In 2001 Flyin' Brian hiked the entire PCT, AT, and CDT in one calendar year. He changed the game.

"The difference between impossible and possible is very narrow."

Brian kept going - he's an engineer who likes to solve problems - so he worked at Barkley, and achieved the "course record" in 2008 on his third try. His wisdom is a delight:

"Volunteer trail work is a real joy. I'm doing what I can; not worrying about what I can't."

Not only has he finished Hardrock 100 22 times (!), but he also holds an obscure record for road Marathons! Listen to Blake's comments on the cancellation of this year's race, and recollections on a few remarkable FKT's, from the John Muir Trail, to being the first person to run cross country from Badwater to the top of Mt Whitney, AND the first person to finish the Nolans 14.

"This was before cell phones. Dad and I were talking to each other on FRS radios."

Blake was the 2nd/3rd ever finisher of Barkley. Blake says the 5th lap of Barkley was "like a party" - he is the definition of casual, self-effacing:

"Do good work when you're young, and then live a long time".

In 2016 Adam took a 200' fall in the Canadian Rockies.

"Nick Elson and Dakota Jones ran down and were so relieved to see me moving. They thought I had died”.

10 months later Adam finished the Hardrock 100 in 33 hours.

More runners are taking up climbing and skiing - do they have the needed skillset? If you mess up in a race you might get blisters; if you mess up in the mountains you might die. What can YOU do to be safer in the mountains? Adam has some thoughts.

"It doesn't have to be hard to be fun!”

https://trailrunnermag.com/people/culture/adam-campbells-long-hard-road

Darcy Piceu and Gina Lucrezi share thoughts on this important topic.

"We're in a real interesting time right now. If I do nothing else in the sport, it would be to raise awareness."

This is a different conversation for Fastest Known Time, and quite worthwhile.

Trail Sisters has established 5 recommended practices for races:

1. Equal podium spots

2. Equal prize money and awards

3. Women's-specific swag (not just unisex)

4. Menstrual products at aid stations (events over a Half Marathon)

5. Opportunity for Women at the front of the Starting Line

https://www.trailsisters.net

https://www.outsideonline.com/2312071/ultrarunning-has-gender-problem

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/12/opinion/nike-maternity-leave.html

http://time.com/5594356/alex-morgan-world-cup/

"Nellie" won almost everything she entered - 441 events with 390 podium finishes - until she almost died. Alone in the desert for 3 days and 2 nights in December, with a broken pelvis, lying unsheltered and unable to move Alone, except for her dog.

“Taz,” she said, “maybe you could go and get some help for me.”

It's a good story. They were on the Today Show and a Discovery Episode, and now listen to Nellie describe this in person, and what she's doing now.

"Dogged" in Runners World: https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a21753658/dogged/

"I Shouldn't Be Alive" on the Discovery Channel: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1575882/

The Colorado and California 14ers have long been top objectives, and the Idaho and Utah summits over 12,000' have been done, but NOBODY had done the highest summits in Montana - until Nate.

"I did eight scouting trips, logging over 180 miles, 340 miles, and 126k of vert."

Listen to Nate's great description of what's cool in Montana, and how not to get attacked by a Grizzly Bear.

"I'm not a great ultra runner ... I just wanted to spend big days in the mountains rambling around."

The "Speedgoat" has won 40 hundred mile trail races, including one every year, 18 years in a row.  

"I do want to win my 19th in a row, but at some point it's all going to end ... is that time now"?

Listen to Karl's thoughtful and honest comments, what it means to be slowing down, his descriptions of the Appalachian Trail, and ... his next project:

"I'm going out there this summer to scout it ... I was looking at the FKT site, and noticed the Self-Supported time is doable ... I may be an old man, but I may be able to bridge that."

Jeff just did the Arizona Trail Self-Supported, 9 hours faster than the Supported time!  How do thru-hikers do that?

"I work it out so I can go for hours without even taking off my pack - bending over to get water out of a stream takes time".

Really? Yes, really - thru-hikers work to save seconds on trips that may take months.  Jeff has done the Calendar Triple Crown and the Great Western Loop, while only running one ultra - listen to how a real thru-hiker approaches these huge trips.

"I was going to start the AZT on April 4, but didn't feel like it ... so I just waited and started the next day".

There are two ways to build a running career: 1) By talking about yourself on social media; 2) By winning races. Darcy has taken the second path!

"I was from a different generation … I just like to run … “

She broke Sue Johnston’s 10-year old Female Supported FKT on the John Muir Trail by a whopping 10 hours, and threatened the Overall (Mens) FKT, much to the delight of those following her progress.

"That was not my intention … I was just out there, blissfully … At one point, my crew said, 'Do you have any idea what you’re doing?!'"

Jared Campbell is the sleep deprivation king. He has the most Barkley Marathons finishes (3); he has 10 Hardrock 100 finishes including a win; he's the holder of many original FKTs; he founded Running Up For Air and he's rrreally into "speed canyoneering"... wait, what?

Finally, he's a "runner's runner." He's basically not on social media or sponsored - instead he's the lead engineer in a full-time job and a devoted family man with a wife and two daughters. How does someone like this push his body and mind to such extreme places, especially related to the Barkley which is as close to an FKT as a race can get? He asks himself:

"Is my mind in the right place? Is my commitment there? Over the years I've developed a sense for 'yes, I have my mind in the right place for that amount of time,' whether it's 20 or 30 hours or more."

Want more? Check out this video Jared posted in 2011: https://youtu.be/NFCjaKhbHMk