Joe McConaughy | Appalachian Trail FKT and Ultrarunning

Earlier this month, Joe McConaughy stepped off the trail in Maine after demolishing the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the 2,200-ish mile Appalachian Trail. He averaged about 50 miles a day and completed the journey in an unsupported fashion.

So really, how much actual running did he do? (A lot.)

How heavy was his pack? (Pretty darn heavy.)

How did he document it? (Really really well.)

What did he eat? (Lots of Snickers bars.)

When’s he running another ultramarathon? (Hopefully soon.)

And plenty of other topics!

In this talk we cover the above issues, along with the different mindset it takes to run Gorge Waterfalls 100k or Lake Sonoma 50 miler (Joe finished in the top 10 of both of those this year), and why he thinks he’s so good at long term suffering. It’s certainly a unique skill set, and Joe does a great job describing what it takes to excel at each.

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Joe McConaughy Episode Notes

Here’s the film about his double at Gorge 100k and Sonoma 50M.

Follow Joe’s instagram account here: @thestring.bean

Here’s the interview I referenced with Hal Koerner after his JMT adventure.

Want to geek out on FKT info? See you on the ProBoards.

Outro music by AJ LeGrand.