When Mali Noyes got on the phone with me on April 17, she was spent. Her exhaustion, miraculously, wasn鈥檛 from the physical effort of her latest project: skiing every line in the famous Utah backcountry听skiing guidebook The Chuting Gallery, by Andrew Mclean, as fast as possible; she was frazzled by the mental toll of exposing herself to hazards and dangerous terrain day in and day out.

“The mental fatigue is so intense that it鈥檚 hard to wrap my head around,” Noyes told听国产吃瓜黑料.

Noyes, 35, works as a pro re nata nurse (an on-call schedule) at the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. After clocking out of a shift on Tuesday, March 11, she began her skiing objective鈥攚hich she calls “Project Rapid Fire”鈥攅arly the next morning.

Noyes skinned up Broad Fork in Big Cottonwood Canyon and skied down the east face of Twin Peak, followed by the Stairs Gulch. The standout lines were highlights due to the beautiful exposed skiing, and massive vertical drop down the gulch. She immediately began ticking off technical, steep, and hazardous ski descents up and down the Wasatch mountain range. When we spoke, she had skied 77 lines in 37 days, including just seven rest days.

鈥淭he crux for me hasn鈥檛 been the vert,鈥� Noyes told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淢y brain has been doing so much decision making day after day, skiing objective hazards. I feel a little trapped in the process.鈥�

The Chuting Gallery was published in 1998 while McLean was working as an engineer at Black Diamond. The book has become the quintessential document of the Utah backcountry skiing scene, and anyone who skis every descent in the book cements their name in ski history. Caroline Gleich was catapulted into the spotlight after becoming the first woman to ski every line in the book. The book details 90 of the hardest backcountry ski lines in the Wasatch Mountains that loom over Salt Lake City. Many skiers argue over the final number of chutes, since the book often describes areas that are home to multiple couloirs. Noyes has determined her number to be 93.

“Andrew McLean鈥檚 writing and book captured my imagination,鈥� Gleich told Backcountry magazine. 鈥淚t gave me a roadmap to becoming a ski mountaineer. His quirky book became a shaping force in my career, and I鈥檓 grateful for his leadership and vision in writing The Chuting Gallery.鈥�

Noyes’ idea to ski all 93 lines in succession was born during the 2023 winter, when Utah received over 900 inches of snow. 鈥淚 was having so much fun skiing big objectives, and I started linking up more and more of them at once,鈥� Noyes said. Also a professional big mountain skier, Noyes began her athletic career as a Nordic ski racer. 鈥淚 just love long days, and the logistical and strategic challenge of skiing all 93 couloirs in The Chuting Gallery in record time excited me.鈥�

Prior to launching her project, Noyes shared the idea听with fellow professional backcountry skier听Cody Townsend, who is her mentor and teammate on the Salomon backcountry team. She told Townsend she was waiting for the right year for this project. Noyes wanted all the snow conditions to align perfectly. Some of the听Chuting Gallery ski lines descend rocky and exposed terrain, and require a deep snowpack to be skiable.

But Townsend told her she鈥檇 never find the perfect year, and that she should take on the challenge as soon as possible. 鈥淚t鈥檚 through the suffering and bad snow conditions that you make the experience your own,鈥� he said to Noyes.

The March 12 start date was less than ideal. Noyes started so late in the season because she was waiting for avalanche danger in the Wasatch to subside. The late start didn鈥檛 hamper her early in her mission, but as she kept ticking off chutes and March rolled into April, the remaining ski descents melted quickly.

Many of these ski lines are clustered in the same drainages, but while in years past Noyes has been able to complete multiple descents in a day, this year, the hot April sun shortened the windows during which those couloirs would be safe from wet avalanches. This means that Noyes has only been able to ski one or two of those chutes in a day. She has had to repeatedly bushwack and hike far into gullies that on a different year she鈥檇 only have to visit once.

鈥淎 week ago I slipped in a creek on the way to the Y-Couloir in Little Cottonwood Canyon. I broke down and began to cry,鈥� Noyes said. 鈥淚 wondered if I still loved skiing, and why I was skiing this shitty snow over here instead of great snow elsewhere because of this list.鈥�

But Noyes has a new strategy to deal with the mental crux. 鈥淓very time I scream and tell myself 鈥業 fucking hate this,鈥� I鈥檝e tricked my brain into saying 鈥業鈥檓 really fucking good at this.鈥欌�� And she is. Noah Howell, a legendary Wasatch skier, took 13 years to complete the guidebook. Caroline Gleich skied every line in The Chuting Gallery over the course of four years. Noyes is on track to finish out the book in less than two months.

She鈥檚 had great days, like when she linked three lines on Kesler Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon in stable powder. 鈥淚t was a 10,000-foot day with a good crew and great snow,鈥� Noyes said. She owns a home nestled听in Little Cottonwood Canyon, and hasn鈥檛 explored the neighboring canyon enough. She told 国产吃瓜黑料 that this project has been an amazing way to branch out of her skiing bubble. Noyes also skied the Great White Icicle鈥攁 popular ice climb that is in the book as a novelty and is often skied on rappel鈥攐n snowblades at night. Noyes jokingly called that a first descent of its kind.

But it hasn鈥檛 been all bluebird powder days. 鈥淚 had a week where I had three close calls in four days,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat felt like it broke my brain a little, like 鈥業 have to keep going back into these mountains that are trying to kill me.鈥欌��

Her least favorite day of the project so far was when she skied Lisa Falls with New Zealand pro skier Sam Smoothy. The ski line is at a relatively low elevation, and the very top of it commonly avalanches and collects windblown snow. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a complicated 5,000-foot approach, and the second the sun hits the face it can shed,鈥� she said. Noyes and Smoothy began at 2 A.M., planning to climb the line, ski it, and climb it again to link up with faces on the other side of the peak. But Smoothy didn鈥檛 feel well that day and they were moving slower than they wanted. Sunlight hit the face when they were climbing and the couloir heated up quickly. 鈥淚t was way more danger than I ever wanted to put myself in,鈥� she said. The skiers were able to descend safely, but they saw many natural avalanches on their way out of the canyon.

Her latest lines have looked the hardest, as a melting snowpack has revealed multiple rappels with sketchy-looking anchors in the middle of the couloirs that are sometimes fully skiable. 鈥淩opes slow things down, and they can create other hazards鈥� Noyes told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淭wo days after Lisa Falls, I went into Hogum Fork to ski a line called Montgomery, which had a rappel at the bottom. But we couldn鈥檛 find an anchor, and it took so long that the snow heated up and started shedding.鈥�

Noyes lamented that if she hadn鈥檛 been chasing this project, she would never have been in that spot. But she said days like that provide good teachable moments. She鈥檚 been getting up even earlier, often at 1 A.M. to beat the heat.

Risk to life and limb is just one aspect of her stress. Noyes told 国产吃瓜黑料 that her cat, Beater, has been a source of concern. After a coyote ate a neighbor鈥檚 cat, Beater hasn鈥檛 been allowed out at night. But at 1 A.M., Noyes isn鈥檛 always alert enough to stop him from slipping out of the door. 鈥淗e鈥檇 snuck out the night we left for Lisa Falls, and I鈥檇 be lying if I said he wasn鈥檛 adding to the pure stress I felt that day,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 saw him dashing into the woods, and all I could do was tell him, 鈥楳ake good choices, bud.鈥欌��

When asked about how she鈥檚 been able to maintain her motivation throughout the challenge, Noyes is quick to credit the large group of friends, most of whom are professional skiers, who have rallied to ski these couloirs with her. 鈥淪kiing is not an individual sport,鈥� Noyes told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淭his isn鈥檛 a Mali project, it鈥檚 a community project.鈥�

Noyes has to work a minimum of two days a month at the Huntsman Institute to fulfill her contract. She鈥檚 hoping to finish Project Rapid Fire with enough time to clock back in for two days in April.

Update: Mali Noyes completed her 93rd and final line on April 27, completing听The Chuting Gallery听in just 47 days.

The post This Nurse Just Skied Utah鈥檚 Hardest Descents in Record Time appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

American ultrarunner has set a bold goal for 2025: ascend Mount Everest without the use of supplemental oxygen faster than anyone in history. Andrews, 34, who has set speed records on 26,781-foot Manaslu and 22,837-foot Aconcagua, told 国产吃瓜黑料 that he鈥檚 going to attempt the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for ascending Everest via the South Col route this May.

鈥淚n mountaineering, it鈥檚 almost like Everest has gotten a bad reputation鈥攖oo crowded, too commercial, people doing it for the wrong reasons,鈥� Andrews told 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淏ut when it comes to mountain running records, it represents the ultimate progression.鈥�

In May, Andrews will depart Nepal鈥檚 Everest Base Camp and ascend the Khumbu Icefall, the Western Cwm, Lhotse Face, past the South Col and on to the 29,032-foot summit. The total distance is 9.3 miles, with an elevation gain of 11,434 feet.

There are several speed records on Everest. Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa鈥檚 2003 ascent of Everest as the fastest at 10 hours, 56 minutes, 46 seconds. Lhakpa Gelu ascended the peak with supplemental oxygen. In 1998 Kaji Sherpa ascended the peak from Base Camp in 20 hours and 24 minutes, without the use of oxygen. In 2017, Catalan ultrarunner Kilian Jornet set a speed record of 26 hours for ascending the peak in true alpine style, without using oxygen or fixed ropes.

Andrews said he is targeting Kaji Sherpa鈥檚 record.

The tradeoff of going in May鈥攁nd following the main route used by commercial climbing parties鈥攊s that Andrews will have to potentially deal with traffic jams. Climbers form bottlenecks on the Nepal side. Andrews said he expects crowding on the peak in 2025.

鈥淲hen the previous record was set, there were definitely fewer people on the mountain,鈥� Andrews said. 鈥淏ut there weren鈥檛 any of those $10,000 espresso machines at Base Camp either, so there are pluses and minuses.鈥�

Andrews said his primary strategy for his Everest FKT attempt is to try and avoid the masses. 鈥淭he nice thing about Everest is that there鈥檚 a lot of groupthink, he said. 鈥淭he big climbing companies send all their teams up in the same couple of days.鈥�

He believes there鈥檚 wiggle room to start his climb before or after the biggest wave of climbers, even within a tight weather window, to make on-the-fly decisions that will help him avoid the route鈥檚 most notorious pinch points.

Andrews鈥� FKT attempt will be a solo ascent, backed by a significant support team on the mountain. 鈥淚t takes a village,鈥� he said. For logistics, including permitting, he鈥檚 working with Dawa Steven Sherpa, the CEO of Nepali guiding company Asian Trekking. The two worked together for Andrew鈥檚 FKT on Manaslu in September 2024. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the critical piece behind the scenes,鈥� Andrews told 国产吃瓜黑料.

On the lower sections of the route, Andrews will run with his good friend and climbing partner Chris Fisher. Fisher will also accompany Andrews through the Khumbu Icefall, considered one of the most dangerous sections of the South Col route. 鈥淗e鈥檚 my support person and my pacer,鈥� said Andrews.

Above the Khumbu Icefall, Andrews does not plan to spend a night at higher camps, but he will stash food, water, and gear in strategic locations along the route.

Andrews told 国产吃瓜黑料 that the peak鈥檚 upper-most section, from Camp 4 to the summit, will be the key to his attempt. 鈥淭he last 800 meters could take me four hours or it could take me 12 hours,鈥� Andrews said. 鈥淭hat will likely make or break the route.鈥�

In preparation for the climb, Andrews has been using a hypoxic generator at home to simulate the effects of extreme altitude while training.

For clothing, Andrews is planning both a “warm weather” and “cold weather” kit. 鈥淚 think the most important thing will be layering and having a setup where I can move comfortably and never get too hot or too cold,鈥� he said. Andrews worked with sponsor La Sportiva on a modular system to easily add and subtract layers as temperatures shift. The small, custom backpack he鈥檒l use to carry the essentials was made in the USA by FSP Outdoors.

He hopes that his attempt will inspire people to do hard things. 鈥淲hether that’s climbing a mountain, running a marathon, starting a business, asking out the girl at the coffee shop, whatever that is, I hope that what I’m doing can inspire a handful of people to do something hard, because it’s tremendously rewarding and fulfilling,鈥� Andrews said

He also hopes that it will encourage other high-level mountain athletes to come to the Himalayas to try to break speed records. 鈥淚 think that’s what’s exciting about sport,鈥� said Andrews, 鈥渢he continued competition across generations.鈥�

As for risk, Andrews recognizes the life-or-death stakes. but he doesn鈥檛 think that speed records lure climbers into taking unnecessary risks. 鈥淧eople who are realistically in a position to attempt something like a speed record on an 8000-meter peak understand there will always be risk and danger when you鈥檙e competing in the mountains,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always something that you have to weigh carefully.鈥�

Before he became a high-altitude mountain runner, Andrews was a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier for the marathon (in 2016 and 2020), and a world champion ultrarunner. He splits his time between Flagstaff, Arizona, and Quito, Ecuador, where he trains extensively at 16,000 feet and above.

His first major mountain speed record was in 2021 on 19,347-foot , Ecuador鈥檚 second highest summit, in 1:36:35. Andrews has since set FKTs on 19,340-foot , Africa鈥檚 tallest mountain, in 6:37:57, and Argentina鈥檚 22,838-foot , the highest peak outside of Asia, in 11:24:46.

Andrews鈥� perhaps greatest accomplishment yet came when he set a new in 2024. It was his first record on one of the world鈥檚 8000ers鈥攖he 14 peaks that stand at 8,000 metres (26,247 feet) and above.

鈥淭hat was the moment when running Everest became real for me,鈥� Andrews said.

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If you want to set a fastest known time on the 817-mile Arizona Trail, you have to start fast. At least, that鈥檚 what both Nick Fowler and Georgia Porter proved this fall.

On October 28, they independently set out from the Utah-Arizona border and started their trek south with the goal of setting a record. While Fowler was traveling in a self-supported style and Porter enlisted a crew, the two shared numerous commonalities beyond the same start date, chosen to capitalize on the ideal fall weather.

Each exceeded record-setting pace over the first few days on the . Both ended up sleep deprived, with immense foot pain, and practically hobbling to the finish line at the U.S.-Mexico border. And both completed their attempt with a record: Fowler with a self-supported Arizona Trail FKT of 12 days, 17 hours, and 33 minutes鈥攖he overall record on the trail. And Porter with a women鈥檚 supported Arizona Trail FKT of 16 days, 22 hours, and 6 minutes.

But dig into their approaches, and it鈥檚 clear that even with similar goals in mind, no two FKT setters think alike.

A Rough Start

Fowler didn鈥檛 run or sleep much in the lead-up to his FKT attempt. Since setting the self-supported FKT on the Pacific Crest Trail last summer, Fowler had his sights set on Arizona. He had already done the AZT in 30 days in the spring of 2023, prior to his PCT attempt. He knew he wanted to shoot for the record in the fall, and started working out what he鈥檇 have to do to achieve it. But in early September, less than two months before Fowler鈥檚 attempt, a new priority came into his life: Canyon, his new son.

鈥淢y training program was calf raises in the kitchen while holding my son,鈥� Fowler says. 鈥淎nd then when I go in the living room, holding my son, I would do single leg squats.鈥�

With a new baby in tow, Fowler didn鈥檛 get in quite as many pre-trail miles as he鈥檇 hoped. A couple weeks before starting the AZT, he headed out to Arkansas for an attempt at a 70-mile day on the Ozark Highlands Trail, but 鈥渋t absolutely kicked my butt 43 miles in.鈥� Nonetheless, he showed up to the Utah-Arizona border and set out feeling confident that his training from the summer, which included an FKT on the 425-mile Oregon Coast Trail, would carry him through.

鈥淏y day two, I was puking my guts out crossing the Grand Canyon, curled up in the fetal position, being passed by hikers in flip-flops, and I slowed down to two-hour miles,鈥� Fowler says. 鈥淎nd I quit.鈥�

About 100 miles in, on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Fowler turned off his tracker. He caught a hitch to Flagstaff, feeling defeated. But after a night of rest, he realized all was not lost.

鈥淚 was like, maybe I can still do this,鈥� Fowler says. 鈥淓verything鈥檚 already in place. I鈥檓 already here. And if I鈥檓 spending time away from Canyon, it鈥檚 gotta be something.鈥�

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On September 19, 34-year-old听American mountain runner Tyler Andrews ascended Nepal鈥檚 26,781-foot Manaslu in a mind-bending 9 hours and 52 minutes. The time shaved more than two hours off the previous speed record on the peak, set in 2023 by Nepalese climber . Before that, Francois Cazzanelli, an alpinist and guide from Italy, summited in 13 hours, in 2019.

Manaslu is one of the world鈥檚 14 peaks above 8,000 meters. These mountains have traditionally been the realm of mountaineers and professional high-alpine guides, not trail runners.

But Andrews believes that’s about to change. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e going to start seeing more mountain runners going this way,鈥� Andrews told 国产吃瓜黑料 from Manaslu base camp.

His belief stems in part from his own experience on the peak, and from changing dynamics he’s seeing in the world of ultrarunning and the pursuit of fastest known times. Andrews is part of a new generation of mountain runners seeking out increasingly bigger, more challenging, and more daunting speed records. 鈥淚f you start with the Colorado fourteeners, then go to the Alps, then the Andes, the natural progression is to the Himalayas and the 8000ers,鈥� he told 国产吃瓜黑料.

And Andrews also believes that changes within Fastest Known Time, the organization that tracks running speed records, which is owned by 国产吃瓜黑料,听will attract more elite runners to the Himalayas. Traditionally, FKT has not approved records set on Manaslu and other 8,000-meter peaks. 鈥�8000-meter peaks were sort of their own category,鈥� says Buzz Burrell, co-founder. 鈥淲e mostly left them alone.鈥�

The organization does track these records on North American and even European peaks, such as Denali and Mont Blanc.

Instead, ascents on Nepal’s highest mountains, including those resulting in speed records, have historically been tracked by the Himalayan Database. But that鈥檚 changing, and Andrews is one reason behind the shift. He actually works part-time for Fastest Know Time as Regional Editor for Latin America and the Himalayas. Part of his job is to create routes and then help FKT track records on them.

鈥淚 think in the past, the team didn鈥檛 want to be trying to verify routes that required rock climbing because you can鈥檛 just use a GPS watch to track something that鈥檚 vertical,鈥� Andrews says. 鈥淏ut Manaslu is not like that, so tracking it is really no different than other mountains on there, like Cotopaxi or Denali.鈥�

When Andrews returns from Manaslu base camp鈥攈e鈥檚 currently supporting a friend attempting a ski descent鈥攈e will submit his GPX data to Fastest Known Time for approval. He also plans to submit his data to the Himalayan Database.

Manaslu and 26,864-foot Cho Oyu in Tibet are considered the easiest of the 14 8,000-meter peaks. On Manaslu, the nine-mile route from base camp to the summit requires less technical climbing than harder peaks, like K2 or Nanga Parbat. Still, Manaslu isn’t easy. The trail gains nearly 11,000 feet of elevation, requires the use of fixed ropes in many sections, and travels over steep sections of snow and ice. Climbers must also survive in what mountaineers call the 鈥淒eath Zone鈥濃�攅levations above 26,000鈥攂ecause there鈥檚 not enough oxygen for human beings to survive more than a day or two.

Andrews ran up Manaslu without using supplemental oxygen, and he did so with an extremely lightweight setup. He wore a pair of waterproof trail running shoes designed to shed snow, a puffy jacket, lightweight pants, and a windbreaker. He carried a 30-liter backpack containing bare essentials: harness, helmet, goggles, ice axe, water, snacks, and energy gels.

He credits a perfect weather window and an uncrowded mountain with allowing him to go as fast and light as he did. 鈥淚t’s part of the risk and gamble and calculus that you have to do as an athlete up there when you’re going for a mountain record,鈥� Andrews says. 鈥淓very gram counts.鈥�

Andrews’ record comes more than a decade after famed Spanish ultrarunner Kilian Jornet began his Summits of My Life project, a four-year expedition to traverse the world’s highest mountain ranges. From 2012 to 2017, Jornet ticked off many of the world鈥檚 most high-profile peaks in a fast and light style, shattering long-held mountaineering speed records as he went.

In 2013 he ran straight up 15,780-foot Mont Blanc, typically a two-day mountaineering ascent, in less than 5 hours while wearing shorts and a t-shirt. In 2017 he ascended Mount Everest twice in the same week.

Jornet鈥檚 ascents prompted some trail runners to take on similar challenges, setting off a flurry of mountain-top FKTs, and inspiring a new generation of endurance athletes.

Similarly, Andrews thinks the time is right for athletes to 鈥減ush back on some of the conventional wisdom鈥� for ascending 8,000-meter peaks. Instead of ascending Manaslu overnight, as is typical (鈥渟o you don鈥檛 get roasted by the sun鈥�), Andrews did it mostly during daylight, which allowed him to use more conventional footwear, due to the warm temperatures.

Andrews also brought a stationary bike to base camp, which he said was 鈥渁bsurd.” But the device enabled him to get his heart rate higher than he would have while running.

But Andrews cautions that Himalayan ascents aren’t for untested trail runners. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 just step off the track and onto an 8,000-meter mountain,鈥� he says. Andrews has been mountaineering for 15 years, and much more seriously in the last five. In recent years he’s ascended 22,841-foot Aconcagua in Argentina, 19,347-foot Cotopaxi in Ecuador, and 22,349-foot Ama Dablam in Nepal, among other peaks.

He lives and trains at high altitude, splitting time between Flagstaff, Arizona and Quito, Ecuador. And Andrews has extensive experience running at higher altitudes in the Andes.

Prior to Manaslu, Andrews ran dozens of trails above 16,000 feet in the Himalayas. His FKT on Manaslu was his second attempt on the mountain in two years. He didn鈥檛 summit the first time. 鈥淚 got my ass kicked,鈥� Andrews says. 鈥淏ut I learned a lot.鈥� Both times, he hired expert local outfitter Dawa Steven Sherpa of Asian Trekking to manage logistics.

For 2025 and beyond, Andrews hopes to add more Nepali trails to the Fastest Known Times database. 鈥淭here鈥檚 an absolute smorgasbord of mountain trail running here,鈥� he says. 鈥淩eally epic beautiful routes that most people do in a few days to a few weeks that ultrarunners could do in a single push.鈥�

He plans to skip Cho Oyu鈥擟hinese officials recently required climbers to use supplemental oxygen鈥攁nd will instead focus on speed records on the Nepali side of the border. And there’s one trail atop his list.

“I鈥檇 like to try Everest,” he said.

The post Is FKT Fever Coming to the Himalayas? appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

There鈥檚 something about late summer. The last of the snow melts, the summer rains stop, and the air finally begins to cool. In short: it鈥檚 the perfect weather for a long hike. Or鈥攊f you happen to be a top-tier endurance athlete鈥攆or smashing your heroes鈥� records to smithereens.

Over the last few weeks, trails across the United States have seen some stunning new (FKTs). What鈥檚 more, they鈥檝e been rolling out at a pace that鈥檚 left our news team scrambling to cover them all. From an astonishing controversial three-hours sprint up the Grand Teton, to a grueling 40-day, 18-hour Appalachian Trail sufferfest, it鈥檚 been a fast, fast summer.

The season鈥檚 perfect weather鈥攃ool, dry, mercilessly free of wildfire smoke in many regions鈥攈as helped bolster the rate of new records. But a big part of the uptick may actually be post-pandemic timing.

鈥淭here was a during Covid,鈥� said Will Peterson, who set a new FKT on Vermont鈥檚 272-mile Long Trail FKT on September 1. 鈥淪ome people went back to doing races, but many athletes have stuck around because they got into FKTs during the pandemic and really liked it.鈥�

According to Peterson, FKTs have become more respected over the past few years鈥攚hich has made them a target for big-name celebrity runners as well as speedy underdogs who would normally eschew traditional competitions.

鈥淚n some ways, it’s more accessible and more relatable than running races,鈥� Peterson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I got into it鈥攊t鈥檚 something anyone can do. You don鈥檛 have to have a ton of money or sponsorships to go out and set an FKT.鈥�

Today, more people seem to be chasing long-trail records than ever before, Peterson said. Between the increased awareness and expanded pool of contenders鈥攎any of whom have now been training for exactly this sort of objective for several years鈥攊t鈥檚 perhaps no wonder that record-setting is entering a golden age. Here鈥檚 a look at five perfect case studies from this summer.

Brent Herring Fought Hallucinations to Score a Colorado Trail FKT

On August 22, Durango, Colorado-based endurance athlete and skimo racer kicked off FKT season when he stumbled across the finish line of the 500-mile Colorado Trail with a new self-supported record. His time鈥�10 days, 17 hours, and 38 minutes鈥攚as about four days faster than the women鈥檚 record, which set in 2020.

While popular, the Colorado Trail is no walk in the park. Many hikers need four to six weeks. After all, the distance is only part of the challenge. Much of the route lies above 10,000 feet, and numerous grueling climbs and mountain passes rack up around 90,000 feet in total vertical gain. On his very first day on the trail, Herring suffered from heat exhaustion and nearly quit. A week later, he started , another symptom of extreme fatigue. But he pushed through to the finish, cruising into his hometown just after midnight where his wife鈥攁nd a large pizza鈥攚ere waiting.

Anton Krupicka Ran the LA Freeway in Just Over 13 Hours

On August 31, ultrarunner Anton Krupicka practically sprinted the , a 34-mile traverse of the Continental Divide, which he took down in just over 13 hours. The route is as technical as it is long: It includes considerable stretches of fourth- and fifth-class terrain and connects the highest points of Colorado鈥檚 Indian Peaks Wilderness and Rocky Mountain National Park. The entirety of the traverse lies above 12,000 feet in elevation.

To prep, Krupicka spent as much time at altitude as possible. 鈥淚 climbed Longs Peak 30 times over the course of the summer,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut to be honest, I didn鈥檛 think I was going to set the record this year.鈥� He鈥檇 initially planned for a July attempt, but by then, the ephemeral streams lacing Colorado鈥檚 highcountry he would rely on for hydration had all but dried up. Krupicka knew the unsupported record would be impossible without on-route water.

鈥淚鈥檇 pretty much given up,鈥� he said. But a last-ditch reconnaissance mission in August revealed reemerging springs after a few weeks of heavy rain. Krupicka immediately started prepping for a record attempt. On August 31, he went for it鈥攁nd finished the route in a cool 13 hours, 20 minutes, and 48 seconds, shaving more than three hours off runner Kyle Richardson鈥檚 2018 time.

Will Peterson Broke the Long Trail鈥檚 Four-Day Barrier

Over Labor Day weekend, thru-hiker Will Peterson scored the overall FKT on America鈥檚 oldest thru-hike: the 272-mile Long Trail in Vermont. He completed the route in just three days, 21 hours, and ten minutes. In doing so, he became the first person to finish the trail in under four days, and beat the previous record by more than six hours. The feat comes about a year after Peterson set the trail鈥檚 unsupported record in August of 2023.

For Peterson, the early-September timing was purely related to the Labor-day school break he had: as a third-year medical school student, weekends and holidays are pretty much the only time he has to bust out big multi-day adventures. During the week, he works or studies for eight to ten hours per day, and spends the rest of the time training.

To notch the record, Peterson averaged around 70 miles and up to 22,700 feet of elevation gain per day (which is a lot, even by ultrarunning standards) and relied on a team of 30 pacers and crew members鈥攐nly about half of whom he knew.

鈥淚 put out an appeal to the local running community, saying that I needed help with a supported attempt,鈥� he explained. 鈥淎bout half the people who responded were friends and family members. The rest were total strangers.鈥� But together, they helped him battle debilitating quad pain, long stretches of night running, and total exhaustion to crush his previous record by about 15 hours.

鈥淚t was truly a team effort,鈥� he said.

Michelino Senseri Attempted a Controversial FKT on the Grand Teton听

On September 2, Idaho-based endurance athlete Michelino Senseri announced that he鈥檇 bagged a sub-three-hour speed record on Wyoming鈥檚 Grand Teton. In the following days, Fastest Known Time reviewed his claim鈥攁nd then rejected it.

In their review of his claim, Fastest Known Time noted that Sunseri cut at least one switchback. That means that, while he did climb the Grand in a very fast time, he did not follow the sanctioned route. Because he was essentially competing on a different field of play, his claim was ruled invalid.

His feat is still impressive. It takes most experienced climbers a full day to summit and descend the 13,770-foot peak. The fact that Sunseri was able to do it in just 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds speaks to his athleticism and dedicated preparation: he completed more than 40 climbs of the Grand over the course of several years before making his effort. But a few decision-making errors cost him the ultimate triumph.

Tara Dower became the Appalachian Trail鈥檚 New Speed Queen听

On September 21, just a few minutes to midnight, Virginia-based thru-hiker and endurance athlete Tara 鈥淐andy Mama鈥� Dower jogged the final hill to the top of Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. When the clock stopped at 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes, she became the fastest human鈥攚oman or man鈥攖o complete the Appalachian Trail supported.

Dower ran an average of 54 miles per day to snatch the record from previous FKT-holder Karl Sabbe. She also ate upwards of 10,000 calories each day and woke up at 3:00 AM every morning to stay on pace. It paid off. In a , Dower called the feat 鈥渁 dream come true.鈥�

鈥淚f I鈥檓 to be honest I didn鈥檛 think it was possible,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淗owever, I had people on my crew who believed in my abilities and pushed me to my limits. That鈥檚 all it was.鈥�

The post Forget Pumpkin Spice Lattes, It鈥檚 FKT Season appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

One of the most grueling records in American endurance sports fell late Saturday night in northern Georgia. Tara Dower, a 31-year-old ultrarunner and long-distance hiker born in North Carolina and based in Virginia, reached Georgia’s Springer Mountain, the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, at 11:53 P.M. She completed the arduous southern thru-hike of the iconic trail, crossing 14 states and 2,197 miles, in 40 days, 18 hours, and 5 minutes. It鈥檚 the fastest known time for hiking the iconic trail in either direction.

Her finishing time cleaves approximately 13 hours off the 2018 benchmark set by Belgian runner Karel Sabbe, who in 2018 hiked the trail from south to north. It also听returns the overall听record to a woman for the first time since 2015, when Scott Jurek eclipsed Jennifer Pharr Davis鈥� then-record by only three hours. What’s even more impressive is that Dower, who goes by the trail name “Candy Mama,” had to come from behind to topple Sabbe’s record after falling off pace during a particularly rainy spell in New England.

鈥淭he number of people that have hiked the Appalachian Trail before Tara in less than 50 days is ten, only one of them a woman,鈥� explained Liz Derstine, who set the women鈥檚 record for a northbound hike in 2020 at 51 days and joined Dower for a stretch of the trail earlier this week.

鈥淎nd Tara has done it faster than all of them, including the men,” Derstine added. “This is one of the greatest achievements of all time. It鈥檚 huge.鈥�

Statistics aside, what鈥檚 most remarkable about Dower鈥檚 achievement may be her rapid and unexpected rise through the ranks of distance hikers and runners. Less than a decade ago, when Dower was a student at East Carolina University, she became fascinated by听the Appalachian Trail after idly watching a National Geographic documentary. She graduated in 2016, and the next year she set off northward from Springer Mountain, making it only 80 miles before her grandparents picked her up.

鈥淚 had really bad, untreated anxiety, a panic attack on trail,鈥� Dower told me Wednesday morning as she pushed through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 鈥淚 vowed not to thru-hike again and was pretty bummed.鈥�

Of course, she did not keep to her vow. I met Dower on the Appalachian Trail back in 2019, when we were both 200 miles into our respective first-time thru-hikes. She and her husband Jonathan had gotten married six months earlier; with听trail names 鈥淐andy Mama鈥� and 鈥淪heriff,鈥� they were still in a sort of honeymoon glow, doing handstands atop Appalachian balds and beaming for her . The couple did not push for speed during that trek, and they reached Maine in a little more than five months, a perfectly average time.

Dower had seen a clip of Karl 鈥淪peedgoat鈥� Meltzer鈥檚 2016 record-setting effort and assumed that wasn鈥檛 for her. 鈥淗e was so tall, so athletic, and I thought he had this perfect endurance body,鈥� she told me. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 fathom doing anything close to that.鈥�

Dower’s perspective changed during the pandemic. She moved to Hot Springs, North Carolina, an iconic AT trail town, to work for a guiding service owned by Jennifer Pharr Davis, the earlier record holder. Dower began running the mountains around her, and in 2020 she paced Derstine on two nearby sections during her own FKT attempt on the AT’s northern route. Dower then spent that September racing east across North Carolina on the 1,175-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail, establishing a new speed record of just over 29 days.

鈥淭hat felt plenty hard and plenty long. It was a struggle, and I was unhealthy鈥� she said, laughing as she tried to cough up a bug she鈥檇 swallowed while moving down the trail. 鈥淚t didn鈥檛 cross my mind to try something else.鈥�

But she soon began mounting an impressive running resume鈥攆our ultra victories in 2021, plus a course record on the Devil Dog 100-miler in 2022. She set a new record for the 300-mile Benton MacKaye Trail, often seen as a miniature AT, that year, and then shattered a long-standing women鈥檚 benchmark on the 567-mile in a cooperative effort with Derstine.

Along the way, Dower also went viral in the ultra-running world due to a painful encounter with a cholla cactus鈥攚hile she wore cat ears, no less.

Dower pondered and planned her record-breaking AT attempt for more than a year, but in 2023 she chose to lean into extreme endurance training to prepare her body, rather than rest her legs for the attempt. An overall win in North Carolina鈥檚 Umstead 100-miler that summer became her preamble for one of running鈥檚 most daunting races, Colorado鈥檚 Hardrock 100. Dower finished fourth, seven hours behind one of her inspirations, Courtney Dauwalter.

In fact, Dauwalter鈥檚 record-breaking wins last year at the Western States Endurance Run and the Hardrock 100 within a three-week window鈥攆ollowed by her subsequent victory at Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc鈥攊nspired Dower to start the AT just a month after the 2024 Hardrock 100.

鈥淎 lot of people told me what I shouldn鈥檛 do, especially doing Hardrock so close to the AT. But no one鈥檚 ever tried it, so I wanted to see if it helped,鈥� said Dower, pausing a playlist of Madonna and Ice Spice to talk. 鈥淚 knew I would have mountain-racing legs and would be acclimated to 10,000 feet, so I鈥檇 have an advantage in Maine. And I felt like I was on Cloud Nine.鈥�

Appalachian Trail guru Warren Doyle told me that one of Dower’s secrets to success was her consistent speed on the trail. On most days she hiked slower than Sabbe鈥檚 pace, he said, but she traversed more total miles. 鈥淪he put in longer workdays,鈥� Doyle explained Friday, just as Dower neared the North Carolina-Georgia border. 鈥淚 hope this puts it to rest: It鈥檚 not about speed. It鈥檚 about endurance. It鈥檚 not the Fastest Known Time. It鈥檚 the Shortest Known Time.鈥�

In recent years, as the popularity of FKT attempts have grown, corporate sponsorships and larger support crews on trail have become de rigueur. Dower, however, kept her posse small, with only her mother, Debbie Komlo, and a hiker she befriended on the AT in 2019, Megan 鈥淩ascal鈥� Wilmarth, joining her the entire time. (Multiple other hikers others paced her or arrived at assorted trailheads to offer help, but they came and went.)

Dower and Wilmarth slept in a Ford Transit van nicknamed “Burly,” while Komlo trailed them in her Dodge Durango. They worked relentlessly to get her in bed by 10 P.M. and up at 3 A.M., feeding her upwards of 10,000 calories each day. They also replenished Dower’s massive snack box of, as Komlo put it, 鈥渘ot a lot of healthy stuff鈥� with Rice Krispies Treats, Twizzlers, Gushers. Four times a day, Dower downed a 320-calorie protein shake.

鈥淎t stops, we just shoveled food into her face,鈥� Wilmarth told me. 鈥淲e鈥檇 always have a sit-down meal, but, of course, she wouldn鈥檛 sit down.鈥�

What鈥檚 more, rather than emblazoning Burly with a corporate logo, the rear window of the van listed the 14 states of the AT, which Dower systematically crossed out as she reached each border. More prominent on the window, though, was a call for , a nonprofit that teaches kids through physical education. When Dower reached Springer Mountain, she鈥檇 raised $21,000 of her $20,000 goal for the organization.

I spoke with Dower a half-dozen times during her trek. I rarely got the sense she was frustrated, angry, or even in much pain. She laughed a lot, making jokes about the bugs she swallowed or her struggles with the rains of New England and the resulting sores on her feet. She seemed, more or less, like the same lighthearted person I鈥檇 met on trail in 2019: Candy Mama, just with a tougher shell. It was inspiring to witness, really, an old friend realizing new potential without forsaking herself in the process..

Endurance athletes often talk about grinding through our favorite activities, the very things we do for fun. I鈥檓 as guilty as anyone of these complaints. But as Dower approached Newfound Gap, at the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, it finally struck me that she had instead chosen to glide through this challenge, and toward this astonishing endurance record. She could, however, probably do without swallowing bugs.

The post This Hiker Just Smashed the Speed Record on the Appalachian Trail appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On September 2, mountain runner Michelino Sunseri of Idaho appeared to break the speed record for ascending and descending the 13,775-foot Grand Teton in Wyoming鈥檚 Grand Teton National Park. Sunseri, 32, did so on his 44th climb of the iconic peak鈥攈e wrote online that he鈥檇 done 43 practice ascents over four years听before his successful attempt.

鈥淚 finally felt confident enough to lay it all on the line and go for this record that I once deemed impossible,鈥� he .

His time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 50 seconds shaved more than two minutes from the prior record, set by Coloradan Andy Anderson in 2012, on the 13.1-mile out-and-back route. At the trail鈥檚 finish, an elated Sunseri fell to his knees, and the moment was captured by photographers. Two days later, his sponsor The North Face catapulted the feat into the mainstream with an Instagram post of the moment, alongside the words 鈥�2:50:50. An impossible dream鈥攃ome true.鈥�

But the new speed record never went up on , the official registrar of speed records worldwide. As by Jackson Hole News & Guide, the organization, which is owned by 翱耻迟蝉颈诲别鈥檚 parent company 国产吃瓜黑料 Interactive, rejected Sunseri鈥檚 time. The reason? Sunseri had cut across at least one trail switchback on his trip.

Local news outlets published images of Sunseri’s Strava map, which showed the deviation: he cut across the highest switchback near Delta Lake on the route鈥檚 lower portion. The shortcut shaved approximately half a mile in distance from the route.

The decision led to a , and spirited online chatter in the world of mountain running. Allison Mercer, the director of Fastest Known Time, said it鈥檚 the first time the organization has flat-out denied a speed record on any route due to a deviation from the standard course. Trails up mountains are notoriously hard to follow, especially above tree line, where there鈥檚 scree and talus. And other professional runners have gone off route while setting FKTs. Some on purpose, as Sunseri did鈥攈e wrote on Strava that he cut the switchback to avoid hikers鈥攁nd others unintentionally.

Famed Catalan runner Killian Jornet cut switchbacks on Grand Teton when he set a prior FKT in 2012. FastestKnownTime , albeit with the word 鈥渇lagged鈥� alongside it鈥攁 scarlet letter in running听parlance. In 2017, Darcy Piceu, while setting an FKT on the 223-mile John Muir Trail, accidentally veered off route onto an entirely different trail for 1.3 miles. Her wasn鈥檛 rejected, and still stands today at 3 days 7 hours and 57 minutes.

So, why did FastestKnownTime reject Sunseri? Mercer said the company sought to uphold NPS rules, which specifically forbid visitors from going off trail or using unsanctioned routes. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 accept it because then we are condoning going against laws and regulations,鈥� she told me. On other trails, deviating from听the agreed-upon route isn鈥檛 expressly forbidden.

In recent years, FKT has attempted to reinforce the rules established by land managers like the NPS. 鈥淲e鈥檙e record keepers, not referees,鈥� Mercer says. 鈥淵ou have to go with what the trail says.鈥�

Why did听the organization allow Jornet鈥檚 record to stand in 2012, but reject Sunseri鈥檚 in 2024? Fastest Known Time is attempting to foster good stewardship of these backcountry routes, as crowds swell and speed record attempts become more frequent.

For context, Grand Teton National Park saw 2.7 million visitors when Jornet set his FKT 2012. It will see about a million more this year. Between 2022 and 2023 alone, visitation to Grand Teton National Park surged by 22 percent.

There鈥檚 also more people than ever pursuing FKTs, with more than 6,300 routes and 10,300 athletes currently listed on FastestKnownTime.com. 鈥淭here鈥檚 been a massive boom in people chasing FKTs and trying to go after Strava records and segments and all of that,鈥� says Jackson-based runner Kelly Halpin, who, since 2014, has set 27 FKTs herself.

In other words, the stakes are higher today than in 2012. With so many people getting out there, off-trail human foot traffic is destroying sensitive flora and fauna that live in mountain environments. And Fastest Known Time, like other organizations, is trying to alleviate the damage caused by foot traffic.

In March, Halpin worked with Mercer to address the damages caused by route cutting on FastestKnownTime.com鈥檚 page: 鈥淧lease keep to existing trails where applicable; submissions that cut switchbacks鈥攚hether route or FKT submissions鈥攁re likely to be declined,鈥� the warning reads.

After Sunseri鈥檚 FKT was rejected, Mercer added stronger language on the site. The new language warns that the FKT will be rejected and that the NPS will pursue criminal charges against athletes who cut switchbacks on Grand Teton.

Halpin says that Jornet鈥檚 FKT on the route did spark anger within the running community back in 2012. 鈥淧eople were very, very unhappy about that,鈥� she says. But the 2012 ascent occurred during the early years of FKT, before the website established rules of decorum, and a more formal processes for verifying records. Buzz Burrell, co-founder of Fastest Known Time, said that prior to 2018, aspiring FKT record holders weren鈥檛 even required to send in a GPX file for verification.

鈥淚t was looser back then,鈥� Burrell said.

Rather, the website operated on an honor system. Standards, rules, and ethics varied by region. In the Swiss and French Alps, where Jornet established multiple records early in his career, there was no such thing as cutting a switchback: 鈥淵ou start at the bottom, you go to the top,鈥� Burrell said.

Burrell and team decided to add the words 鈥渇lagged鈥� to Jornet鈥檚 Grand Teton record alongside a written note explaining that Jornet had cut switchbacks, which is forbidden by the Park Service. 鈥淭he idea with the flag was that people would see it, and the next time someone attempted the record on that route, they鈥檇 do better,鈥� Burell said.

The plan worked鈥攖en days later, Anderson beat Jornet鈥檚 record on the route by 59 seconds. He stuck to the trail.

Burrell applauded the decision to deny Sunseri鈥檚 record. While disappointing to the athlete, he believes it sends a powerful message to the FKT community that environmental regulations will be upheld. Burrell said he had to make a similar decision in 2021, when he removed the 2,592-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Fastest Known Time鈥檚 鈥淧remier List,鈥� a move that reduced the trail’s stature. Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest had closed parts of the trail that summer, but record seekers were still attempting to chase the FKT by hiking on closed trails and traveling through fire zones, Burrell said. 鈥淚t was the right thing to do,鈥� Burrell said. The designation remains in effect today.

Sunseri declined to speak to 国产吃瓜黑料 for this story, but he did send a statement, saying he intentionally followed the same route used by Jornet. He also pointed out that the women鈥檚 record holder, Jen Day Denton, also cut a switchback鈥攈er record is also 鈥渇lagged鈥� in the official FKT standings.

鈥淚 accept and understand that Fastest Known Time has chosen not to accept my record,鈥� he said. 鈥淕iven the circumstances regarding route selection, I look forward to next summer, when I hope to again attempt The Grand Teton FKT, on the officially accepted section of this trail.鈥�

Jornet hasn鈥檛 made any public comments about the situation, but in November 2023 he about the importance of following established routes. 鈥淲e should all ensure the environmental rules already in place in those national parks and conservation areas are fully respected,鈥� he wrote.

The post A Runner Set the Speed Record on the Grand Teton. Fastest Known Time Rejected It. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Kilian Jornet is many things: greatest ultra-trail runner of all-time. Greatest sub-ultra trail runner of all time. Father. Husband. Founder of an environmental nonprofit. Founder of an outdoor footwear and apparel company.

He鈥檚 also an enigma.

Jornet eschews the commercialization of a sport that he鈥檚 helped to grow. He loves the freedom of exploration but also the rigor of science. He鈥檚 intensely introverted yet is the most popular and public trail runner ever.

These incongruences are perhaps no better exemplified than through his current quest. While most of the top ultra-trail runners from around the world have descended upon Chamonix, France, for the this week, Jornet, too, is in the area. On August 24, he essentially ran a handful of miles along the backside of the UTMB course in Switzerland. He came even closer鈥攎uch closer鈥攕hortly thereafter.

But, and I鈥檓 sorry to disappoint you, Jornet is not here to race UTMB. He鈥檚 two weeks into an even bigger vision quest: link all 82 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps. He鈥檚 calling it the Alpine Connections project.

Of course, he hasn鈥檛 officially stated he鈥檚 trying to link all 82. He鈥檚 simply trying to 鈥渆xplore his physical, technical, and mental limits while connecting 4,000-meter peaks in the Alps.鈥� But if you know Jornet, one of the most anti-spray runners in this spray era, you know he wants to tag them all鈥攊n record time.

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Ueli Steck, the legendary 鈥淪wiss Machine,鈥� currently holds that record of 62 days. While most who have attempted this mind-blowing feat drove from one mountain to the next, Steck linked them via bike.

That鈥檚 the style Jornet chose, too. For environmental reasons. For the aesthetic of self-powered adventure. But like so many of the defining moments of his career, he has a camera crew following, in cars. (Since some of his outings on foot are point-to-point, it鈥檚 also not clear if his crew is transporting his bike from the start to the finish for him.) And he鈥檚 posting his progress on and , along with updates on the NNormal .

With just 30 peaks to go, the most imposing mountain left on his list is none other than Mont Blanc, the tallest peak in Western Europe at 15,766 feet. It happens to be the massif around which UTMB circumvents.

What inspired Jornet鈥攚ho lives on a farm in 脜ndalsnes, Norway, with his Swedish wife and elite runner Emelie Tina Forsberg and their two young daughters鈥攖o test himself so close yet so far from UTMB? We spoke with him earlier this summer to find out.

But First, What the Heck Is the Alpine Connections Project?

On August 10, Jornet outsprinted Kenya鈥檚 Philemon Kiriago down the finishing chute to win Sierre-Zinal by one and a half seconds. His time of two hours, 25 minutes, and 34.8 seconds bested his own course record by just one second. It was Jornet鈥檚 10th win at what many consider the most prestigious and competitive mountain running race in the world.

At just 19.3 miles with more than 7,200 feet of climbing, most of which is packed into the first 6 miles, it鈥檚 a test of VO2max more than anything. Jornet averaged 7:21 minute per mile pace鈥攏o, not grade adjusted pace鈥攐n the net-uphill alpine trail route with pitches up to 33 percent grade.

Apparently, it was just the tune-up he needed for weeks of 15 to 20 hour days climbing technical alpine routes and stringing them all together by foot and two wheels. He departed from Pontresina, Switzerland, to commence the Alpine Connections project just three days later on August 13. It鈥檚 the logical continuation of his (Re)discovering the Pyrenees project from last October, when Jornet linked all 177 peaks over 3,000-meters in the Pyrenees in eight days.

Alpine Connections is the Pyrenees project with the dial turned all the way up and then some. Over the first week of technical alpine climbing, running, and biking, he logged more than 91 hours with 330 miles and nearly 108,000 feet of gain.

How is he fitting in such big days, you may be wondering? Why, by hardly sleeping. Over the first three days he slept an average of 3 hours and 35 minutes a night. He bumped it up slightly to an average of 4 hours and 49 minutes on days four through seven.

In case that doesn鈥檛 sound challenging enough, the weather hasn鈥檛 made it any easier.

鈥淎s it had been raining (and snowing on the summits) the entire afternoon and night before, I left solo at 6:15 in the morning and had another relatively 鈥榮hort鈥� (8:40) day of climbing to make the most out of the conditions,鈥� Jornet wrote on on August 18, five days into the project. 鈥淪till, I am used to this 鈥楴orwegian鈥� weather that feels just like home, so I managed to summit D眉rrenhorn (4034m), Hohberghorn (4218m), Stecknadelhorn (4239m) and Nadelhorn (4327m).鈥�

Jornet was greeted by snow, rain, and copious amounts of fog while traversing glaciated peaks for much of that first week. Nonetheless, over the first week he had already submitted 51 of the 4,000-meter peaks over 825K (512 miles) of running, climbing, and biking and more than 52,000 meters (170,600 feet) of gain.

In his most recent update, Jornet shared that he took a full day off due to the weather. He used the time to try and refuel, rehydrate, and to heal the skin on his hands and feet.

Exclusive Kilian Jornet Interview听

Jornet, 36, has long been able to subvert the processes and platforms on which he鈥檚 made his name. After building up his cachet by traveling to鈥攁nd usually winning鈥攖he most prestigious trail races and mountain projects around the world, he announced several years ago that he would minimize airplane travel to a couple of times a year. A Salomon athlete for over a decade, he left the brand to take what he鈥檇 learned and start his own. And after winning UTMB four times, he along with 2023 runner-up Zach Miller proposed a boycott of the race last year until the organization cleans up some of its , including rampant global growth and its partnership with the car company Dacia.

We sat down with Jornet in person to unpack his relationship with the sport and himself.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

RUN: You say you鈥檙e in the best shape of your life. How did you get here?

Kilian Jornet: Training has been good and especially it鈥檚 been consistent. We had amazing weather this winter on the west coast of Norway with super good ice climbing and mountain climbing conditions. Blue sky, super cold for like two months, so we could climb a lot. This spring it was warmer here, which is surprising. We had some good dry trails.

I鈥檓 also doing less. When I go to races, there鈥檚 a lot of stuff you need to do. I鈥檓 an introvert, so being with people takes a lot of energy. After a race, I need to recover physically but also mentally because it takes a lot of energy. So I鈥檓 embracing less, which means I can train better.

And I鈥檓 doing things I like, like spending my time on NNormal or science projects and that鈥檚 giving me positive vibes and making me feel energized.

I think having stability in life, having a routine, makes training easier than racing. I can train better for a longer time. And then I can be more focused when I come to races.

Do you think 鈥渄ad strength鈥� is real?

No, it takes a lot of energy. But you also feel like you can get into a routine. I can train while the kids are at kindergarten, and then take the weekends easy. So maybe it helps to organize things. Normally I was training when I wanted to and now I can鈥檛. But you get into a routine and that might help. I鈥檓 more efficient and I train better.

 

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Before it was like, 鈥極h I have all the days, so I just go out for many, many hours. And I do what I want to. I go to that summit, or that other.鈥� Now it鈥檚 like, 鈥極h no, I have these hours, I have this goal, I want to train this way.鈥� I still have days where I say, 鈥極K, today is a mountain day, and so I go do whatever I want to do.鈥� But there are some other days where I know, 鈥極K, I have this time to train, so I do this session.鈥�

You love the science behind training, and you love just playing in the mountains. How do you strike that balance?

I studied sports science in school, so I probably was already nerdy when I was young. When I was like 16 or 17 years old, I was already doing tests. So it鈥檚 always been there in an observatory way. Like 鈥業 want to try this, and see what it implies. How can I analyze that from a science point of view?鈥� Not taking science and then applying it to me. It鈥檚 always been there in more of an exploratory way than a prescriptive way.

So you view science similarly to how you view the mountains: as an avenue for exploration?

Yeah, it鈥檚 a bit the same. When you go to a race, like I have gone to Zegama 12 times. That鈥檚 not a lot of exploration. But going to the mountains and doing projects there, it鈥檚 much more about exploring things and then seeing what鈥檚 happening.

Now that you鈥檙e launched NNormal, do you feel additional pressure to go and perform at key races to boost brand visibility?听

I would say the opposite. Because now, with NNormal I鈥檓 part of it. I decide what I want to do. Now it鈥檚 really like, 鈥榊eah, I want to do the race because I鈥檓 training well and I鈥檓 in shape and I want to do a nice race that I feel connected to somehow.鈥� Or I want to do this project in the mountains because it鈥檚 what I feel I want to do, and I don鈥檛 feel any kind of pressure. I know that it helps NNormal, of course, if I鈥檓 showing up. But not even racing, like we saw it last year with the project in the Pyrenees.

It was a last-minute thing, like I decided literally two weeks before that. Now that they analyze the press and social media and all that, that project had more exposure than when I did UTMB. So, it鈥檚 not only about racing and showing up and things. It鈥檚 more like, if you want to do something deeply, you will probably do it better. And if you do something in a good state of mind, probably you will get more inspired and do things that push me further than to set up a calendar and say, 鈥極K, I鈥檒l do that, that, that, that.鈥�

Because I know that it鈥檚 somehow comfortable. But to break this routine into things like even if it鈥檚 races that I want to push the effort or to do big projects that require a lot of energy, I think that needs to be in this space where I have the tranquility of knowing that I don鈥檛 have any pressure to do one thing or another.

Your versatility is mindblowing. Do you consciously sacrifice optimal performance at any particular race or objective to prioritize being able to do it all?

Yeah. Last year, for example, I was injured but the plan was to do a project at Everest, a link up there, and then to try and do some short and long races, and then to do a project in the mountains and a ski project.

Long term, I want this versatility. And then I know that if I want to perform on this project, well, I need to have specificity. So the specificity is in the short term. Like I say I know that to get in very good shape for a specific race or project,听 specific adaptations don鈥檛 take more than six to eight weeks. So the last six to eight weeks before a race or a project, if my training is specific I know that I can perform the best.

But yeah, I can do specificity multiple times in a year and do different kinds of projects. And at the end, I think that鈥檚 what keeps me so motivated. Because if I was only racing, I wouldn鈥檛 like it. And if听 I was doing just things in the mountains, probably then I would get slower and my capacities in the mountains will decrease, too.

Have your athletic goals shifted over time?

I used to be much more competition-centered at the beginning because then I was doing ski mountaineering season in the winter and dry running season in the summer. That was very structured for many years. And I think that also gave me all the base and fundamentals and the knowledge and all that to be able to do other things. It was many years just focused on training.

Then I started to put some projects on steeper skiing or mountaineering,听 but around this calendar. Like two racing seasons. And then at some point, they became more like separate things.

Where do you see your career going?

I don鈥檛 know actually, because I feel that I鈥檓 still in good shape. I鈥檓 still performing and I鈥檓 still improving things. So yeah, I still really like racing and like pushing myself in听 training. So I don鈥檛 know how long that will last, but as far as I see that I am happy pushing and racing, I will keep doing it.

And then I will stop doing international races, but I will still do local races because that鈥檚 fun. And then projects in the mountains, I will do that hopefully all the time I can. But of course professionally, there will be a moment that it will not be able to sustain my life. Then I think I will still do running and mountaineering for all my life as a pleasure.

You famously were a disciple of a fat adaptation nutrition strategy. Has that evolved at all?

I have shifted my nutrition in the day-to-day a lot over the years. When I was young, I couldn鈥檛 afford much, so I was just buying pasta or a big package of rice and tomato sauce. My nutrition was not very varied. As the years have gone on, I鈥檝e taken more care of that. We have a big garden so we get a lot of veggies from there. We try to eat a lot more foods that are fermented and this kind of thing. And I feel like performance-wise that has helped a lot.

In competitions, I鈥檓 eating much, much more now. But in training I鈥檓 not eating anything during training. Only if I do a very specific session, where I鈥檒l take gels or something like that. But will only happen about one time every month. If it鈥檚 a four hour session, I can take a gel every 30 minutes. If I鈥檓 doing two uphill thresholds and then maybe some flat, I鈥檒l take a gel between the uphill and the flat on the recovery. That鈥檚 very targeted for specific sessions.

In winter, I have a half a liter bottle and it doesn鈥檛 matter how long, if it鈥檚 eight hours, I take that. In summer, I don鈥檛 take anything. And I think that鈥檚 helping me in a way because I am developing听 some metabolic adaptations. If you have a better metabolism, it鈥檚 much more open, so then you don鈥檛 really need to train your gut for having much more intake because your metabolism is more flexible on switching from fat to carbs. So you don鈥檛 need to train the gut.

Someone who has a worse metabolism and let鈥檚 say wants to take 120 grams of carbs an hour in a race, they probably need a long gut training to be able to do that, even if he鈥檚 eating and I鈥檓 not eating during training. And then it鈥檚 just because the logistics are hard. If you鈥檙e in the mountains, you don鈥檛 want to have to carry a bunch of stuff.

The point is supplements and gels are great for racing, but for daily consumption the chemicals are not good.

Given the state of affairs with UTMB, do you think you鈥檒l ever go back?

Yeah, it鈥檚 a race I like. I like the volunteers, I have lived in Chamonix for many years. I love many things about the race. I don鈥檛 like many things, but I鈥檝e talked with the race organizers and I have a good relationship with them. Many times we agree that we just disagree. I鈥檓 not doing it this year because I have another project. But I think it鈥檚 good to disagree on things to build together, and I hope in the future there is change on some things that I don鈥檛 agree, like some things on the corporation side, like in the race acquisition or some vision with the impact of their entity when it comes to sponsorships, or their impact on the land.

So it鈥檚 things like that that we鈥檙e not on the same page. But we can discuss, and it鈥檚 good. But it鈥檚 a race I might go back to in the future, and I would love to do in the future.

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Endurance athletes continued to push the envelope of what鈥檚 possible in 2023, both in organized races and individual efforts in the quest for records known as fastest known times (FKTs).

The pursuit of FKTs has been growing since trail runners Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin coined the term in 1999, but it didn鈥檛 really become a worldwide phenomenon until the Covid-19 pandemic shut down races, sending athletes on a wide variety of fast solo efforts over trails, roads, deserts, and mountains in either a supported or unsupported style.

In 2015, there were 222 new FKTs reported to the .com, the official FKT arbiter and record-keeper, but that figure grew to 530 by 2018 and to more than 4,729 in 2020. Even though racing has been back to normal since 2021, the pursuit of FKTs continued at a vigorous level, with 2,292 new FKTs recorded in 2023.

Among the top women鈥檚 efforts of the year, Hillary Gerardi set a new FKT going up and down 15,777-foot Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France in 7 hours, 27 minutes, 39 seconds. Eszter Horanyi set a new unsupported women鈥檚 FKT on the grueling Nolan鈥檚 14 line in Colorado, traversing the roughly 100-mile, largely off-trail route in 57 hours, 4 minutes. Haneul Lee covered the 207 miles of the John Muir Trail via Whitney Portal for a new unsupported FKT (5 days, 13 minutes, 15 seconds), while Jessica Pekari set a bold new self-supported record on the Pacific Crest Trail (63 days, 7 hours, 31 minutes).

On the men鈥檚 side, Kristian Morgan set a new FKT (45 days, 4 hours, 27 minutes) in supported fashion. Tyler Andrews ran the 25 miles up and down Tanzania鈥檚 19,341-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro faster than anyone ever听 (6 hours, 37 minutes, 57 seconds) unsupported. And two records went down on Vermont鈥檚 iconic 250-mile Long Trail, with John Kelly setting the supported FKT (4 days, 4 hours, 25 minutes, 50 seconds) followed by Will Peterson鈥檚 unsupported effort of 4 days, 11 hours, 34 minutes鈥攍ess than six hours shy of Kelly鈥檚 supported mark.

But the pinnacle FKTs of 2023 were across the U.S. and . Hoffman and Sabbe were honored for those efforts as the 2023 FKT of the Year recipients on January 5, based on the voting of the .

A Longtime Dream

Between mid-September and early October, Hoffman, a 45-year-old mother of three and Harvard University physics professor from Cambridge, Massachusetts, covered the 3,037 miles from San Francisco to New York City in 47 days, 12 hours, 35 minutes. Her effort was an astonishing seven days faster than the previous women鈥檚 mark and only five days slower than the overall record by Pete Kostelnick, a close friend of Hoffman, set in 2016.

Hoffman鈥檚 transcontinental run was a lifelong pursuit and her third attempt at breaking the record. Her 2019 attempt ended 2,560 miles and 42 days into her journey when a knee injury sidelined her in eastern Ohio. She was set to go after it again in 2022, but a hamstring injury forced to pull out.

This time, with the support of her six-person crew and more than 1,000 uplifting messages to her tracker, she traversed 12 states and reached her goal of running to the steps of New York City Hall. She wore 11 pairs of shoes during the run and says she consumed 鈥�300 eggs, countless cookies, some laughter, and even more tears鈥� along the way.

鈥淭his journey has been decades in the making,鈥� Hoffman 鈥淚’ve always been driven to tackle the biggest, highest, longest, hardest thing in front of me. Since childhood, I’ve dreamed of crossing the U.S. under my own power. As an adult the dream intensified, fueled by gratitude for the beauty of this country and the freedom it affords to dream big, work hard, and achieve audacious goals.鈥�

She was joined by runners along the route and supported by her family and friends throughout the massive endeavor. She had the joy of running the final miles of her journey with friends and family members, including the final 20 miles with her 14-year-old son. As a bonus, they ran 11 miles from New York City to the ocean together the next morning.

鈥淎n interviewer (from The New York Times) asked him, 鈥榃hat did you learn from watching your mom do this?鈥� And he said, 鈥榃ell, I learned I can do anything I set my mind to.鈥� And that was so heartwarming for me to hear that my son learned that,鈥� Hoffman said.

After Hoffman and her family got home, her son took that inspiration one step further. He told his parents he was going out for a run and would be back in an hour. But when he didn鈥檛 return after three hours, she and her husband got worried.

鈥淲e’re looking at our watches. Kid’s not back yet. We were听 like, is this a parenting fail? Should we do something?鈥� Hoffman recalls. 鈥淗e comes back four and a half hours later, and he had taken my watch and run a marathon by himself鈥攏o aid stations, no planning鈥攁nd he finished in 3:38. So it’s really rewarding for me to see that my kids observe what I do and take on challenges of their own.鈥�

A three-time U.S. national champion ultrarunner, Hoffman followed her record-breaking run by running 138.7 miles to finish 23rd place at the IAU 24-Hour World Championships on December 2 in Taiwan and help the U.S. to a fifth-place finish in the team standings.

Reclaiming the Record

Sabbe is a 34-year-old Belgian dentist who has set several notable FKTs in recent years, including the in 2018 (41 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes) and (30 days, 8 hours, 40 minutes) between Slovenia and Monaco in 2021.

He set his first FKT in 2016 when he lowered the supported record on the PCT (52 days, 8 hours, 25 minutes), but then Timothy Olson surpassed it in 2021. After achieving a longstanding goal of finishing the 100-mile course of the dastardly Barkley Marathons in Tennessee last spring, Sabbe decided to return to the PCT in the summer.

This time around, he covered the 2,592-mile route with 400,000 feet of vertical gain six days faster鈥攁nd five days faster than Olson鈥檚 FKT, despite having to take a 50-mile detour because of heavy snow conditions that closed the trail in Washington. Traveling south to north between early July and late August, he completed the route in 46 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes.

Sabbe鈥檚 secret to breaking the record by such a decisive margin? He didn鈥檛 think about the old record.

鈥淚f you go into an FKT attempt with the current FKT in mind, you鈥檙e limiting yourself,鈥� Sabbe said on the last summer. 鈥淢y goal was to get the best out of myself every day.鈥�

By recalibrating his thoughts to focus on the possibility of what he could do, instead of what someone had done before, he was able to average 58.1 miles and about 9,000 feet of elevation gain a day, for 47 straight days. The old record pace was around 51 miles a day.

Will he go back again if someone breaks his mark?

鈥淭o me it’s a closed chapter,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he way I see it, my FKTs, like the one on the Appalachian Trail, as well the one on the Via Alpina, I feel like I gave everything, and everything went great and听 I’m happy with the results. With the PCT, despite the heavy snow and detour, I don鈥檛 think I could have done it a day faster, or that I want to go back and try to go even faster. I was able to push as hard as I wanted to go. The teamwork with my crew was incredible, and it’s just such a nice experience I can look back on it with pride.鈥�

Tune in to to hear how Hoffamn and Sabbe reflect and break down their FKT efforts with host Heather Anderson.

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In Sara Aranda鈥檚 , one of her bullet points reads: 鈥淏RCA1 mutant.鈥�

Along with being an endurance athlete, creative writer, and one of Merrell Test Lab鈥檚 newest athletes for 2024, Aranda has a known hereditary gene mutation that makes her more likely to develop breast cancer and a handful of other cancers throughout her life. By putting it in her bio and framing it as though she might be a superhero, Aranda is making space for this part of herself that often carries grief and fear, and turning it into a point of connection.

鈥淚 want to acknowledge it and hold space for it because that鈥檚 just the reality of me and my body, but I鈥檓 also doing all of this stuff anyway,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚 am this person, but I鈥檓 also a badass.鈥�

On September 27, on a new Fastest Known Time (FKT), from . This accomplishment earned her a spot as a sponsored athlete with Merrell Test Lab for 2024.

鈥楻unning Has Seen All of Me鈥�

Based in Durango, Colorado, Aranda, 34, shifted to running trails from road and triathlon while in college at University of California Riverside, to explore the surrounding landscape and cope during a tumultuous time of her life.

When she was 20, her mom passed away from breast cancer. She was grieving, confronting mortality, seeking control, and navigating the soul-searching crises of young adulthood. Now, she lives with her husband, Patrick Hodge, and is a freelance creative nonfiction writer while working part-time at a local climbing gym.

鈥淚 had many trail runs where I was angry or crying or confused, or just very emotional. Running has seen all of me,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淣ow, I鈥檝e been reaffirming that running can actually be a celebration: celebrating my body, where I am, how I feel, and all I鈥檝e learned throughout my life so far.鈥�

Aranda鈥檚 mom, Cheryl Aranda, was 38 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Aranda was 12. 鈥淚 might not remember all the details,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚t was a seven-year period of it being there, in remission, and coming back.鈥� Cheryl was predisposed to getting breast cancer because she had the breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) gene mutation鈥攕ame as Aranda.

About BRCA Gene Mutations

There are two BRCA genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. While everyone has these genes, , according to the National Cancer Institute.

Both men and women can carry the BRCA1/2 gene mutations. Reporting from the shows that women who have the inherited BRCA1 or BRCA2 (the other common breast cancer gene) gene mutation have more than a 60 percent risk of developing breast cancer in their lives. That鈥檚 compared to a 13 percent risk for women in the general population. Along with an increased risk of breast cancer, those with a BRCA1/2 gene mutation also have increased risk of ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, and melanoma.

Because the gene mutation is inherited, Aranda was at risk of having the same mutation as her mom, so at 26, she took a blood test, just to check. Her oncologist gave her the news over the phone鈥攚hile Aranda was on a road trip with Patrick, then still her boyfriend鈥攖hat she indeed had the BRCA1 mutation.

鈥淚t was a moment where you鈥檙e suddenly just outside yourself,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淲e stopped at this little diner off the highway in Idaho and ordered pancakes and just tried to have a quiet moment trying to process. I think it was Patrick鈥檚 30th birthday, so it was all mixed in like, 鈥極h, happy birthday! Your very serious girlfriend might be dead when she鈥檚 in her mid-40s.鈥欌��

Aranda faced the terrifying thought that she might end up enduring everything she witnessed her mom go through. 鈥淵ou can get lost in that despair,鈥� she says. 鈥淎cknowledging it is how I deal with it. I focus on how I can nurture joy while holding space for this grief and despair.鈥�

Making the Most of the Life We Have

Having seen her mom die at 45, and knowing she has the same BRCA1 gene mutation, Aranda is adamant about living the life she wants in the present. This has included spending several seasons working in Yosemite, testing her limits with a growing list of FKTs, and telling stories through her writing with essays and her monthly 鈥�.鈥�

鈥淪he moves through the world as a storyteller,鈥� says one of Aranda鈥檚 ReNewEarthRunning teammates and friend, . 鈥淪he鈥檚 always observing and processing things and everything she takes in translates into her writing. I think that鈥檚 part of why her writing is so beautiful.鈥�

Aranda鈥檚 passion for running and resum茅 of FKTs led her to Merrell鈥檚 event in Steamboat Springs, competing for her 14th FKT. The route is steep, with approximately 2,200 feet of vertical gain in 3.2 miles. It switchbacks up the mountain, winding along the Thunderhead Trail under tree cover and occasionally crossing the exposed ski slope.

鈥淩unning can actually be a celebration: celebrating my body, where I am, how I feel, and all I鈥檝e learned throughout my life so far.鈥�

鈥淚 really appreciated the shade when you were in the trees,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 hot, so I felt like I could push harder. Then, you would cross the ski slope and suddenly be exposed to the sun where it was really hot.鈥�

Aranda wanted to put everything she could into her effort. Winning this meant more than just a sponsorship for her. It meant the ability to fully pursue her passions for running and writing, something she didn鈥檛 know how much time she had to do. The sponsorship offers a stable form of income that means she can fully commit to running and writing without the obligation of work in another industry.

Interventions for Survival

A common recommendation for women with BRCA1/2 mutations is to preemptively get a double mastectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (surgically removing both breasts, fallopian tubes, and ovaries). These operations can reduce the risk of getting breast or ovarian cancer by 80 to 90 percent. Doctors usually recommend seriously considering these surgeries between 35 and 40, though Aranda鈥檚 looking at making a decision before 38鈥攚hen her mom and aunt (who also died of the gene with ovarian cancer) were diagnosed. However, they aren鈥檛 small operations.

Amber D鈥橝ngelo, a swimmer and performance dietician for , has the BRCA2 gene mutation and chose to get the preventative surgeries when she found out at age 40, in 2021. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e thrust into menopause overnight after having your ovaries removed and that changes how you feel,鈥� says D鈥橝ngelo. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 feel quite yourself with the lack of hormones.鈥�

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While the recovery times for the surgeries aren鈥檛 drastically different from any other major surgery, one of the biggest impacts is going into early menopause. This can cause all the classic menopause symptoms and particularly for athletes, may require more rest and recovery time. For D鈥橝ngelo, they were surgeries worth having to take control of her health.

Turning 35 in December, Aranda knows she鈥檒l have to make this incredibly personal decision within the next three years. 鈥淏ut a lot can happen in three years, right? Maybe the science wasn鈥檛 there for my mom and her sister, but it will be for me. You always cross your fingers,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚 want to keep the body that I鈥檝e always known. And the idea of going into medical menopause is terrifying because that brings its own risks like osteoporosis and heart disease. It鈥檚 like, do I want to risk my chances with cancer or bone and heart issues?鈥�

Tied on the Trail

On the last switchback before the end, Aranda could see everyone at the top watching her ascend. She rounded the corner and avoided looking at anyone鈥檚 faces, just focusing on pushing herself and touching the gondola pole that marked the finish.

Aranda touched the pole and stopped her watch. 48:41. She鈥檇 made it, but she didn鈥檛 know if she鈥檇 won because she didn鈥檛 know anyone else鈥檚 time.

鈥淲ith any race or FKT, you see your time as you cross the finish line, and you know your position, if you did it or not,鈥� says Aranda. For this race, each athlete started separately and timed themselves to later upload to the FKT website. 鈥淭his was so up in the air. You had no idea.鈥�

A few minutes went by before someone asked Aranda her time. At that point, she discovered Siegle-Gaither had gotten 48:40.5. At the top of the ski hill, surrounded by yellow aspens, the two compared watch times. According to the watches, Aranda was half a second slower than Siegle-Gaither. However, Aranda鈥檚 watch didn鈥檛 track milliseconds, so her watch could have been rounding, and the times could be even closer. It was as close to a tie as you could get for a self-timed FKT, and Merrell hadn鈥檛 prepared for this possibility.

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鈥�,鈥� says Ben Stark, Merrell senior brand marketing specialist. 鈥淲ho would have thought that was remotely possible?鈥�

For two days after the tie, the two athletes waited for a decision from the admins at fastestknowntime.com and Merrell. 鈥淢y head was going everywhere,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚 hoped for the best. I hoped that the brand wouldn鈥檛 split hairs, but I also understood sometimes races have to split hairs.鈥�

By Friday, September 28, they had a result: the time variation was within the margin of error of hand-timing, so the site officially recorded it as a tie for a total time of 48:41, and Merrell committed to signing both athletes.

Looking Ahead

Moving into 2024 with the Merrell sponsorship, Aranda hopes to continue nurturing joy in her life, sharing her story, advocating for others, and celebrating her body even when her genetics feel against her at times.

Since her run to Thunderhead, Aranda has already added four new FKTs to her growing list of achievements to accompany for , whose mission is to 鈥減rotect and heal the environment by restoring land to the stewardship of Tribal Nations and Indigenous leadership.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 curious what [being sponsored] will actually feel like, but I鈥檓 excited to have fun with it,鈥� says Aranda. 鈥淚鈥檓 taking it as a chance to explore new avenues, collaborate with new people, and continue to work on the key aspects of myself and how that can be a platform to uplift others.鈥�

For Aranda, this was one more step to pursuing her dream life, but in doing so, it also honors her mom鈥檚 legacy.

鈥淪he always encouraged [me and my siblings] to follow our dreams,鈥� she says. 鈥淪he was a musician and dreamed of being a rockstar. Knowing she never got to fulfill her dreams in the fullest of ways, I felt like chasing my dreams was the right path.鈥�

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