Nominations coming into this year - in 2019 none of them were Nominated - you're going to hear about new people!" Podcast music by Sage Baptiste (instagram.com/imsagebaptiste & @whatablr) and mixed by Kyle Richardson (instagram.com/kylerichardson).

Highlights from our first 6 months! - #66 Dec 27, 2019

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We created short selections from 7 of our best podcasts! Including our very first from September 2018. Each segment is only 3-11 minutes long. Ep. 1 - Tony Krupicka - Longs Peak Duathlon - "Sometimes being successful means just getting back to the car. Alive." Ep. 2 - Karel Sabbe - Appalachian Trail - "I start to hit my stride after 2,000 miles". Ep. 7 - Christof Teuscher - R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R2R! - "If you're willing to put in the effort, what I thought was impossible is possible." Ep. 10 - Heather Anderson - Calendar Triple Crown - "My mom still remembers the day 15 years ago, when I ran down the stairs yelling, 'I’m going to do this!'" Ep. 13 - Jim Walmsley - R2R2R.alt - "I just took off and swam across - my idea was I wanted to set the tone - we're here to do it, we're not here to chicken out." Ep. 17 - Peter Bakwin, Clare Gallagher, Tony Krupicka - FKTOY 2018 - "It's style versus pure performance." Ep. 25 - Kilian Jornet with Matt Lefort - FKTOY EU; Bob Graham Round - "We think trail running is a new sport, but we cannot be more wrong about that". Podcast music by Sage Baptiste (instagram.com/imsagebaptiste & @whatablr) and mixed by Kyle Richardson (instagram.com/kylerichardson).

FKT Of the Year - Overview of Nominees with Peter Bakwin - #65 Dec 20, 2019

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630 FKTs this year (and more coming in every day) ... what's new and cool? "More women, and more women going solo on technical routes" There were no big efforts this year on the big routes, like the AT, PCT, R2R2R, JMT ... the existing times are too fast! "The low-hanging fruit has been plucked" Who will be the FKTOY winners? What do YOU think? READ the ARTICLE with the NOMINATIONS LIST Podcast music by Sage Baptiste (instagram.com/imsagebaptiste & @whatablr) and mixed by Kyle Richardson (instagram.com/kylerichardson).

Jason and Mere June: Is Being an Ultra Couple Harder or Easier? Or Both? - #64 Dec 13, 2019

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These two high intensity people run together, work together, and live together: how does that work? "Unlike having a training buddy, being in a relationship is both wonderful and super, super challenging." I thought we were just going to talk about the good stuff? "No, let's talk about the shitty parts!" What happens when one person is injured and can't run, and the other is crushing it? You can't walk away from it; you're going home to it. We live in a cabin, in the woods, 13 miles outside of town. There's no escaping. "After hard training we're tired, we're hungry, and we snap. But then we work through it - you have to be proactive." If one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong. "We put it all out there. All in." Their "Run Around the World" video series starts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-tsk_yUi_U&t=8s

A Midwesterner Attempted R2R2R.alt Twice (!) this November - Josh Sanders - #63 Dec 06, 2019

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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-crowded R2R2R, but besides being much more remote and thin, requires you swim the Colorado River. If you mess up, you'll really mess up" "Yeah, you'll drown." Josh tried it twice in November! With an incredible story each time, you really should listen to this. "We sang along to a Ziggy Marly tribute video, ate frozen bananas and drank whiskey until 5am." Definitely read his R2R2R.alt Trip Reports, "Exploring what's possible in a day": https://www.joshsanders.net/ Rails to Trails - check out these great routes: https://www.railstotrails.org/experience-trails/

"Partnerships" are critically important but rarely discussed - Jared Campbell - #62 Nov 29, 2019

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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 to 'see how it goes'? - Have the necessary technical skills been rehearsed? Discuss during the project: - An honest look at each others condition - A frank assessment of the conditions and safety - It's a team effort - how can we work together, and maybe support someone who is struggling

How to plan your big project - with Jared Campbell - #61 Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

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) Gear "The InReach Mini is amazing" Trekking Poles are used for uphill power, downhill economy, erecting shelter, and stream crossings "My packraft packs down to the size of a one liter bottle" "The pack is key - it's where everything goes - gear must be organized and accessible in the front" "My new favorite gear is the Katahdin BeFree" (filter can be used on other bottles) 3) Food "The longer I do this, the more it looks like everyday food" "I figure 300 cal/hour of moving time" 4) Strategy "There's a lot of room for improvement just in strategy". "You can beat someone who is fitter with better tactics" "Us old guys like the thought of that." (BB)

Speed vs Safety - A Crucial Topic with Bill Wright and Kyle Richardson - #60 Nov 15, 2019

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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 follow your watch on a trail, but on technical terrain, that doesn't work." You need to practice. To take time. It's more rewarding to spend years, learning the craft. "Kyle did the First Flatiron over 320 times before setting the FKT." "Kilian has zero chance of breaking Kyle's record on the LA Freeway" What can we all do to be safer? What are the best tips? "By far what makes you safest is your mind." "Don't be in a hurry to go fast." https://www.boulderweekly.com/adventure/kyle-richardson-sets-new-speed-records-soloing-first-and-third-flatirons/

Joe Grant - Running, Writing, and More - #59 Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

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 done everything from the Iditarod Trail Invitation in the Alaskan winter, the Arizona Trail Race on a mountain bike, to the Tour de 14ers. UTMB was sort of an easy day for Joe. Comfort does not create happiness - that's a bad but persistent modern myth - but when does a project become so hard it's not worth it? Joe is very thoughtful and articulate - listen as he answers these questions, AND, gives us a heads up on his upcoming project, "Home to Home", which uses both photography and music to share his recent Colorado Trail FKT. "Style matters" https://www.alpine-works.com/

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