Drama on Mount Everest is a given at the height of climbing season every May. This year, all eyes were on 29-year-old ultra runner Kilian Jornet, who raced up the world’s tallest mountain without oxygen tanks or fixed ropes — not once but twice in one week.
What drove the young Spaniard? Establishing the fastest known time, or “FKT,” on the famed mountain.
By default, Jornet set the FKT because the routes he selected were previously untried by other runners.
His 26- and 28-hour runs were astounding nonetheless. And they were just two of hundreds of FKT attempts being made each year on some of the toughest mountains in the world.
In 2017 alone, runners have established records at popular locations such as Denali, New Hampshire’s Presidential Traverse and several of Colorado’s “14ers” — mountains with elevation of at least 14,000 feet.
—26 hours to race up Mt. Everest? It’s part of a new running trend of ‘Fastest Known Time.’
The part that interested me the most is the runners have to wear GPS tracking watches to verify what they have done. Andy and I will stick to his going up to the land with his Garmin.
Running up Mt Everest? Twice? The world is full of fools.
You don’t agree that we’re all a bunch of nuts?
that’s astounding.
I often find it hard carrying two bags of heavy groceries up the 17 steps to my apartment!
to each his/her own I guess.
I have truly never seen the value in mountain climbing. much less running! 😀
They’re using the gifts they’ve been born with. My body wasn’t built for running or jogging, but my mind was built for solving problems. That’s where I get my joy.
I would rather solve a bunch of crossword puzzles!
I have no desire to emulate them either!