Scott Benerofe is a backpacker and ultra-runner based out of Vermont. Scott has some pretty insane efforts to his name, including a winter Appalachian Trail thru-hike (see episode #20) and a single push link-up of the Pemi Loop, Presi Traverse, and Mahoosuc Traverse (see episode #74). In early August, Scott went out and took over 14 hours off of the unsupported FKT for the Adirondack 46 High Peaks. It is a gnarly challenge that pushed Scott 190+ miles with 70,000 feet of vertical. It is also the #10 ranked Northeast Region Notable Routes for FKTs. Xander and Will talk with Scott all about his effort in this episode. Find Scott on Strava.

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podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fromthebackcountry/

John Kelly is a prolific ultrarunner known for three finishes at the Barkley Marathons, winning the Winter Spine Race, FKTs on the Pennine Way, Long Trail, and Wainwrights 214, and more. Most recently John was ahead of record pace 1900 miles into an Appalachian Trail FKT attempt when his attempt ended in the Whites due to injury. Both special guest host (and White Mountains Legend) Bill Tidd and I (Will) were with him that weekend when it all went down. In this episode we talk about John's AT effort, the upcoming Tor des Géants that all three of us are running, and the Barkley Marathons. Find them both on Strava and find John on Instagram @randomforestrunner.

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Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Tori "Chewy" Constantine is a thru-hiker from the Upper Valley who has extensive backpacking experience including thru-hikes of the Long Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail. Most recently Tori set a new women's unsupported record on the Long Trail, a premier FKT route that is 272 miles long with almost 70,000 feet of vertical spanning the entire state of Vermont. She took 16 hours off of the previous record, coming in at 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes. Find Tori on Strava and on Instagram @tconstantine3

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Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Jack Kuenzle is a prolific mountain athlete and coach for Evoke Endurance. He has collected FKTs like Jeep drivers collect those weird dashboard thingies, including FKTs on Mont Blanc, Denali, the Bob Graham Round, the Presidential Traverse, Hut Traverse, Great Range Traverse, Devils Path, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta, and more. Jack is becoming my ultra-running coach in the lead-up to me running Tor des Geants in September, and this is the second of our coaching conversations in the lead-up. Go listen to episode #98 for our first conversation, and look out for #3 in early September.

Link to Jack's "Advice on Nutrition" document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oUl7v8faXhCIEbx3NMMRBDioC51WgoHoebM3KkvuBbM/edit?tab=t.0

Find Evoke Endurance at https://evokeendurance.com/ and @evokeendurance on Instagram.

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Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Maia Buckingham and Xander Keiter are no strangers to the Northeast FKT scenes. They have both proven their metal time and again on gnarly routes and epic efforts in New England. Recently, both went out with the goal of setting new FKTs on the Hundred Mile Wilderness, and both succeeded in taking significant time off the records. We talk all about their efforts in this episode! Find them both on Strava and on Instagram @xkeiter2 and @moost.r

Use code fromthebackcountry at infinitnutrition.us for 15% off your entire order.

Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Andrew Drummond is a runner, skier, hiker, mountain athlete, content creator, and owner of Run the Whites/White Mountain Ski Co. He wears a great number of hats in the White Mountains community, from athlete to entrepreneur to race director. Most recently, Andrew went out a broke the record for the Unsupported New Hampshire 4,000 Footers, also known as the White Mountains Direttissima. He broke the record set by yours truly (Will) in 2020 by over 14 hours. In the conversation we talk about his relationship with the route, his execution, and his thoughts on the progression of the sport and himself as an athlete. Find Andrew on Instagram @sr_drummond and on Strava.

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Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Zan Alberici is a hiker and trail runner from New Hampshire who just recently got into trail running, but has thrown down some massive efforts in just a short period of time. Most recently, Zan became the first known person to complete the White Mountains 100 in an unsupported manner. The Whites 100 is a grueling 100 mile route with 34,000 feet of gain, and the DNF list is far longer than the list of finishers. Find Zan on Strava and on Instagram @4.zan.

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Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Cara Baskin and Joe Miller are incredible ultramarathon runners in the White Mountains. They recently took home wins at Mount Adams Vertical Day, a special day in the White Mountains where a bunch of crushers see how much vert they can rack up on Mount Adams in 12 hours. We talk all about their efforts, as well as efforts currently going down in the Whites including John Kelly's AT FKT attempt and an unsupported White Mountains 100. Find them on Strava and Instagram @_caranonymous and @joeylikesrocks

Use code fromthebackcountry at infinitnutrition.us for 15% off your entire order.

Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Jack Kuenzle is a prolific mountain athlete and coach for Evoke Endurance. He has collected FKTs like Jeep drivers collect those weird dashboard thingies, including FKTs on Mont Blanc, Denali, the Bob Graham Round, the Presidential Traverse, Hut Traverse, Great Range Traverse, Devils Path, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, Mt. Shasta, and more. Jack is becoming my ultra-running coach in the lead-up to me running Tor des Geants in September, and we will be posting our monthly coaching conversations on the podcast for you all to listen to!

Link to Jack's "Advice on Nutrition" document:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oUl7v8faXhCIEbx3NMMRBDioC51WgoHoebM3KkvuBbM/edit?tab=t.0

Find Evoke Endurance at https://evokeendurance.com/ and @evokeendurance on Instagram.

Use code fromthebackcountry at infinitnutrition.us for 15% off your entire order.

Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry

Finn Melanson is a ultra endurance athlete and host of the single track podcast who is from the great state of Maine, now residing in Salt Lake City. Finn runs one of the top ultra media companies Singletrack, and he also happens to be an incredible athlete across multiple distances. Most recently, Finn finished 6th at the 2025 Cocodona 250, improving on his time from last year by four hours. We also talk New England FKTs including the Hundred Mile Wilderness, Grafton Notch Loop, and Appalachian Trail.

Use code fromthebackcountry at infinitnutrition.us for 15% off your entire order.

Podcast Instagram: @fromthebackcountry