FKT Podcast

A fever forced Alyssa Clark to forgo her early April race, so a few weeks later she put her fitness to use and set an FKT on Mount Whitney instead. Alyssa didn’t just set any FKT, she went after the self-supported record on the mountaineer’s route from the town of Lone Pine. The 33-mile out-and-back involves a 12-mile road climb, a couloir filled with snow, and fourth-class scrambling before tagging the 14,505-foot summit, turning around, and repeating it all again in reverse. What inspired Alyssa to supplant a running race with such a mixed terrain FKT? Alyssa and host Heather Anderson get into it on this episode of the FKT Podcast. Alyssa also shares the gear she used for the route, and where she cached various items and resupplies. A teacher, Alyssa talks about the inspiration she derives from her students, and how one simple trick — turning off her headlamp — helped her find motivation on that long road climb well before the sun came up.And last but not least, Alyssa sends out a rallying cry: women, submit your FKTs! Representation matters. Alyssa may or may not have even convinced Heather to submit a few more, tune in to find out.Get Alyssa’s full FKT write-up, and check out her supported FKT on the Pinhoti Trail over at fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with Alyssa’s adventures on Instagram. 

Longer routes tend to get most of the love, but shorter FKTs can require just as much planning, practice, and persistence. In fact, dare we say shorter FKTs can be just as notable? Mountain athlete Kyle Richardson certainly won’t weigh in on that debate, but his records throughout the Boulder, Colorado area speak for themselves. Loyal listeners may remember Kyle from episode six of this podcast, when we discussed his FKT on the LA Freeway, a 16-hour off-trail epic along the Indian Peaks skyline above Boulder.The LA Freeway is short compared to a long trail like the AT. But Kyle holds even shorter records. The fastest “scrambler” in Boulder, Kyle set FKTs on the most iconic routes in Boulder’s fabled flatiron rock formations, including the First Flatiron and the “Quinfecta,” a scrambling link-up of Flatirons One through Five. Both of these records require precision maneuvering the fifth-class terrain of the flatirons themselves, as well as endurance running up the steep hills and nimbleness descending the technical terrain and buffed-out trails.In August 2020, Kyle set the record on Longs Peak, the 14,255-foot behemoth that towers above the front range. The fastest way requires a mixture of on and off-trail running and fifth-class scrambling up the Cables Route, a 5.4 granite rock face that, as its name implies, once held cables to assist climbers up the peak. On July 22, 2021, Kyle set the FKT on Green Mountain, the home hill he runs nearly every day – 711 times to date.All of these records may create the illusion that these FKTs came easily. Kyle argues that is not at all the case. Each required years of practice, meticulously learning every handhold on the rock and repeating the routes over and over to learn the quickest lines. In fact, Kyle at his ripe old age of 26 has gone up the First Flatiron 356 times. He summited Longs 50 times before his record-setting run – including 13 times just that summer. Tune in to this episode of the FKT Podcast to hear host Heather Anderson’s take on FKTs that could not be more different than the ones for which she’s known. Kyle shares his philosophy around the daily practice of running up his home hill and learning a landscape intimately. Plus, learn how Kyle, a professional musician, uses his movement in the mountains to inform his music. Fun fact, Kyle created the music for this podcast! Read the trip reports for all of Kyle’s FKTs over at fastestknowntime.com. Keep up with his adventures on Instagram, and check out his film, Tempo, which explores his relationship between movement and music. 

April 28, 2022, 5:55 pm: Ella Bredthauer reached Springer Mountain, the terminus of the Benton MacKaye trail. Ella’s shuttle, which she had scheduled before setting off on the trail eight days before, arrived five minutes later – right on time.Ella’s uncanny punctuality belies the ordeals she faced in setting the fastest known self-supported time on the 288-mile trail. First, Ella had to get over her fear of hiking solo in the dark. (Nightlife encounters with feral pigs and big shiny eyes didn’t help.) Then there was loneliness from only seeing three people over the final six or so days. And finally, Ella succumbed to crippling nausea from powering her way up and down the Appalachian's steep and rocky, hot and muggy slopes. Learn how Ella overcame these obstacles on the latest episode of the FKT Podcast. Ella and host Heather Anderson, who has completed the Benton MacKaye trail herself, dig into night hiking strategies. They discuss the challenges of charging all of your electronic devices while trying to set a multi-day record. And they shed light on just how remote and empty the Benton MacKaye feels compared to the overlapping Appalachian Trail. To run or not to run? Ella and Heather get into that, too. Plus, Ella divulges the backpacking gear she can’t hike without, as well as the one critical gear error she made on this record-setting journey.Read Ella’s full write-up and check out her photos on fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with her adventures on Instagram.

Toxic water, wind storms, poisonous gas – Death Valley lives up to its name. Or at least that’s what Cameron Hummels learned while attempting the 160-mile Death Valley North to South Crossing in February. And yet, Cameron smashed the FKT.Cameron traversed the national park in this FKT’s characteristic unsupported, entirely off-trail style in three days, 23 hours, and 54 minutes – four minutes ahead of his arbitrary goal, and three days faster than the previous mark set by Roland Banas.But those four days were over two years in the making. Cameron, an astrophysicist postdoctoral fellow who spends most of his days using computer simulations to model how galaxies form and evolve, applied that scientific rigor to the FKT research process. To blow the previous FKT out of the water, Cameron knew he would have to treat water differently than his predecessors. Namely, Cameron would have to rely on water sources along the way rather than carry all his hydration needs on his back from the start. Research led Cameron a century into the past, where he unearthed a U.S. Geological Survey report from 1909, “Some desert watering places in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada.”On his many recon trips, Cameron hiked to potential watering holes described in the book. Sometimes he’d find a muddy puddle less than an inch deep. Sometimes he’d find just dry ground. Cameron collected water samples from these far from pristine sources and sent them away for testing.The results were not encouraging. But Cameron decided to try the uranium and arsenic-laced water from the safety of his home anyway, reasoning that drinking a small amount of water with five-times the FDA-approved arsenic limit wouldn’t kill him. He felt sick for months.Tune in to this episode of the FKT Podcast to learn Cameron’s solution to making these water sources at least somewhat potable. Discover what it’s like to get trapped in a haboob – an airborne wall of wind storm – as well as to traverse a salt swamp and suffer from visual, auditory, and olfactory hallucinations. Plus, find out whether Cameron manages to convince host Heather Anderson to go after his record.Get the full-low down on Cameron’s FKT, along with his stunning desert imagery, over on fastestknowntime.com. And follow Cameron on Instagram. 

Last fall, Art Brody set the unsupported record on the Arizona Trail. Yes, the unsupported record. This means he traversed over 800 miles of desert, mountains, and canyons with absolutely no outside help. No trail magic beer. No water from caches. No food resupplies, or the reassurance of picking up new gear if something breaks. He even had to pack out all of his trash.The hurdles associated with this unsupported attempt began before Art even started. Just to step foot on the trail, Art had to shoulder his 87-pound pack. Given the logistical, physical, and psychological challenges associated with unsupported FKTs on long trails, it is perhaps not surprising that Art’s AZT record might also be a record for the longest unsupported thru-hike ever.How did Art accomplish this feat? And, perhaps more importantly, why?On this episode of the FKT Podcast, Art hashes it all out with host Heather Anderson – a former AZT self-supported record holder herself. They trade notes on their record-setting styles, tales of questionable water sources, and wildlife encounters along the way. Art explains how a hiccup before he even started led to a cascading chain of events on the trail…including essentially running out of food. Tune in to get the full inside scoop, including why Art found it worthwhile to carry a second pair of trail running shoes in his already back-breakingly heavy pack. Follow Art’s adventures on Instagram, and get his full trip report over on fastestknowntime.com.

It’s no secret that the FKT craze has skyrocketed over the past few years. What started as a niche concept relegated to the most quirky of already quirky mountaineers and thru-hikers has spread to every corner of the earth, garnering mainstream attention and sponsor support along the way.Here to talk about the challenges and opportunities that arise with this change is someone who’s lived that transformation himself. AT and PCT record-setter Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy joins host and fellow AT and PCT record-setter Heather “Anish” Anderson to discuss the growing pains that come with FKTs going “mainstream"...among other things.Follow Joe (@thestring.bean) and Heather (@_wordsfromthewild_) on Instagram. Want to hire Joe as your coach? Check out his website: https://thestringbean.co.

You’re in for a treat this week with not one but two AT record holders! Fresh off her Pinhoti Trail self-supported record, Liz “Mercury” Derstine sits down with host Heather “Anish” Anderson to talk all things record-breaking on the east coast. Liz delves into why she was more intimidated by the 348-mile Pinhoti Trail through Alabama and Georgia than by embarking on the entire Appalachian Trail. She dishes out the challenges she faced on the Pinhoti Trail, and how she managed to surmount them to break Katherine Baird’s self-supported record by three days.And of course, these two AT queens trade notes from Liz’s supported AT record and Heather’s self-supported one. Get Liz’s full trip report for the Pinhoti Trail over at fastestknowntime.com. And keep up with Liz (@pinkfeathers) and Heather (@_wordsfromthewild_) on Instagram.

We’ve got a juicy episode for you today. Host Heather Anderson catches up with Witt Wisebram, who’s going after the self-supported FKT on the PCT…a record currently held by Heather herself. Will Heather dish out all of her secrets? Tune in to find out!Witt, a triple crowner who’s also raced iconic ultra events like the Cocadona 250, dives into how he straddles the line between thru-hiking and ultrarunning. Does that mean he trained for the PCT? No. But he’s got an arguably good reason as to why not.And finally, Witt explains what on earth the moniker in his Instagram bio – “ridgerunner” – means. Thank goodness. Turns out, “ridgerunning” refers to Witt’s job with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that preserves and manages the AT. For months on end, Witt patrols a section of the AT from Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, to the northern boundary of Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Spending months walking back and forth along the trail in all types of elements, maintaining the trail, and serving as a wilderness first responder, Witt provides unique insight into trail use, conservation, and gratitude for his upcoming journey.Cheer Witt on during his attempt over at @yung.chattahoochee on Instagram and track his progress over at fastestknowntime.com.

Welcome to the brand new iteration of the FKT Podcast, hosted by the one and only Heather “Anish” Anderson! As a record-setter on the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Triple Crown of Thru-Hiking, Heather brings a trove of insight to share with you about what goes into pushing ourselves to the limit. And she harnesses her gift as an author and speaker to guide us on a journey into the heart and soul of this sport. In this episode, get to know the human behind the records and books. Heather also talks with Regional Editor Alex Bond to go over Outside’s new ownership of fastestknowntime.com. They answer your most pressing questions about how the website works and what this change in ownership means for the present and future of all things FKT. Plus, enjoy the pod's new beats created by FKT-holder and musician Kyle Richardson!Follow Heather on Instagram at @_wordsfromthewild_, Alex at @alexjaybond, and Kyle at @kylerichardson. FKT season is heating up. Follow along with the action over at fastestknowntime.com.

BIG NEWS: We have sold Fastest Known Time to Outside Inc, the publisher of iconic magazines such as Trail Runner, Climbing, Backpacker and of course Outside. Buzz, Peter and Jeff are very happy with what we created, and are very grateful to all of you that have cared and supported our work so that it is now an integral part of the sport of running, utilized by a worldwide community. Most importantly, the community itself will be very happy to know that Outside is bringing a massive amount of knowledge, passion, and resources to greatly improve the services and features of this website, in a way we could not do. This is great news! In next week’s podcast you will hear directly from folks on the Outside team who care deeply about our community. As trail runners, backpackers, and multi-sport athletes themselves, they’re passionate about maintaining (even improving!) our governing and record-keeping processes while applying their backend expertise to make our web-based experiences and features even better. Stay tuned. So this week's podcast is a special wrap-up. It’s our longest ever, but we had fun stories to tell and many great people wanted to share their thoughts directly with you. Enjoy! Peter and Buzz Why did this all get going anyway? "Outside is a perfect fit. I feel quite complete." Peter and Jeff (co-founders) Stories from starting the website (and Jeff refusing to divulge his Marathon PR) “The new website went live March 27, 2018, so this is just about 4 years." Allison Mercer (Community Partnerships) An important tip on how to get a job in the outdoor industry: "In business, life, or FKTs, you just stay persistent, and it pays off! Helping people has been a great experience." Hillary Allen (co-host) Our sometimes Co-Host lights it up with her stories and laughter: “Creativity is such a big part of this. And the FKTOY Award is my favorite time of the year!" Jared Campbell The only 3-time finisher of Barkley shares thoughtful perspectives: “You gave this framework/creation to world, and it kept us all a little more sane." Anton Krupicka Our only 3-time podcast Guest tells what FKTs mean to him: “The one word that comes to my mind is ‘Inspiration.’" Buzz (solo) Final thoughts (very brief; thank goodness): “I was never lonely when hosting this podcast. I always felt like I was with a group of good friends." THANK YOU EVERYONE!!