Joe McConaughy Going Unsupported on the AT

[Just Bill]

GearJunkie has an article

https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-t...kt-string-bean

Giving his track out to several third parties was a class move on Joe's part. That's a pretty sacred trust.


I hope he had permission to spill Joe's beans.
If not; that's more than enough BS to fill a $40 bucket.
https://gearjunkie.com/yeti-loadout-bucket-review

[MuddyWaters]

If not; that's more than enough BS to fill a $40 bucket.
https://gearjunkie.com/yeti-loadout-bucket-review

A fool and his money , are soon parted.

[swisscross]

Do we have an official time yet...or did I miss it?

[SteelCut]

Do we have an official time yet...or did I miss it?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYgAkgQF...thestring.bean

[JC13]

Do we have an official time yet...or did I miss it?

According to the Gear Junkie article. 45 days, 12 hrs, 15 min.

[Just Bill]

Joe's post for those with no insty-

• thestring.bean45d11h57m - a new self supported and overall Fastest Known Time record on the #appalachiantrail. Greetings from the top of Katahdin at 6:38pm where I was greeted by 70 mile winds, hail, rain, mist, endless boulder scrambles, @kekiracofe and @josh.katzman . After a 37 hour push, i managed 110.8 miles straight to do what I had to do, more than I have run at once by almost 50 miles. I honestly don't know what to say. I'm am in shock and pain, joyful and thankful, humbled and tired, in disbelief and exhilaration. I will be forever perplexed and appreciative of what the wilderness brings out in myself and others. I hope anyone watching is at least inspired to become more involved in the outdoors. Every day has been a battle, but I am very thankful to be safe and have accomplished my dream ever since the PCT. I've had a lot of time in my own thoughts, and what I took away most from this journey is community. It is the people you love and who surround you who provide the greatest joy. It really took a village. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to my lovely girlfriend, Katie, my parents and the Katzmans who came to the start/finish, friends and family who I have HEAVILY leaned on, hikers, trail angels and the trail community who have given me everything from sloppy Joe's to an extra set of batteries to allow me to run through the night, @anishhikes and @meltzerkarl for pushing the FKT record, @efnorthamericaand @efcollegebreak for being an awesome company and letting me take time off work to pursue my dreams, to @heartbreakrunco, @brooksrunning, @palantepacks, @mountainlaureldesigns, and @cieleathletics to help me get here, and everyone who has followed or watched or commented. I've been brought to tears and laughter even though I may have never met you. Thank you all, Stringbean out. OOHYEAH!

[matthew.d.kirk]

Stringbean started this project on Monday 8/17 at 6:31AM EST

If Stringbean summited big K at 6:38 as he says on his Instagram, that would make it 45d12h7m... I think?

Not that 10 mins. slower makes it any less RIDICULOUS!!! Wowza.

[Just Bill]

If Stringbean summited big K at 6:38 as he says on his Instagram, that would make it 45d12h7m... I think?

Not that 10 mins. slower makes it any less RIDICULOUS!!! Wowza.

I got that as well- https://www.timeanddate.com/date/dur...2=18&i2=38&s2=
45d:12h:7m

DQ?






Just kidding- but that is why these are unverified until verified.

[brew]

First off, huge congrats to Joe! What a display. Wow. He just kept going higher and higher.

As for the supported/self-supported debate, I've heard the argument from a few people- primarily because of ultra light gear- that the gap has closed. But as Matt pointed out, resupply's still a big issue. And as someone else pointed out, he must have eaten a lot of fat. I'm really interested to hear about his diet.

One thing Jen mentioned last night is that with social media and increased cell service the mental side of things has changed on a self-supported. Because a person can get in touch with friends and family for the vast majority of the trail. For example, I was in the 100 mile wilderness a month ago and noticed I had service for a lot of it. And you also don't have conflicts within a crew, which I think Karl dealt with on #2. Scott's support was a double edged sword. Having help from Jenny and friends was a plus, but I think having trains of people at places like Bear Mtn. can be encouraging but also incredibly draining on something like this. I know I couldn't have handled it.

Having said all that, I still wasn't prepared for Joe to do it. This is HUGE and redefines the supported/self-supported standard, kind of like Jen's did with gender.

One other thing: I admire how he did the accountability thing- sending tracking to Peter, daily Instagram posts with time and mileage. They also happened to be very entertaining. He seems to have checked all the boxes. And in more ways than one, he carried himself well. Yeehaw, String Bean! Well done

[Just Bill]

One thing Jen mentioned last night is that with social media and increased cell service the mental side of things has changed on a self-supported. Because a person can get in touch with friends and family for the vast majority of the trail. For example, I was in the 100 mile wilderness a month ago and noticed I had service for a lot of it.

Similar conversations/emails last night on that point. The AT now has the 'phone a friend' option that has vastly changed from even a few years ago.

Good to see you chime in here Brew...
You keep up the fine work on the Pub Booth to Barstool Trail.

[MuddyWaters]

Far be it from me to diminish this, but would it qualify as self supported?
Trail angels?Sloppy joes?

Sounds like theres still another record to be had for self supported in style of Matt or Anish. But I didnt pay any attention, dont know.

"It is the people you love and who surround you who provide the greatest joy. It really took a village. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to my lovely girlfriend, Katie, my parents and the Katzmans who came to the start/finish, friends and family who I have HEAVILY leaned on, hikers, trail angels and the trail community who have given me everything from sloppy Joe's to an extra set of batteries to allow me to run through the night,"

[Chair-man]

An interesting read> "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence"

Joe appears to have dotted his I's and crossed T's so far as far as documentation goes but we haven't seen everything yet.

I wonder now because Joe has raised the bar so high that others may not even attempt an unsupported FKT. Joe's record may stand for a long long time. So all the scrutiny needs to come now.

[Just Bill]

I believe I've heard that quote.

[matthew.d.kirk]

Far be it from me to diminish this, but would it qualify as self supported?

First off, let me second Brew and say that I really enjoyed "getting to know" Joe (whom I've never had the pleasure to actually meet) via his short yet very endearing and entertaining Instagram posts. Sounds like a great guy...

While I agree that Joe started with a solid effort at transparency via Instagram (before the fog of war set in), the next step would be to publicly share other documentation for a claim. I have no doubt he can deliver.

As both an overall and self-supported, this is an exceptional claim. A solid gps track would more or less shore up an overall claim. But what about self-supported? Details on resupply, fueling logistics etc. would go a long way.

[couscous]

If Stringbean summited big K at 6:38 as he says on his Instagram, that would make it 45d12h7m... I think? Not that 10 mins. slower makes it any less RIDICULOUS!!! Wowza.

I doubt he immediately posted on Instagram the second he finished. Most likely he paused for 10 minutes at the sign and celebrated with those with him. Then at 6:38 he sent his post.

[ScottS]

I'm really anxious to see where all his resupplies were.

[Violent Green]

Some people may overlook the effects having an emotional support system, too.
The physical demands are just a part of what make a long self-supported fkt so difficult. There aren't that many people in the world who can handle being alone (and you are alone despite passing several people a day) while redlining themselves physically for a month or two.

Still curious who made the case about minimal advantages.

Agree. I've done some 50mi days and I will say that having a support crew could easily add an extra 4-5mpd. Not even so much from a weight carrying standpoint, but just from time saved. Fixing your meals, picking up resupply, treating injuries, setting up/taking down shelter, gathering water, etc. 5-10mins here and there add up to hours of time you could have been motoring down the trail. I think a 40 day supported FKT is definitely possible by an elite ultra runner in their prime. (No offense meant to anyone)

[chknfngrs]

Maltodextrin mama

[Just Bill]

Agree. I've done some 50mi days and I will say that having a support crew could easily add an extra 4-5mpd. Not even so much from a weight carrying standpoint, but just from time saved. Fixing your meals, picking up resupply, treating injuries, setting up/taking down shelter, gathering water, etc. 5-10mins here and there add up to hours of time you could have been motoring down the trail. I think a 40 day supported FKT is definitely possible by an elite ultra runner in their prime. (No offense meant to anyone)

My perspective is a bit different-
If you are physically capable of covering 55+ miles a day, day after day...
Then if you stopped at 50 because you ran out of time, still felt good, but lost time to tasks a crew could have done. I agree.
You'd have to be a machine physically and mentally though to do that, or at least have that type of background with aide stations, crews, and being used to support being given.

I'm not sure we've seen that person yet. That got to camp and was just itching to crank out 10 more if only there was 26 hours in the day. Maybe that person is coming but it seems to me that the miles per hour are going up a bit, not so much the hours per day. Most seem to fall into around 6 hours sleep or so. Until he got hurt, Joey was falling into a very sustainable pattern of moving about 14 ish hours a day and pulling his 50. He was hitting his mark without having to burn the midnight oil and grind himself down excessively. His injury seemed more dumb luck than any mistake.

For most-If that's about your limit anyway... (40's in my case as far as repeatable for any duration)... I found the hour or two a day spent on supporting myself was a nice mental and physical break.
You're still in the woods, and camping. Sometimes it's nice to camp or do normal hiker things amidst the abnormality of chasing an FKT. I never really squared with that part personally.
Just cooking a meal, or starting a small fire, chatting at a shelter, or hanging out on an overlook. Little things that recharge you along the way... that make you a bit more than just a mile chewing machine.

Everyone is different though. Style is a big part, even the aesthetic that works for you.
Jen and Brew struck me as a perfect team in that regard. Jen wrote often about the motivation to get back to Brew. And something about their trip was more intimate in terms of the connection to the trail beyond simply being spouses. Bringing a more traditional ultrarace style seems a bit jarring to me, less flow and connection. More fighting with the trail and less harmony.

Joey could have potentially chosen to go supported... but he didn't.

Stringbean has done one of each, likely he will do more... hopefully we get his thoughts.

[matthew.d.kirk]

I doubt he immediately posted on Instagram the second he finished. Most likely he paused for 10 minutes at the sign and celebrated with those with him. Then at 6:38 he sent his post.

Good point. Darn, I thought we'd eek out an extra 10 minutes for Joey He'll need every second he can get:

http://www.animaps.com/pb/416150002/...ash_unofficial