A few weeks afterward, Sophia is continuing her recovery and reacquainting her stomach to her usual food. And also just this renewed sense of gratitude or appreciation for everything the way that it is.”. She just set the new female self-supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Colorado Trail in a blazing 10 days, 12 hours, and 36 minutes. Personal Blog In this feature story, Ben Page offers a reminder of the value of getting out on shorter, simpler trips, instead of getting wrapped up in planning something big... With the majority of grand departs postponed or cancelled for 2020, some eager riders are focusing their attention on FKT (Fastest Known Time) attempts on various routes to stay busy. In the past two years of completing FKTs (Fastest Known Times aka (also known as) records)). Would love to meet this guy. Stephen completed the full route in just 27 hours, 27 minutes—raising over $3,000 to benefit Don’t Shoot Portland in the process. There are a few events that are still in process or are open to ITTs all summer, including the Trans South Dakota Race which starts on Saturday, as well as the Colorado Trail Race, Lost Elephant Ultra, and the Smoke’n’Fire 400—all of which are open for ITTs according to Trackleaders. In addition, the Colorado summer had dried up some water sources, which led to one 30-mile stretch without anything but what she called “glorified puddles” that were murky with cow waste. Following a short trot around the camp, she dismounted where she’d left off and kept hiking. She overcame her fear of heights and hiking in the dark. But each morning, she found herself tightening her pack’s shoulder straps and hip belt so it’d fit better. Mikaela Osler left the Colorado Trail near Denver on the morning of July 30. Laura rode the route solo and self-supported, and is also the women’s record holder for the RockStar Trail course as well. View All Features. “She was actually really reaching out to reach in,” AJ said. The trio embraced in a tearful reunion at the trailhead. “But I was (originally) like, ‘You know, I'm not going to do any of that. Start Here, Broadly speaking, there are three bikepacking genres to choose from – Multi-day Mountain Biking, Ultralight Race & Gravel, and Expedition & Dirt Touring. Nearly 100 riders signed up for the grand depart from St. Jacobs, Ontario, but Kyle still managed to finish in record time, completing the 1,112-kilometer route in just 92 hours. “That's kind of what I sought while I was out on the trail. “And so, I was dreading the end but then I was also kind of excited to see and to bring everything that I learned from this experience back into this world that has, more or less, stayed the same while I was gone.”. The average elevation of the Trail is 10,300 feet, topping out at 13,271 feet. She took a bite of a ProBar and turned the camera off. 'I'm so glad to be here': Woman finds renewed gratitude while setting record on Colorado Trail, The COVID-19 vaccine is in Colorado. It was an emotional moment AJ said they had anticipated for weeks. She found answers to her existential questions in the most mundane of moments, she said. View The Map, There are some routes that are made classic by their sheer perfection, and others by races. A woman and her pack. On her 20th day, Sophia had 60 miles to go. Then, on Aug. 23, 2020, the 25-year-old reached the Durango end of the Colorado Trail and summoned the energy to sprint into her mother’s and father’s waiting arms. 10 days, 12 hours and 36 minutes later, she stepped off the trail in Durango with the new women’s self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT). Published on Jul 31, 2020 4:21AM MDT Outdoors Primary category in which blog post is … On September 21, Mike McKnight set a new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Colorado Trail while traveling west to east and by using the trail’s Collegiate East variation. She resisted the smell of pizza while passing by a store. Despite the food shortage, Sophia said she was in tune with her body and would have known if she needed to seriously consider leaving the trail. “I didn't have a really good sense of who I was and what I was capable of,” she said. This Event Took Place Wed. Sep 30, 2020. “I think that physical exertion and physical activity in general brings out a different layer of people,” she explained. ... Andrew and Ryan interview some of the folks who came together to make friend’o-the-podcast Jeff Garmire’s recent FKT of the Colorado Trail a success: Maggie Slepian, Dylan Harris, Nik Tizekker, and, of course, the Fastest Known Tiger himself. Second water stop was at mile 77 at the Colorado River along a single track multi-use trail thick with brush. It didn’t long for the trail to swallow her up — in a good way. Covering almost 500 miles of dirt ultimately helped her feel more grounded in herself. In 1974, the vision of a fully connected trail between Denver and Durango was taking shape. After 53.5 hours, covering 371 miles, Kurt knocked a whopping 7 hours off of the previous record—burning over 24,000 calories in the process. Colorado Trail Foundation. “I’ve gotten so caught up in it. On day 21, she paused, took her phone out of her bag and recorded a video. Ajay Pickett. Once they arrived, she opened all 84 packets and rewrapped them in thin plastic wrap with the help of her dad, AJ Tang. Read messages they have sent to MapShare. The CT was first conceived in 1974, but was not completed until the late 1980's. “Unsupported is kind of like the Spartan style, where you carry everything from start to finish except for water from natural sources,” Sophia explained. However, the hike wasn’t all joyrides and new trail friendships. As the days ticked by and she grew further and further from her nine-day goal, she quickly realized the amount of food she had brought wasn’t enough to sustain the enormous daily mileage she’d been aiming for. You can even reply. A friendly reminder that there’s still a pandemic, and we don’t recommend putting yourself or others at risk by travelling long distances to participate in events. And despite hours upon hours of hiking ahead of her and a dwindling food supply, anxiety was beginning to creep in about returning to daily life. We believe travel by bicycle encourages conservation and inspires respect for people and cultures. You can see photos of his setup and ride stats on his Instagram @kurt.refsnider. On July 3rd, Jay set out on the 1,030-mile Arkansas High Country Race route with big plans to set a new FKT. “Kind of just like soul-searching and figuring out who I was independent of everyone else, of my conditioning. We’ve put together a recap of some of the more recent record setting attempts here…. During his ride, Kurt slept for 35 minutes total, saw four bears, and had zero mechanicals along the way. We provide inspiration and information through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of gear, news, and events that help our community thrive. “Every day was just like, ‘I'm so glad to be here.’”, "It really wasn't about what I did, but who I became," she said. “I feel like there's nothing that I could ever complain about again and if I start to lose that gratitude, then it's time to hit the trail,” she said. But this woman took it one step further. The Colorado Trail is a long-distance trail running for 486 miles (782 km) from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States.Its highest point is 13,271 feet (4,045 m) above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Learn More, As important as it is to have a reliable bike and pack as light as you can, choosing the right route is perhaps the key to your enjoyment. Simply put, bikepacking is the synthesis of mountain biking and minimalist camping; it evokes the freedom of multi-day backcountry hiking, with the range and thrill of riding a mountain bike. “Ultimately, I settled on just pre-made, ready-to-go, bust-out-of-the-pack-and-down-the-hatch-and-off-you-go-type food, which ended up being ProBars,” she said. “We got (to the Durango trailhead) early and basically waited for her to come in,” he said. “All these ‘monkey mind’ thoughts going through my head. Beyond finishing the trail and establishing that record, Sophia had a deeper and more profound goal in mind: to come face-to-face with herself in her entirety. “When I had parted with him and I was walking away, I was like, ‘Oh dear. Instead, she learned to soak in the Colorado Trail for the wonder that it is, record aside. AJ said he’d use a data book from the Colorado Trail Foundation to compare the curves in the trail map to Sophia’s tracking device to determine where she was. Summary of supported FKT progression for the full Colorado Trail: “There’s so much space around,” Sophia said as she filmed herself on the first day of the journey. Jeff Garmire is Attempting an Unsupported FKT of the Colorado Trail by Ryan Jordan on August 28, 2020 Expedition News , New Features UPDATED (6-Sep-2020) – Jeff set a new FKT (unsupported) on the Colorado Trail today with a time of 9d 8h 18m. The loop was Kurt’s first ever ultra race, which he completed back in 2008, but on June 9th, he set out to chase Dave Harris’ record time set back in 2009. Podcast 032 | Jeff Garmire and the Colorado Trail FKT By Daniel Booth November 9, 2020 No Comments. After setting a FKT on the regular BT 700 route in 2019, Kyle Messier returned to … On Aug. 1, Sophia packed the brick of bars in her pack along with other necessities. Prior to starting the journey, Sophia had decided she wanted to finish in nine days, meaning she’d need to cover 54 miles every day. For the past three weeks, Sophia had been hiking the 485-mile trail from Denver to Durango alone and completely unsupported, meaning she carried everything she needed on her back. View The Classics, The Bikepacking Journal is our printed collection of inspiring writing and beautiful photography.Find details here alongside a growing collection of web exclusive features... Have one to share? “It's you and your pack and then you just figure out how to get yourself to the finish line.”, RELATED STORIES: Acute bronchitis brings runner Courtney Dauwalter's record-breaking attempt on Colorado Trail to a halt. 10 Top FKTs from Summer 2020 Learn More, We have ~100 routes on our worldwide bikepacking routes map. His time of 7 days, 13 hours, and 16 minutes bettered the previous record set by Scott Jaime in 2013 of 8 days, 7 hours, and 40 minutes. At mile 223 of the northbound Colorado Trail, a choice must be made to go east or west. The next few months were full of preparation: reading gear reviews, building muscle, long hikes and lots and lots of research. The Grand Loop is often referred to as the original bikepacking trail race, a ~360-mile loop following remote desert terrain between Moab and Grand Junction. And 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 44 seconds later he rolled up to Texas Tavern in Roanoke as the first solo rider to complete this 255-mile route in less than 24 hours. Lael Wilcox, Kaitlyn Boyle, and Kurt Refsnider set off together early Friday morning on the Kokopelli Trail for a self-supported time trial between Loma, Colorado and Moab, Utah. On September 21, Gnarly athlete and ultrarunner Mike McKnight set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the Colorado Trail, a 485-mile-long path from Denver to Durango. to support us & get The Bikepacking Journal. Tears were flowing as they embraced their daughter, whom they hadn’t seen in more than 21 days. September 18, 2020 | News. She fell asleep to the evening songs of coyotes. The Dirty 130 is a 130-mile route in southeast Tennessee and southwest North Carolina, following a mix of forest roads, singletrack, and asphalt. Earl Smith set out on July 4th from Black Sheep Coffee in Harrisonburg, Virginia, hoping to bag a new record on the RockStar Gravel route. The Oregon Outback route is a 364-mile gravel route across Oregon, from south to north. For a closer look, watch Neil’s post-ride interview with Lachlan on our YouTube channel. Cick the link to see them plotted or select from the links to the right to filter. Follow along online. On a post on Instagram, Tang said she may attempt it again in 2021. Created by the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association in 1988, the Kokopelli Trail has one of the oldest FKT cultures of any long-distance mountain bike trail. All FKTs are certified through FastestKnownTimes.com, and Sophia is working to complete her trip report — which includes a GPS file and pictures — by Friday for review. Read more here. After setting a FKT on the regular BT 700 route in 2019, Kyle Messier returned to ride the BT 700 XL (BT 700 + GNR Route). Let us know in the comments below. 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