Reviving a very old thread, but just wanted to point out Strava as a source of time verifications. There are 20+ tracks posted with roundtrip elapsed time under 8 hours. Some average heart rates are included and are in the 130 bpm range, which is definitely nose breathing territory.

https://www.strava.com/segments/4838166

I'm a runner and I thru-hiked the PCT. My roundtrip time for Whitney from the Portal was 11.2 hours a few years ago (pre-PCT). My max sustained rate of ascent is 2,200 ft/hr (tested two weeks ago on Mt. Si in Washington) on a smooth, dry, not too steep trail.

Last edited by fusial; 10/22/17 08:48 PM.