FKT Podcast

What’s it like to set an FKT on the heels of a six month thru-hike? Cal Swartzentruber joins the FKT Podcast to dish it out.Fresh off completing the Pacific Crest Trail—Cal’s first of thru-hike of a Triple Crown trail—Cal returned to his local trails of the south last October.That thru-hiking fitness paid off. Completing the Sheltowee Trace in an unsupported style, Cal broke not only the unsupported record, but also the supported record (by 32 minutes!) on the 319-mile trail.  Climbing between deep hemlock gorges and piney, craggy summits, the Sheltowee Trace is National Recreation Trail spanning the Daniel Boone National Forest and Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Kentucky and Tennessee. The name “Sheltowee” refers to Daniel Boone, who was captured by Shawnee Indians while making salt in an area close to the present-day trail. Chief Blackfish, his adopted Shawnee father, renamed him Sheltowee, which means “Big Turtle.”Cal, who considers himself more of a hiker than a runner, is a testament to the fact that you can succeed at FKTs from all types of backgrounds. He wisely chose both a trail he’s familiar with, having thru-hiked it in 2019, and terrain he’s called him for his whole life.Tune into Cal’s conversation with host Heather Anderson to learn how Cal channeled his fitness from the PCT into this seven-day FKT. Learn about the challenges of hiking on the east coast during the fall, how Cal contended with an unusual animal obstacle on the trail, and the evolving nature of the Sheltowee Trace and what that could mean for future FKT attempts. Keep up with Cal on Instagram, and read his full trip report on fastestknowntime.com.

For our 200th (!) episode, we’re jumping across the pond to catch up with Finlay Wild, Scottish resident and recent Paddy Buckley record-setter. A doctor with a passion for painting, Finlay shares his vast insight and skill on all things fell running, UK rounds, and the UK at large.With nine FKTs to his name, Finlay’s most iconic feats include the Cuillin Ridge Traverse on the Isle of Sky, the Tranter variant of the Ramsay Round, and his most recent feat: setting the unsupported record on the Paddy Buckley, Wale’s premiere round.After completing the other two rounds in the “Big Three,” Finlay chose to finish with a fast attempt on the Buckely—the longest and perhaps gnarliest of them all. He clocked the 47 summits, 100 plus kilometers, and 28,000 feet of elevation gain in 15 hours, 14 minutes and 45 seconds to record-setting fanfare. While Finlay completed his attempt in an unsupported style, carrying all his nutrition and gear on his back and only collecting water from streams along the way, he also smashed the supported record by over an hour.Unlike many (if not most) other FKT routes, the Buckley—whose route is a true circle—lets you choose your start point. Tune in to the FKT Podcast to learn why Finlay started at a nondescript bus stop in Llanberis. You’ll also get the inside scoop on just how grassy, rolling, boggy, and pathless much of this round can be, along with some of the storied history behind the iconic route. Get to know Finlay beyond his running, including how a setback led to him finding a passion for art. And learn how Finlay captures the soul of UK landscapes in his paintings. Read up on all of Finlay’s FKTs on fastestknowntime.com, and check out his artwork and blog on his website gomountaingoats.com. 

Jeff Garmire dreamed about going after the unsupported John Muir Trail FKT for three years. In fact, he got three permits for the trail just this summer. Each time, self doubt led him to cancel the next day.But then Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy shaved three hours off of four-year-old record in the beginning of August.“[Stringbean] setting the record was really the push I needed to go give it a shot,” Garmire says. “[The record] just seemed untouchable since it hadn't been broken since 2018. And Joe breaking it was like, all right, I'll just go out there and give it my best shot. And so [Stringbean breaking the record] just made it feel more attainable even he made the time more difficult to attack.” Armed with his newfound confidence, Garmire set out from Yosemite Valley three weeks after Stringbean. And three days and 223 miles later he proved himself right—with a whopping 13 minutes to spare. Both Garmire and Stringbean traveled southbound along the JMT, also called the Nüümü Poyo, or “the People’s trail” in homage to a centuries-old Indigenous trade route through the Sierra. Ending with summiting 14,505 feet tall Mount Whitney, traveling north to south is generally considered the “harder” direction. Yet both Garmire and Stringbean broke not only the southbound record but the overall record as well. They didn’t pick the “harder” as part of their speed strategy.Tune into the FKT Podcast to find out why, along with the rest of Garmire’s insight into his award-winning outing. Get the full story on all the things that went wrong, including why he only ate about half of his food. And last but not least, get the answer the one question host Heather Anderson–and us all–are dying for him to answer. Read Garmire’s full JMT report—along with those for his 18 other FKTs—on fastestknowntime.com. And follow along with his adventures on Instagram.

Fresh off her course record at Bandera, Courtney Dauwalter returns to shed insight into yet another of her outstanding performances of late: setting the overall FKT on the Collegiate Peak Loop. Many have tried to throw down on this 160-mile link up of the Colorado Trail’s east and west alts through the Sawatch mountains. And many have failed. Armed with the power of familiarity—she can essentially access the Collegiate Peak loop from her front door in Leadville—a stellar crew, and a spirit of curiosity, Dauwalter blazed around the loop in one day, 16 hours, and 14 minutes, shaving over 31 hours off of Annie Hugh’s female supported FKT and over six hours off of Nick Pedatella’s overall supported FKT.“Our mindset going into it was very excited to try it and to give it our best. But also we knew that no matter how it shook out or what it would take to come back from any problems, we were going to finish it,” Dauwalter says. “I wasn't just thinking of the FKT or the time. I was enjoying being out there, enjoying moving with my feet and just seeing what happened.”On this episode of the FKT Podcast, Dauwalter explains the appeal of this mountainous, remote FKT—her first official record in the books. She gets into her problem-solving strategies for when things got tough, both mentally and phsically. (Hint: they involve mantras and lots of snacks.) And Dauwalter shares what it means to her to join the ranks of FKT holders.The queen of not only speed and endurance but also consistency, Dauwalter dishes out tips on recovering from big efforts like a 160-mile run at high altitude.“Oftentimes after a hundred mile race or some big project, my legs will feel pretty good fairly quickly. But I'll notice a general mental fatigue,” Dauwalter explains. “My brain is tired because there's so much brain effort put into these physical feats. So I'll pay attention to that. I’ll really assess every day how I'm feeling, like where am I at mentally with coming back to feeling normal and excited again. And I use that to gauge when I might be ready to go after another big thing.”While Dauwalter’s accomplishments speak for themselves, she attributes her success to those around her. Members of the Leadville community, the ultrarunning community at large, her husband Kevin, and men’s record holder Pedatella supported Dauwalter on this effort. She explains why this collaborative spirit is required to excel at these types of outings—and why camaraderie makes them so meaningful. “It’s less about the record,” Dauwalter says. “And more about people just being psyched to elevate each other and do cool routes.”Check out Dauwalter’s FKT on fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with her adventures and snacking strategies on Instagram.

For the first time ever, we put FKT of the Year nominations in your hands. You, the community, decided which athletes put down efforts on routes of all lengths and with all degrees of support that deserve to be in contention for FKT of the Year. Our panel voted from that list, and host Heather Anderson is here to announce the top 10 winners.While we awarded honors to five men and five women, we took efforts from athletes of all genders into consideration, as well as efforts by teams.Needless to say, the competition was exceedingly steep this year. Perhaps the stiffest ever? Comparing efforts on routes spanning from under an hour to several months, across the globe, and in all styles is inherently a near-impossible task. We are blown away by you all!Tune in to hear Heather count down the winners, and to get insight, analysis, and stories from some of the athletes honored. Congratulations to all of our winners, nominees, athletes who set FKTs, and athletes who attempted FKTs. And thank you all for being part of and supporting our vibrant, tenacious community. You all inspire us! Cheers to an incredible year.

There may be no better way to celebrate 2022 than through the eyes of Andrea Sansone. Smashing records on Nolan’s 14, 24 hours of Colorado 14ers, and the Manitou Incline—on paper, Sansone’s year could not have gone better. But the year did not start auspiciously. Tune in to learn how Sansone went from dealing with a broken foot to breaking records. Read Sansone's FKT write-ups on fastestknowntime.com, and follow her and her partner Andrew Hamilton’s adventures on their joint Instagram account.

Just before 9 pm on Sunday, August 7, a 27-year-old British hiker with no fixed home arrived at his destination. The destination was the Canadian border, a stone pillar he walked 2,600 miles in 55 days, 16 hours, and 54 minutes to reach. His name was Josh Perry, and he had just smashed the male self-supported PCT. Perry shaved by nearly 10 days off of Scott Williamson’s FKT set in 2009. Even more impressively, Perry cut five days off the overall self-supported record set by the legendary Heather “Anish” Anderson in 2013—a record countless numbers have tried and failed to crack over the past decade.In a conversation for the ages, Perry joins Anderson to discuss how he managed this iconic feat. Perry encountered the hurdles that inevitably come with the PCT these days: wildfires, closures, and reroutes. He contended with heatstroke. But Perry faced an even greater challenge: his own mind.Despite following the rules of a self-supported effort—mailing himself supplies in advance, withholding from car rides or help of any kind—Perry came within four days of Timothy Olson’s high-profile and highly supported FKT. It’s an unbelievable accomplishment that Perry may consider a failure. Tune in to learn why Perry is so dissatisfied with his achievement, and for a philosophical discussion about whether any of us ever are actually satisfied. Plus read Perry’s FKT writeup on fastestknowntime.com, and follow his adventures on Instagram. 

Last spring, Katie Brown notched her first FKT—the self-supported record on the Arizona Trail. She broke the long-standing record of Heather Anderson, who Katie joins today on the FKT Podcast to break down all things AZT. The emergency room nurse from Utah first attempted the notoriously challenging trail in 2019. Storms scared her away. She returned for redemption in May 2022. Graced with good weather, some well-timed trail magic, and most importantly an indomitable spirit, Katie hiked the 800+ miles over Arizona in 17 days, 19 hours, and 52 minutes—nearly two days faster than Heather’s record from 2016.While new to FKTs, Katie has been thru-hiking since 2012. The miles under feet clearly paid off, even if she’s had to adjust her strategy. On her first thru-hike, Katie’s pack weighed 40 pounds. She returned to the AZT with just seven pounds on her back. Tune in to learn how Katie whittled her pack down to the absolute bare minimum, and the risks she took in the process.The two past and present AZT record holders also talk about training, and how consistency, durability, and rest supersede speed and volume when preparing for these long trail attempts. They trade strategies for staving off boredom and self-doubt. And Katie shares how a little luck married with a pinch of problem-solving allowed her to forge ahead after rodents shredded her pack straps to bits. Get Katie’s full FKT report on fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with her adventures on Instagram.  

In July, Jack Kuenzle flew to the UK and bought a camper van. The 27-year-old didn’t want to squander the mandatory three months of car insurance. It’s safe to say he did not. In case you lived under a rock (or simply in a camper van) all summer, Jack set FKTs on a variant of the Ramsay Round and the Bob Graham Round—two of the most iconic routes not only in the UK, but on the planet.Etching his name on the Bob Graham required Jack besting the GOAT of ultra and trail running Kilian Jornet. In the meticulous scouting, spreadsheet-scouring fashion of a former Navy SEAL, Jack blew Kilian’s time off the hilltops by over 28 minutes.Tune in to the latest episode of the FKT Podcast to get the play-by-play of the “dramatic rollercoaster” those 12 hours, 23 minutes, and 48 seconds held—as well as the aftermath.“My whole life, I’ve compared myself to Kilian,” Jack says on the podcast. “It was honestly very strange to beat his time. This doesn’t really count. If you want to try and compare yourself to Kilian, you have to go race Kilian on the same terms.” Jack and Kilian approached the Bob Graham quite differently, and they contended with dramatically different conditions during their attempts. But those nuances are what make FKTs so intriguing. Recording your best effort on a route requires so many more variables than a race, where everyone copes with the same conditions on the same day. FKTs layer in unique levels of scouting, strategy, and soul-searching that expand the skillset required to excel. In addition to that internal skillset, going after records like the Bob Graham requires a tremendous amount of community building. Jack sheds light on just how essential support from local runners proves in these supported round attempts. He also opens up about managing anxiety-induced insomnia. And Jack explains why he eschewed the traditional Ramsay Round—commonly considered Scotland’s premier route—for the lesser-known Tranter variant. Back across the Atlantic in June, Jack set the FKT on the White Mountains 100, a 104-mile stretch of the Appalachian Trail through some of New Hampshire’s rockiest, rootiest, gnarliest terrain. Classified as “probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” at the time, Jack reevaluates that assessment after his summer in the UK. If you missed it, scroll back through the archives to episode 165, Jack’s first interview on the FKT Podcast. And keep up with Jack’s relentless adventures on Instagram, his sporadic uploads to Strava, and his ever-growing list of FKTs on fastestknowntime.com. 

What better way to explore a new place than by foot? After moving from Oregon to Asheville, North Carolina, at the beginning of the year, Julie Wallace started learning about her new home by scouring fastestknowntime.com. Her objective was simple – find local FKTs that don’t have a woman’s time. And then get after it and put a time down!This strategy led Julie to setting the first woman’s known time on the Shining Rock Wilderness Ridge, a 17-mile out-and-back that traverses a spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. That seven-hour endeavor taught Julie quite a bit about her new home, including just how steep, technical, and slow-going the Appalachians can be.On this episode of the FKT Podcast, Julie and host Heather Anderson get into the dramatic differences between West and East Coast trail running. Julie, who’s nearing 50, also opens up about how she’s not letting regret from getting into the FKT scene earlier hold her back from tearing it up now. With her first solo FKT freshly under her belt, Julie shares what it took to make that leap into the unknown. She and Heather also shine a light on the surge of women entering the FKT scene, in part thanks to Women Who FKT. Get the full lowdown on Julie’s Shining Rock Wilderness FKT on fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with her adventures on Instagram.