Jonathan Basham aka JB sets CT speed record...

[Sly]

With a little help from his friend....

http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/S...6&path=!sports

[fiddlehead]

Very interesting. Thanks Sly
One thing that was wierd: He figured running faster would help protect him from mountain lions. I don't think so. I've read that they are quicker to attack things that run fast vs. someone moving slower. Anyway, I can relate as i used the CT trail for training when i did the Leadville race in 2001. Saw almost no one and enjoyed a beautiful, scenic trail. (although the CDT in CO is more scenic)

[Sly]

i thought I had edit ability!

Here's the gist...

Basham to run/hike the 482.9-mile Colorado Trail in 8 days, 13 hours, 28 minutes, bettering the existing mark of 9 days, 10 hours, 19 minutes set by Hal Koerner in 2003.

Anyway, I plan on doing the CT (and some more of the CDT) next year, albeit a bit slower.

[warren doyle]

Congrats to JB for setting a new endurance mark for the CT. It is also commendable that Andrew Thompson returned the favor by being his support crew.
I respect the nobility/integrity of the long distance endurance hiking record subculture.
Also, kudos to David Horton for acting as a mentor to these two individuals.
Which long distance trail endurance hiking record will be the next to be broken?

[fiddlehead]

Which long distance trail endurance hiking record will be the next to be broken?

JMT (if you consider that long distance) (i believe the record is currently somewhere around 4 days)

[Dust]

I wanna be the fastest. That guy went faster than me. WAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh no you don't. I"m gonna go out there and run until I beat your record. I want to be the fastest. And if I'm not, I'm gonna cry.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I wanna be number 1. I"m gonna beat that record until my name is first in the books. I don't care if the trail was blur, I was just thinking how everyone would say I'm the fastest at the end. I can't stand anyone going faster.



WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NO! I don't care what the mountains looked like. I don't have time to lollygag around. I can't be left behind.

W@AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!

[fiddlehead]

I wanna be the fastest. That guy went faster than me. WAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Oh no you don't. I"m gonna go out there and run until I beat your record. I want to be the fastest. And if I'm not, I'm gonna cry.

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

I wanna be number 1. I"m gonna beat that record until my name is first in the books. I don't care if the trail was blur, I was just thinking how everyone would say I'm the fastest at the end. I can't stand anyone going faster.



WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NO! I don't care what the mountains looked like. I don't have time to lollygag around. I can't be left behind.

W@AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!!

That's funny you should say that, cause when i ran the JMT a few years ago with a great ultra runner, we laughed at the hikers who were in their tents reading their books or whatever they were reading, every night when we would go by them while the alpen glow was doing it's fabulous light show. We also saw the northern lights that year and i'll tell you that we didn't see any other hikers on the trail after about an hour before sunset or and hour before dawn. These, i have found, are absolutely the best times to be out there. the animals are aware of this and also are enjoying the show. It's just the poor tentbound Steinbeck readers who are missing it.
The best pictures i ever saw of the Sierras were taken in these hours on that particular journey. By the way, it was my 5th time doing the JMT and absolutely the best.
So perhaps you should walk a mile in the speed hikers shoes before (supposedly) knowing d(or assuming) what they are missing/seeing.


And we weren't even trying to beat any records, just trying to see how fast we could hike it.

[Ramble~On]

googoogaga...Welcome to WB .

Fiddlehead...very well said.

I would love to be in a postion to have the time to devote to the training, planning and then execution of something like that.

[MOWGLI]

Funny our newest Troll - Googoogaga - should post that. I heard from all kinds of folks that taking 15 days to hike the JMT was too fast. "You won't see anything. Stop and smell the roses." Same thing about the AT when I was banging out 20 miles a day.

Well for this hiker - I am just that. I am NOT a camper. I go to the mountains to hike. Camp can be nice, but when I get there, I usually change, setup, eat, read, write and sleep. Then I get up and do what I enjoy. Hike! Oh yeah, and along the way I birdwatch, fish, revel in the beauty that surrounds me, take piles of pictures, take a nap at lunch, and still manage to knock out 18-20+ miles.

Seems like no matter how fast (or slow) you're hiking, it's never the right speed for somebody out there. Oh well... Too bad.