FKT Podcast

Colorado’s LA Freeway isn’t a misnomer. It’s a 34 mile link-up between Longs Peak and Arapahoe Peak along the Continental Divide. Join host Heather Anderson as she chats with Anton Krupicka about his unsupported FKT on this remote, technical, and exposed route. He shares his motivations and training for his 13 hour and 20 minute push that included over 18,000 feet of gain and 24 summits as well as his encounter with SAR in a crux section.

When you think about the Netherlands, you probably call to mind canals, windmills, and shoes. But in the east the nearly 500 kilometer Pieterpad Trail traverses a wide variety of landscapes as it travels from the sea in the north to the hilly terrain of the south. Sometimes referred to as the Dutch Camino, this trail offers a little bit of everything.

FKTs are not popular on this route, but that didn’t stop Monica Dekker from rounding up several friends and pushing to finish the whole trail in less than 100 hours. Her 4 day run involved very little sleep, a few hallucinations, and multiple ferry crossings that she had to time just right. Drop into today’s episode where she shares her experiences with host Heather Anderson.

It was a busy season on the Colorado Trail as records were broken in nearly every category beginning with Kyle Curtin’s smashing success in June–bringing the record under 7 days for the first time. Today’s episode brings together record setters Brent Herring, DJ Fox, Jeff Browning, and Kyle Curtin. They discuss their route choices as well as modalities–all were supported except for Brent. Hear about fueling, GI issues, escapades with Colorado weather, and each of their biggest takeaways and memorable moments from each of their records.

For the first time ever, the Appalachian Trail Fastest Known Time has gone under 41 days–taken there by Tara Dower. On today’s episode, Tara and her crew chief Rascal join host and previous AT FKT record holder Heather Anderson to talk trail.

Tara opens up about the difficulties of the rainy conditions she had in Maine and New Hampshire including how she handled numerous falls and what it did to her feet. Rascal provides insights into what a day in the life of the crew is like and how she and Tara’s mom Debbie kept things going.

They share the importance of the support from hundreds of people along the way, dirt naps, and so much more all while raising funds for Girls on the Run. Donations to Tara’s fundraiser can be made at https://support.girlsontherun.org/fundraiser/5607331

Drop in and be inspired by Tara’s relentless effort–including how she overcame a 100-plus mile deficit–to claim the overall record.

Today we’re diving deep into the oak and hickory lined ridges of eastern Oklahoma and central Arkansas as we catch up with Isaac Robinson to hear about his unsupported FKT on the 223 mile Ouachita Trail.

Join host Heather Anderson to learn how this resident of North Texas handled the rocks, roots, and ruggedness of this lesser known route. After a previous attempt, Isaac was back for more with a trim base weight and drive to lower the existing time. He shares how his dirt nap strategy went awry on the second night leaving him uncertain of what was hallucination and what was real as well as the highlights of this experience. Tune in and be prepared to add the Ouachita to your must-travel list!

When you hear sandy pine forest trails do you think of Florida? I bet you don’t think of New Jersey. Yet, on this week's episode, host Heather Anderson chats with Rachel Bambrick about her unsupported FKT in the sand laden Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Her 12 hour 35 minute record set a stout bar for the women’s unsupported category.

Tune in and discover the details of the Batona Trail–a 53-mile hidden gem in southern New Jersey–a short drive from metro Philadelphia. Rachel shares her learning curve attempting a long unsupported record hike including how to handle brown water and her insatiable desire for Smuckers Uncrustables. Rachel also shares her philosophy on First Known Times–rather than fastest–and her goal of inspiring more women to explore their edges in athletic endeavors. Tune in and be inspired to get out there and try!

This week we're traveling to the Midwest for an excursion along Lake Superior.

Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail is a popular route for FKTs and today Andrea Larson and Alan Chapman will be joining host Heather Anderson to talk about their independent, unsupported FKTs.

Find out how Andrea made the last-minute decision to go unsupported and how that resulted in her struggling to keep her pants pulled up on day one. Alan shares how the Japanese philosophy of misoji influenced his decision to run as well as the wild hallucinations he had along the way. Drop in to laugh with and be amazed by these two athletes as they dive into the deep end of difficulty for their first FKT attempts.

West of Toronto, Canada’s 550 mile long Bruce Trail travels along the Niagara Escarpment, from the famous falls northward onto a peninsula that juts into the Great Lakes. This ribbon of wilderness is a well-maintained gem of predominantly hardwood forest. In 2016 a team of 18 women completed the trail relay style in what they called the Wild Bruce Chase. In 2023, one of those women went back for more. 

Drop in to today’s episode and hear how Chantal Demers tackled the Bruce Trail in a completely different way via her Project 9. Despite injury set-backs, you’ll hear how this busy mom set 9 separate unsupported FKTs on the Bruce Trail. She faced weather challenges, nail-biting finishes, and the unknowns of how her body would handle the distances she was asking of it. 

The Colorado 14ers are a prominent mountain list in the United States with a long history of FKTs on them. This week’s guests have been a huge part of that history, with each of them having established multiple FKTs in these mountains over the years. In this episode, we learn how Andrew Hamilton and Andrea Sansone decided to contribute to the 14ers legacy as a team.

Despite injuries and personal losses, Andrea and Andrew set out to establish the first supported mixed gender FKT for the 14ers with an aggressive schedule that nearly forced them to quit early on. Tune in to this week’s episode to hear how they rallied behind the mantra “one more mountain” even as they experienced breathing difficulties and what they describe as ‘being in hell for two weeks.”

You can’t help being inspired by their humble spirit, dedication to one another, and willingness to keep going, even when it looked bleakest. Drop in and be immersed in 12 days of hard mountain adventure.

This week we’re taking a trip to the land of mud, moose, and rocks in northern New Hampshire where Phoebe Seltzer set the supported FKT on the 170-mile Cohos Trail in 3 days, 10 hours. The southern terminus of the Cohos Trail is located at Crawford Notch in the heart of the uber-popular White Mountains. From there it quickly leaves the busier backcountry trails behind and wends northward through the wilderness landscapes of the Great North Woods before reaching its northern terminus at the Canadian border.

Phoebe is no stranger to the Cohos–nor to attempting an FKT on it. In fact, this was her fourth attempt to set a record on this seldom-traveled route. Tune in to find out what she did differently to finally achieve success and how she sleep and nutrition throughout this challenging effort. 

Mountain athlete and former guide, Phoebe shares details on how she prepares and adapts to challenges en route and the importance of having a stellar crew.