FKT Podcast

Co-Host Hillary Allen asks Jason the obvious question, "Why go for 100 FKTs?" "It's been a wild journey; in the works for two, going on three years. I had a wild 2020; I did 60 FKTs last year." "The game gets harder the more you play it. I had to learn new skills, get more creative, become better." How do you find the time to do all this? "If you know Ironman training, you know I was used a lifestyle of constant movement." "I was the kid who struggled to fall in line. Now I'm a poor employee but a great teacher - I'm not good at compliance but great connecting with the kids. The same with FKTs - I can see the possibilities, and dedicate myself to doing it." Besides being extremely bold and energetic, Jason is very intelligent and insightful - you'll appreciate this conversation! Special thanks to onX Backcountry for supporting Fastest Known Time. onX Backcountry is “All in for Outdoors” during the month of June, finally you can plan that next FKT and navigate offline with a year-long subscription to the onX Backcountry mapping app for only $10 in June with all net proceeds are going to support Leave No Trace. Learn more at onxmaps.com/greatoutdoors

Many climbers and hikers visit Indian Creek and the Needles District of Canyonlands NP each year; they run a trail for 10 miles, or climb a couple of 200 foot routes, then leave, feeling pretty good about their accomplishment. Heidi has been everywhere on 350,000 acres for 56 years, winter and summer. She knows every spring, every route, and countless Anasazi petroglyphs you never knew existed. Dugout Ranch is an icon of the American West located in the heart of the Colorado Plateau, at the entrance to Canyonlands National Park. It is so iconic, Heidi supplemented the ranching income by leasing it as a location for movies and TV commercial; countless short documentaries have also been made, such as this one. In 1997 it was purchased from Heidi and her ex-husband by the Nature Conservancy, fulfilling her goal of preserving the landscape.

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 knowledge. And I put in protein powder in almost everything, plus coconut milk for fat, and greens whenever possible, even dried greens like Spirulina which also has protein." “The goal is to run 50 miles a day as many days as possible.” "Flavor fatigue" can be a big part of long efforts - what you want and don't want can change quickly and unexpectedly. "We also have Snickers Bars on the list." (the 'traditional' food of the old-school thru-hiker! :-) Kelly is very prepared, and will arrive at the southern terminus a few days in advance. “The more organized and prepared I am, the more enthusiastic I become.  So we already have a spare bedroom filled with great food, all labeled and organized.” And do not think trail diet is not important:  "Two researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Integrative Physiology published a study suggesting that a thru-hiking lifestyle may lead to troubling changes in vascular health." Any attempt on the PCT is a huge project. Adidas is a major supporter and is playing an important role - thank you Adidas! "We’ve done our best for the best." Started in 1924, the company as we know it with the 3 stripes was founded in 1949.

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 mountain ultra runner".  On a massive effort that will likely take 52 days, which includes the heat of the Mohave Desert and going over 13,153' Forester Pass all in the first two weeks, and then the likelihood of Fire Closures and re-routes, how will his meditative practice help him cope? "Meditation plays a huge part of my life.  On the PCT, I can go into a place where, 'An FKT would be cool, but that's not why I'm out here'." The Sierra snowpack was at 15% of normal when this podcast was recorded (May 4) - there will be minimal snowpack to contend with, but potentially many fires. Timothy will be using shoes and apparel from the Adidas Parley line - this is important as they are made with intercepted plastic waste. Plastic waste is found everywhere from the deepest seas to the highest mountain ranges; this technology turns plastic into high-performance fabrics.  He will use the Agravic Boa shoe and the Terrex Two Ultra Parley "I like the BOA system. You can be going down a scree field, get some gravel in your shoe, and pop it off and empty it out without tying and re-tying your shoe." Adidas is the 2nd largest sporting good company in the world, and with major cred - Jesse Owens used their shoes in the 1936 Olympics!

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 inspired by Kyle Skaggs, and knew I wanted to do this." He did it - a new FKT by a hour and half!  But it only lasted 5 days - Tyler Green snatched it by a scant 18 minutes - that's after almost 17 hours of running!  There were7 successful FKTs on the Wonderland in 2020 alone. "I had 5 days of glory, then some sadness, and now I feel good about it.  I learned a lot from Tyler, and how to actually prepare for FKTs specifically, as opposed to racing, which is different.  And Tyler is a class act and a good friend." So what about that FKT attempt he didn't want to disclose? The Backbone Trail!  An increasingly popular and competitive route right above the Los Angeles basin.  And he did it - new FKT of 9 hrs 49 min 14 sec. "Wow, what an incredible trail!  Pure SoCal bliss."

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 total honesty and authenticity. "I had to accept the darkness. And not let it hold me back from the PT work. For months, months on end." PURCHASE the BOOK HERE! https://amzn.to/3t6dpZ6 May 7th:  Live Chat, Women’s Running Magazine Book Club – Virtual Event, 6pm MST "There are a few rules in life, and 'Never huck anything' is one I'm following now!"

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 else. Trail Magic is OK, but you can't ask for it or plan for it." "You are pushing your boundaries, and you are ready and able to take care of yourself." "And drafting and pacing is not allowed. It would be interesting to see how much faster we could go on the Arizona Trail for example, if we did that." - Kait The rules have evolved over the years, and are constantly being discussed. And the White Rim FKTs have become a thing in the past year. (Editor Note: Buzz was the first person to ride this route in Canyonlands National Park in one day). "The question has come up, 'Is it OK to have film crews?' The answer has evolved that No, it is not. Knowing someone is up there may give you confidence to push harder." "There are no tiers in bike-packing like there are in hiking and running, such as Supported - everything is Self-supported or Unsupported". The Tour Divide rules are here, and are worth reading: "Tour Divide strives for equal opportunity within the GC. TD requires that every challenger—from those living along the route to those living on other continents—have an equal playing field. Therefore, outside assistance with navigation, lodging or resupply is prohibited." The Colorado Trail Race ethos is similar: "The rules are simple and brief - if you can't do this ride without outside or pre-arranged support, don't enter the race." And the Arizona Trail Race is the same: "Guiding principles are self-support and equal opportunity." 1. Complete the entire route, under your own power. 2. No support crews, no pacers 3. No caches 4. No motorized transport or hitch-hiking, EXCEPT for travel to hospital/medical care 5. Gear - Nothing required, nothing prohibited

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." So why did Ben try the Presi in winter conditions? "I think some future Presi Traverse FKT action will happen in the winter. I'll go out on a limb and predict that March and April will become Presi race season." Did Ben just totally redefine how to do a fast FKT in the mountains? Is it actually faster to run rough terrain when it's covered with firm snow? "I disassembled strap-on spikes and screwed the spike plates directly into my shoes. This weighed only 35 grams per shoe." On March 23, Ben ran the Presi much faster than anyone. And that effort was Flagged so it will not count. And Ben was fine with that. "To me it's all fun and games, and if it's not fun, I shouldn't be doing it."

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've been doing it wrong for 50 years? Probably yes! Aack! The current wisdom is "Drink to thirst". Is that good advice? "No. Your body always will protect its Sodium concentration, so will reduce your thirst sensation to avoid diluting its Sodium." Don't you continue to make the same mistakes I have. Listen to Ryan on this podcast, and consider being tested yourself. This episode was proceeded by Andy Blow of Precision Hydration, Episode 122 - listen to both to learn more. Ryan is offering a discount to our listeners - here is a link to schedule a sweat test - https://squareup.com/appointments/book/jkoqb7oy11lbfh/LRJPMGSX4AVF4/services - put "FKPODCAST" in the notes section when you book to receive 20% OFF this one time test. The test must be done in-person.

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 me (Buzz) on the Off The Couch podcast. "Whenever I'm having a bad day, I remember that at least I did not invent Facebook." His new book, published March 16, is, "I HATE RUNNING and you can too. How to Get Started, Keep Going, and Make Sense of an Irrational Passion." It's worth it especially for the illustrations. I recommend it. Here is our very brief Book Review. Listen to this podcast, as Brendan makes sense of our "irrational passion".