There are a lot of good races all over the world, but there is another way to challenge ourselves without actually racing. Enter: Fastest Known Time (FKT) – a way to see how you stack up against your peers. You decide when, where and how you will try to break the current record on a specific trail.
There are three categories of FKTs:
- Unsupported – you are in charge of bringing everything you need for the trail with you (and not leaving any garbage or gear out on the trail).
- Supported – you have a crew of people helping you out. This could include pacers or someone helping you with food, supplies or gear.
- Self-supported – you stash additional supplies at road crossings or inside the trail.
During the height of the pandemic, FKTs were personally important to me. Chasing these records was a way for me to stay motivated when races were no longer an option. The process, excitement, and race-like feeling can hold you accountable in the same way as a race.
Racing is back but we can’t forget about FKTs. They can be used as tools to train for a race or a way to challenge yourself. You can look up routes on the Fastest Known Time website to see if your local trail is already a route on the site. If no one has ever run the specific route you can be the first to obtain the FKT.
Alternatively, you can try and take down the current leader. The hardest and most exciting part about the process is that achieving second place won’t count. Gear is important if you’re serious about setting records, and the Merrell Skyfire 2s are built for the task. Weighing in under 7 oz, it is the “fastest known shoe” and it is my choice of footwear for any record chasing under 31 miles (50k). For longer efforts, the Long Sky 2 is equipped with more protection, but it is still very light (9.4 oz) with some of the best water evacuation if you’re dealing with lots of water crossings.
The catalogue of records is for records only, and “second known times” do not get submitted. Fastestknowntime.com will validate your submission before it becomes an official record to ensure you didn’t take any shortcuts along the way. Hit your favourite trail, grab the right Merrell Trail Runners for the job and go set an FKT!
