Show Notes
On today’s episode we’re traveling to the High Sierra of California where Caroline Himbert recently set the women’s unsupported northbound record on the premier John Muir Trail. Her first long, unsupported effort was a way for her to go back to her roots as a long distance hiker. Along the way she dealt with excruciating foot pain, a knee injury, and the effects of sleep deprivation. Tune in to hear how she almost missed the record when her hallucinations led her off trail, her “brain said goodbye” and she fell asleep for over 4 hours, just miles from the finish and why she ended up in Urgent Care after it was all over.
More from FKT Podcast
Trish Patterson joins host Heather Anderson on today’s episode to talk about her supported FKT on the United Kingdom’s National 3 Peaks Challenge. Trish shares her experience running the ~450-mile sea level variation in an astonishingly fast 5 days and 21 hours. Despite horrific pain, terrible blisters, and some gnarly weather, Trish took 8 hours off the previous women’s time. Tune in to learn more about her motivation for this FKT in honor of a friend as well as her take on the importance of community and recovery when tackling huge goals.
On this week’s episode, host Heather Anderson is joined by two-time Paralympic triathlete Kyle Coon. He shares his journey from going blind as a child who hated running to becoming a competitive athlete and why trail running piqued his interest after retiring from triathlon. Kyle also talks about the particular challenges of trail running while blind and how his FKT on the Manitou Incline wasn’t planned in advance. Tune in and be inspired by Kyle’s advice to “stop thinking and try it” both on the trail and in life.
Once again Paulina Zack joins host Heather Anderson to talk trails. This summer Paulina set FKTs on two classic European routes, Mallorca’s 150K GR221 and Sweden’s 480K Kungsleden Trail. She shares the challenges of two wildly different routes from record breaking heat to almost unbearable mosquitoes. She also talks about how completing the GR221 in 59 hours gave her confidence after injury. She also dives into her thoughts about women’s participation in multi-day FKTs and the beauty and challenge of completing the Kungsleden in 5 days and 15 hours.
Karel Sabbe returns to the show to chat with host Heather Anderson about his recent supported FKT on France’s 3,000 kilometer Hexatrek route. Karel completed it in 33 days and 13 hours, establishing an incredibly stout time despite extreme heat, wildfires, and waterborne illness. Tune in to hear about this newest long distance trail through some of the best known and best kept secret parts of France.
On this week’s show, Deanna Doane joins host Heather Anderson to talk about her unsupported Smokies Challenge Adventure Run (SCAR) FKT. Deanna shares her challenges with weather and water as well as animal encounters along the 70-mile run across Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She also shares her fueling and training strategy to cover the distance in 17 hours and 44 minutes.