Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Wolfe and Koerner JMT FKT Attempt

According to
iRunFar.com

July 25
Mike Wolfe and Hal Koerner will be going for the FKT on the 221-mile John Muir Trail starting on August 1. They're looking to bring the record under three days. Brett Maune set the current record of 3 day, 9 hours, and 58 minutes in September 2009.


Anybody see these guys at the Portal?

How enjoyable, 70 mile days with a bit of up and down here and there... 2.7 miles per hour overall including rests (if they bother).

Dog, you must be leaving soon for your JMT FPB bid (Funnest Personal Best).

Did you break down and watch your "Mile, Mile and Half" DVD yet?

They are actually gunning for 3.5. These guys are animals, several 100 miler wins between them, and The North Face behind them. Koerner says he considers the hike supported, but there is not much info out there on what the actual logistics are. It may be that the only actual support is that two are running together. They are carrying 10 pounds each, which is just enough for 30,000 calories each and no gear, so it seems like they are getting some kind of outside support. But they are not saying, I think they are going to crush the supported record, but Maune's unsupported 3 days-nine-fifty-eight could stand.

As for me, the Dog walks on Monday from Happy Isles. Somewhat slower pace. My permit is for Little Yosemite Valley, so I will be shredding an awe-inspiring 4.7 miles of JMT the first day. After that, killer 11 MPD pace. Pace south of MTR determined by careful calculation of caloric consumption and how much I can pack into stomach and BearKeg in 24 hours.

Not only have I not watched M/M1/2, I haven't bought it yet. How's that for discipline?

Hope to see a few WHers out there. I will be flying a green ribbon (remember the Freak Flag from '11).

Report to follow.

Have a great walk. Looking forward to the TR.

what exactly does it mean when the North Face is behind you? Full blood transfusion on Muir Pass with Lance's best batch, or just a lot of neat freebies in return for that logo on the hat?

I don't know, man, probably all of the above, but they are being really close to the running vest about exactly what their support is. Koerner is calling it supported, which is like open design in sailing: you could be looking for a 12 meter and come up against a hydrofoil trimaran.

The Tour de Muir. Tough spectator sport. Pretty small quota of fans that can line the trail to watch them hike over Pinchot Pass. No helicopter camera shots, limited parking at Tuolumne Meadows for all those fans, the long hard shuttle ride to Red's Meadow for a glimpse of the leader. But oh the glory at Whitney Portal when the winner is the first to plop their wag bag into the dumpster! ESPN highlight roll for sure.

Yes, very tough on the fans waiting at WP. They went NoBo.