With trails like these, something always goes wrong. Luckily, the Stringbean pushed through an ankle injury and miles of snow to complete the Arizona Trail in record time.
The act of setting FKTs (fastest known times) has been popular for decades. But in 2020, the endeavor saw more participation than ever before. Read on for the top FKTs of the year.
Running, speed mountaineering, and butt-scooting with purpose — this trail runner did it all to set the first women’s FKT on the iconic Colorado 14er.
Mikaela Osler’s goal was to finish the Colorado Trail in a record 14 days. She did it, self-supported, in 10.
Nolan’s 14 is a 100-plus-mile run over 14 mountains, each over 14,000 feet high. And this week, two runners crushed the speed record over this brutal route.
Trail runner and The North Face athlete Coree Woltering just ran 1,147 miles through Wisconsin, setting a new FKT and inspiring runners everywhere.
Watch as ultrarunner Amanda Basham sets an FKT on the 22-mile Kalalau Trail in Kauai, Hawaii.
The Wind River High Route covers two 13,000-foot summits, nine mountain passes, and more than 65 miles of off-trail travel. Sara Aranda and Emma Mure recently completed the route in a record-setting 3 days, 17 hours, and 20 minutes.
Running around the volcanic landscape of Mount St. Helens is no easy feat. And on Monday, Yassine Diboun did it faster than anyone yet.
The 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota has a new Fastest Known Time. Cameron “Cam” Schaefer completed the SHT on Thursday in a supported time of 6 days, 18 hours, and 45 minutes.
In Sweden, the Kungsleden (aka King’s Trail or King of Trails) normally takes 25 days to complete. Emelie Forsberg finished it in an astonishing 4 days and 21 hours.
Fastest known times by Karel Sabbe on the Appalachian Trail and Alyssa Godesky on the Vermont Long Trail won awards from FastestKnownTime.com in 2018.
Jason Antin and Mike Chambers quest into the Arctic for a brutally cold FKT. In Greenland, the only known speed record of the Arctic Circle Trail was during summer. But this attempt was during the dead of winter.
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With his 310-mile self-supported speed hike, Ajay Pickett now holds the overall fastest known time along the northern Minnesota trail. That’s even with breaking his leg days before the finish.
Inspired by Chad Kellogg’s life of perpetual motion, a pair of Coloradan adventurers claims the fastest known time of the 130-mile, 40,000-foot-gain challenge on Mount Rainier.
Mountain runner Cody Lind recently set an FKT on a quirky course covering Idaho’s nine highest peaks. He did the Idaho 12er challenge in a single day without rest. We found out how.
Two years ago a team of elite runners ran a trail many consider among the toughest in the world in a record time. With 11 mountain passes, most above 16,000 ft., this trail is a crusher. Now, their story is coming to the big screen.
Dylan Bowman set out to set a fastest known time on one gnarly ultra run: The Lost Coast Trail. He faced 57 miles, 11,000 vertical feet, soft sand, and remote risks as he raced the tide on the way to an FKT.
The trip around Greenland’s Arctic Circle Trail in winter was so remote that the athletes called it the “first known time.” The Arctic Circle Trail crosses about 103 miles from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, to the west coast fishing town of Sisimiut.
Danish athlete Kristina Schou Madsen scaled 5,895-meter Mount Kilimanjaro in 6 hours, 52 minutes, 54 seconds. The time set a new female Fastest Known Time (FKT). It was Madsen’s first FKT attempt and first time up Kilimanjaro.
Shoot for the record books with a blazing a thru-hike or trail run, and you could land a cool $1,000 and some free gear. And all you have to do is try.
No, thanks.
