Search Results: simoni

As athletes when asked "what's your favorite social media platform," many of us would excitedly reply: Strava. It's social (you can like and comment on athletes' posts), it's utilitarian (it's a digital training journal), and it's motivating to be able to follow the best athletes in the world right alongside your local friends in your feed. Many UD ambassadors have impressive digital trophy cases so we asked…

Justin Simoni calls fastpacking “the space between ultra running and backpacking.” If you're curious about fastpacking and want to know how to get started, read this excellent overview by UD ambassador Jen Segger. Jen has been planning and leading fastpacking trips for years, even running a dedicated company for it (Run BC Adventures). Here's how to pick the right gear and plan your first fastpacking trip.  Fastpacking is…

The Mosquito-Tenmile Range Traverse has been in the "Incredible Things to Attempt" queue of my head since I've read (and reread) Peter Bakwin's own attempts at the line. Starting from Weston Pass at the southern end of the range, the goal is to make it to Frisco, Colorado following the very prominent ridgeline that continues unbroken until its terminus, around 37 miles from where you start.…

Many of us are searching for an adventure on our own two feet. Maybe it's a race, maybe it isn't. In the end what we want is exploration, challenge and a good time. Here's where fastpacking comes in. The "Highest Hundred" project's Justin Simoni calls fastpacking "the space between ultra running and backpacking." A strong resolve and endurance are requisite but how about gear; what's…

What were the most inspiring, difficult, fast, or just plain 'out-there' FKT’s last year?  A panel of 27 runners reviewed the 22 Nominees (selected from the hundreds of FKT's reported last year), voted for their top 5, and the Results are below.  A hot discussion this year was the widening gap between Unsupported and Supported efforts - some people did their whole route solo, while…

It's back! An Award for the most notable FKT of the Year.  There's no big prize - actually no prize whatsoever - but that's not why we do FKT's is it?  We want to do and read about what's cool, what's exciting and new, what has meaning for us.  So Peter Bakwin with help from Buzz Burrell compiles a list of the big standouts for 2017,…

By Justin Simoni I'm just going to start out by saying it: I hate birthday challenges. Although, each year I get myself ramped up to try to do another one, they usually blow up in my face. My greatest-worst birthday challenge was the Arizona Trail Race: 750 miles of bikepacking across Arizona on singletrack from the Mexican to the Utah border. It includes a mandatory…

The “FKT” has arrived!  Runners all over the world now understand and use the term, and may expend more effort going for a Fastest Known Time than in a regular race. So the time has come for a "Fastest Known Time of The Year" Award!  Following the long-standing Ultra Runner of the Year (“UROY”) awards that have recognized and celebrated the sport’s best since 1981,…

By Peter Bakwin Living in Boulder, as I have for most of my life, can be strange. Nearly everyone here, young and old alike, is insanely fit. Everyone has set some outlandish running or climbing goal for themselves, something to keep the sense of adventure alive and to expand their skills and experience. I myself have set many, and even achieved some, and this has…

3:00am is a pretty early time to wake up for any sort of activity, but today was the Golden Gate Dirty 30! 2016 would be my second running of this race. My first was last year which was also my first sanctioned trail running ultra. That's a funny sentence to write; I've done so many self-supported style FKT challenges, I'm not exactly new to all…