FKT right or wrong?

[MuddyWaters]

I've only done two -- the American River 50 miler and the Trace 36 miler. I didn't walk or hike, I ran as best as I could.

Thats not a FKT, thats a half day race.

You even ran uphill?

Most people walk uphill, run downhill. Except the very elite.

But they arent running a course like much of the AT either. Its one thing to do it for one day, its another to do it 50 days in a row.

Personally, Ive always felt like if you had to jog slow, stop, walk ,rest, take a nap, be evaluated by medical, have your feet repaired, it wasnt really "running". It is ultra something however. Ultra endurance, yes.

I dont think Im running unless moving over 5mph. My brother thinks the same about 6mph.

[John B]

Thats not a FKT, thats a half day race.

You even ran uphill?

Most people walk uphill, run downhill. Except the very elite.

But they arent running a course like much of the AT either. Its one thing to do it for one day, its another to do it 50 days in a row.

Personally, Ive always felt like if you had to jog slow, stop, walk ,rest, take a nap, be evaluated by medical, have your feet repaired, it wasnt really "running". It is ultra something however. Ultra endurance, yes.

I dont think Im running unless moving over 5mph. My brother thinks the same about 6mph.

Guess I need you to teach me how to do it better. Thanks for the info, though. I'll try to remember your words if I'm lucky enough to try another one.

[Just Bill]

As mentioned-
An Ultra is any distance greater than a marathon (26.2 miles). Though most consider a 50k (31 miles) to be an entry level Ultra.

An Ultra is typically an organized race with a cutoff time for completion. The fastest time for a given ultra is generally referred to as the "course best" or "record".

An FKT is simply a personal best on an unorganized course, route, or trail that is shared with the public. If recognized by your peers as having done so, the holder of the fastest known time may claim it. Most call it a record. But it is known as an FKT as it is not "certified" in the same way an organized race would be.

In an ultra, all that is required for completion is to finish before the cutoff. Running is not required and can be considered poor strategy depending on your fitness level. Pacing (MPH) is typically much slower as distance increases.

A good girlfriend of mine is a very active ultrarunner. We often joke with each other about our "sports";
A backpacker may take all day to do a 30 miler while an ultra runner can do it in 6-8 hours.
A backpacker may do five 30 milers a week, while many ultra runners rarely do 5 races a year.
An ultrarunner is capable of going much faster for their 1-2 day event- a backpacker must sustain that effort for much longer so must go slower.

A fast backpacker will rarely clear 4 MPH. Basically on the AT you're talking 3. Even an FKT on the AT doesn't break a 4MPH average.
The name of the game is simply walking more hours per day. Anish, Matt, and JPD were putting in 14-16 hour days- even then- 50 MPD is rare.
Joey Camps is the only person I have seen that was "running" his way to 50 mile days, his style frequently involved a 12 hour, 4MPH pushes.

Anyone who has done more than 26.2 miles in a day has done an ultra.
An average thru-hiker walking 2mph need simply put in a long day (14 hours) to complete an Ultra on the trail. It happens often.
Perhaps the best known "Ultra" on the AT is the 4 state challenge (VA, WV, MA, PA) of roughly 50 miles. Generally the cutoff is honored at 24 hours.

By distance alone- a fit thru-hiker- especially a PCT hiker- will do more Ultra's in their hike than most ultrarunners will do in their life.
I often tease my friend that I have done close to 200 Ultra's, while saving at least 10k in entry fees to boot.

That said- neither here nor there.
After such an exchange my ultra friend and I will sit down for a beer or three quite happily in each others company. And while she will likely backpack with me again; it is doubtful I will ever enter an organized Ultra any time soon. So I guess she gets the last laugh either way.

We both love the woods-
Cheers.

[Just Bill]

a "normal" thru-hike is a gimmick

Probably the best thing to take away from this thread.

[MuddyWaters]

Guess I need you to teach me how to do it better. Thanks for the info, though. I'll try to remember your words if I'm lucky enough to try another one.

I dont run ultras, or pretend to. I never had the desire, or likely ability. Im bored out of my mind after 5-10 miles of running on pavement. I run to stay in shape, I dont even like it.

But, run/walk has been shown to be faster than running alone.

[Tipi Walter]

Speed hiking the AT is kind of like a hot dog eating contest IMHO. It is interesting to watch but kind of pointless (not that there is anything wrong with doing something pointless).

Very good analogy. I like to eat but why turn it into a sporting event? And how many of us who do eat enter eating contests?

FKTs are about claiming " Im the best"

Not about personal challenge, this is why some quit when its out of reach. Trail is still challenging, why quit?

Not about enjoying nature
Sure you can enjoy nature while doing it, but thats not the focus, or motivation.

Its about bragging rights. Pure and simple.

Otherwise there is no need to tell anyone.

I like the way you think. Breaking a record and competition is always about bragging rights.

I'm pretty sure, in fact, 100% sure one has to be an Ultra runner or ex ultra runner to understand FKT's and the motivations for their attempts, and the folks who attempt them. I'm also pretty sure most of y'all are not nor ever have been nor ever will be ultra runners.

That being said, good thread, interesting browsing and a few actually good thoughts, IMHO.

You don't have to eat 60 hot dogs in an hour to judge the activity. And since this a backpacking forum, we have a duty to comment on competitions and track and field sporting events being organized on and using the trails we backpack like the AT.

Laying all that aside, the speed in which you travel on the trail is a preference. As such, there is no right or wrong... unless it is at the cost of another person's freedom or possessions . . . .

I agree, it's not about how fast a person hikes or backpacks a trail, but turning the AT into a track and field sporting event and using the trail in such a competition for Event recognition and personal recognition seems to go against the whole purpose of the AT, as Wingfoot says. Hiking pace is not the discussion here, it's about a group or individual using the trail for a sporting event and others following suit.

If speed hiking competitions are a-okay, why not have Spartan mud races up and down the AT and charge entrance fees and mid-trail way stations with energy drinks and power bars? Who cares?

[fiddlehead]

I dont run ultras, or pretend to. I never had the desire, or likely ability. Im bored out of my mind after 5-10 miles of running on pavement. I run to stay in shape, I dont even like it.

But, run/walk has been shown to be faster than running alone.

Maybe some of you don't realize that ultras are run on dirt roads and trails.
Only blacktop where they connect the trails/roads.

Another thing that I've noticed in running both marathons and ultras: When someone falls in an ultra race, almost EVERYONE stops to help and see if they are OK.

Even the (eventual) winner of the Leadville 100 race, in 2001 was walking up the Hope pass ascent when I saw him (I was outgoing from the start line, he was ingoing)

[rickb]

If speed hiking competitions are a-okay, why not have Spartan mud races up and down the AT and charge entrance fees and mid-trail way stations with energy drinks and power bars? Who cares?

The semi-permanent way stations on the Trail are manned for the benefit of thru hikers.

The numbers of thruhikers starting on a given day is growing, but not at the level of the more popular races yet. That said, the thru hikers' start is staggered over many days, with an aggregate total that far eclipses that of your race.

[MuddyWaters]

Maybe some of you don't realize that ultras are run on dirt roads and trails.
Only blacktop where they connect the trails/roads.

I think most know that.
I dont run ultras
I run on pavement because its right outside my front door, and convenient.
I cant imagine going for a 4 hr or more run most every Saturday like my brother does either.
Im bored to tears in a very short time. Ive got other things to do.