FKT Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Leor Pantilat - He won 22 races in a row then quit to do FKTs - what's he doing now? - #58 Nov 01, 2019

Show notes

Leor won 36 of the 42 races he entered, then in 2013 stopped racing to do FKTs. He held the FKT on the John Muir Trail AND the High Sierra Trail at the same time - then stopped doing FKTs too! What is his new passion? "Big Sur is just as wild as the High Sierra - there are places no one has ever seen". "I've cataloged 157 waterfalls - some I call "FKS's" - First Known Sighting!" See great photos and track his "Big Sur Waterfalls" and "High Sierra Glacial Lakes" project here: https://pantilat.wordpress.com

Hillary Allen - What's new and cool in FKT action? - #57 Oct 25, 2019

Show notes

We discuss the highlights of the year so far, and note that unlike in previous years, there have been no major efforts on the AT, the PCT, or the JMT. Why is that? "FKTs in my opinion can leave the trails and be more creative.” “And maybe the big routes have become too fast!” The California 14ers were just done by a woman, it is somewhat uncommon for a woman to go solo on the technical routes; why is that? "When I choose a partner for a technical route, I don’t care about gender, I care about their experience." “And, maybe women are smarter.” The Fastest Known Time of the Year Award will be back again this year, including a separate FKTOY for Europe. "FKTOY is one of my favorite things, because even if the route isn’t something I’d do, it’s always so inspiring, so interesting.”

Chris McDougall - Author of "Born to Run" is still running - with Donkeys! - #56 Oct 18, 2019

Show notes

Once again Chris McDougall finds a seed of truth and sprouts it into a great story - this time the millennia-old bond between animals and humans, and how that connection can still nurture us. And frustrate us, if you've just entered a burro race. "If you and that burro aren't of the same opinion where you're going and how fast, it can drag you up the side of a cliff or through a boulder field." - Ken Chlouber The story brings Chris full circle, as he first witnessed burro racing at the same time when he visited Leadville to learn about the Tarahumara, who won the 100 mile race then disappeared back into Copper Canyon. "You can't be a bully or a blowhard, and if that sounds more like one gender to you than another, you'll understand why men can struggle at this sport and women excel." "Running With Sherman" was just released on October 15 - buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/Running-Sherman-Donkey-Heart-Hero/dp/1524732362

Joey Campanelli - He can see the WURL route from his window - so he set the FKT - #55 Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

The Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup encircles Little Cottonwood Canyon. Joey lives IN Little Cottonwood Canyon! "The Rustler Lodge is closed in the summer, so it's just 3 of taking care of 85 rooms. It's like 'The Shining'". Joey spent 56 days going NOBO on the AT in 2014 for a new Self-Supported FKT, but he took one car ride to a hospital due to injury ... so he didn't claim it. He is not sponsored. He doesn't have a YouTube channel. He just lives the life. "I ski the 'greatest snow on earth' every day in winter, and when it's gone, I run in the same mountains." Joey's WURL Trip Report is worth a read: https://joeycamps.blogspot.com/2019/09/and-i-think-to-myself-what-wonderful.html

Mike Foote - "The relationships I've made are cooler than the things I've done" - #54 Oct 04, 2019

Show notes

From an FKT on the Ptarmigan Traverse to 61,000 vertical feet skied in one day, Mike Foote is as skilled as he is at home in the mountains. But here's question: What's the dumbest thing you've ever done? "My first time skiing I didn't have skins, so for traction I duct-taped pine boughs to the bottom of my skis. Then I fell into a cornice overhanging a 1,500' cliff." Listen to Mike's humble, humorous, and thoughtful recollections of a life well-lived in the mountains and deserts. What is the coolest thing you've ever done? "Maybe coaching HS Cross-Country. Or working for a local land trust saving the places we love."

Katie Schide & Germain Grangier - Top Ten at UTMB with an FKT in New Hampshire - #53 Sep 27, 2019

Show notes

Katie is from Maine; Germain from France - they both were top 10 at UTMB, then went to New Hampshire for their passion project: the Hut to Hut Traverse. They ran the whole Traverse together, with Katie 2 hours ahead of the previous female FKT. "I was on 'Croo' for 4 summers, and told Germain how at the end of every summer we saw how fast we could go between the 8 Huts." - Katie "The trails in the White Mountains were the most technical I've ever run - it's crazy; we were scrambling while below tree line - it's like a dance on rocks." - Germain What's the difference between U.S. and Europe? "In the U.S., someone might show up in crazy socks, while here, it looks like everyone just walked out of a sporting goods store." - Katie "U.S. runners are fast, because the college system with their scholarships and support increases speed, while here, we're better at steep and technical." - Germain

Emma Mure and Sara Aranda - Overall FKT on the Wind River High Route - #52 Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

This August, the pair went sub-4 days on the WRHR, a terrific 100 mile traverse of the Wind River Range in Wyoming. "I was into backpacking and climbing, then discovered trail running and loved the lightweight freedom ... I'm fascinated by how far the human body can go, and how much you can see and experience." This is one of the finest routes of its kind in the world, designed to replicate the Sierra High Route: Stay as high as possible, with scrambling but no technical climbing. Just like the SHR is parallel and above and much harder than the JMT, the WRHR is off-trail and above the Highline Trail. "Maybe we ran 10 or 15 miles - fast-packing - it's an endurance mission." Note: One week after Sara and Emma, their Overall FKT was bested by Skyler Williams, then 3 weeks after that David Ayala took it down again - https://fastestknowntime.com/route/wind-river-high-route-wy Sara's website/blog: https://bivytales.com Skurka's description and route guide: https://andrewskurka.com/adventures/wind-river-high-route/

Caspar Coppetti - How to Start a New Running Shoe Company - #51 Sep 13, 2019

Show notes

The competition is intense - how do you start a new running shoe company, and be successful? "My friend gave me a prototype, and I said, 'forget it, don't even try, you'll never succeed against the big shoe company's. But then I tried them on." "We typically don't talk about the product, we just ask people to try them, and that's what comes back: 'Running on clouds.'" This is a fun discussion with the co-owner of an international running shoe company - get the inside scoop on how this all works. "On was born in the Swiss alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running. It’s all based on one radical idea: soft landings followed by explosive take-offs. Or, as we call it, running on clouds." https://www.on-running.com/en-ch/about

Luke Nelson: What's so special about the WURL? - #50 Sep 06, 2019

Show notes

Luke has FKTs on the Idaho 12ers (9 summits over 12,000'), and the Utah 13ers (17 over 13,000'). A few weeks ago he did the Wasatch Ultimate Ridge Linkup, a gnarly but entirely logical Jared Campbell route ringing Little Cottonwood Canyon, starting directly above Salt Lake City. "The WURL is a fascinating route; it took several years for me to feel ready to even try it. I wanted to be able to move not only quickly through this terrain, but safely at the same time." Luke is very conscious of the “Kilian Effect”: "I’ve been very careful how I’ve talked about this - I don’t consider it a running route - it’s a mountain route. If you’re an experienced trail runner, you might not have the skillset that’s appropriate to do this route."

Jason Hardrath - How to Climb Technical Volcanos - Alone - at Night - #49 Aug 30, 2019

Show notes

The Cascade Trifecta, then the Rainier Infinity Loop - Solo and Self-Supported - one week apart! The Infinity Loop alone is 130 miles with 47,000' of elevation gain. How did he do it? "I slept for 90 minutes the first night, to optimize my summit to start at first light. Then 21 minutes the second night - because I was too tired to move. It delivers full value". "There's something that draws out the authenticity in people - there's a shared experience." Jason has also developed a clever "van life" lifestyle, affording him a lot of mobility and free time, while at the same time is passionate about teaching Physical Education in school: "I was always the kid who couldn't sit still."

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