Last fall, Art Brody set the unsupported record on the Arizona Trail. Yes, the unsupported record. This means he traversed over 800 miles of desert, mountains, and canyons with absolutely no outside help. No trail magic beer. No water from caches. No food resupplies, or the reassurance of picking up new gear if something breaks. He even had to pack out all of his trash.

The hurdles associated with this unsupported attempt began before Art even started. Just to step foot on the trail, Art had to shoulder his 87-pound pack. 

Given the logistical, physical, and psychological challenges associated with unsupported FKTs on long trails, it is perhaps not surprising that Art’s AZT record might also be a record for the longest unsupported thru-hike ever.

How did Art accomplish this feat? And, perhaps more importantly, why?

On this episode of the FKT Podcast, Art hashes it all out with host Heather Anderson – a former AZT self-supported record holder herself. They trade notes on their record-setting styles, tales of questionable water sources, and wildlife encounters along the way. 

Art explains how a hiccup before he even started led to a cascading chain of events on the trail…including essentially running out of food. Tune in to get the full inside scoop, including why Art found it worthwhile to carry a second pair of trail running shoes in his already back-breakingly heavy pack. 

Follow Art’s adventures on Instagram, and get his full trip report over on fastestknowntime.com.