FKT: Nouchka Simic - Grande Traversée des Alpes via the GR5 (France) - 2026-07-26

• €100,000 in funding;
• A large support crew;
• No equipment carried at all (no water, no backpack, no food, nothing);
• No logistical or mental burden other than putting one foot in front of the other;
• Guaranteed recovery every evening in highly comfortable conditions;
• Pacers accompanying her throughout the effort.

At that point, it no longer resembles traditional trail running as many people understand it, but rather a highly supported endurance project designed in part for social media and public visibility.

It is also worth noting that, based on her publicly available race results, she has generally recorded respectable but not exceptional performances in trail running. To my knowledge, she is not considered an elite athlete, nor is she particularly experienced in very long-distance or multi-day events. Her publicly shared photos and videos also appear to show that she is consistently accompanied by several members of her support team during her projects, including on shorter trail runs.

Taken together, these elements naturally raise questions, particularly considering that, according to the content shared during the attempt, she appeared to be struggling significantly and running behind schedule after only two days. We may never know the full picture, but this FKT leaves me puzzled. Moving from otherwise ordinary trail and ultratrail performances to an FKT is, at the very least, something that invites closer examination.

Another point that caught my attention concerns her Strava data. As she approached the end of the route, she appears to have achieved personal bests or segment records on several sections. In other words, despite having accumulated nearly a week of continuous effort, her pace seems to have improved on certain segments. Given the physical demands of such an undertaking—and assuming the tracking data accurately reflects the effort—this may appear counterintuitive. How could someone who reportedly seemed exhausted after only two days still be setting segment records several days later? I cannot explain it, and it seems difficult to reconcile with what was publicly documented during the attempt.

Finally, there are several unusually straight sections visible on the OpenRunner track. I have no evidence that these indicate any irregularity, and there may be entirely legitimate explanations, including GPS signal loss or tracking artefacts. However, they do raise questions. One possible hypothesis—among others—would be that the GPS device stopped recording for part of the route, although I have no evidence that this occurred. Without independent verification, it would not be appropriate to draw any conclusion from the tracking data alone...

Ah, that famous comment posted at 5:50 a.m.... There are two possibilities: either you were already up to go for a run, or you woke up with a divine mission to act as an investigator for the FKT Bureau. I have my suspicions.

So let’s summarize the case:

“She had a support team.” Yes. That’s precisely the concept behind a supported FKT. The rules have always allowed for logistical support as well as pacers. This isn’t some new rule invented for Nouchka. In fact, when François D’Haene set his GR20 record, he too was accompanied by pacers and received support. No one discovered that day that the “supported” format even existed.
“She wasn’t carrying any water or food.” Again… yes. That’s precisely the point of a supported attempt: to optimize the journey between aid stations. If you want to carry everything you need, then it’s called a self-supported or unsupported FKT.
“She wasn’t a trail running star.” So what? FKTs aren’t a world championship reserved for the UTMB elite...

The most amusing part is the method of analysis:
“I looked at his Instagram photos.”
“I checked Strava.”
“I found some straight lines on OpenRunner.”
Conclusion: the launch of an investigation worthy of *CSI*.

As for the straight lines on an OpenRunner GPS track, they’re usually explained by cell phone signal loss. Using them as incriminating evidence without proof is a bit like concluding that a UFO landed just because a photo is blurry.

Ultimately, the entire commentary rests on a fairly simple line of reasoning:

“I can’t wrap my head around this performance, so it must be suspicious.”

Fortunately, that’s not how proof works. Skepticism is healthy, but we need facts—not an essay based on Strava, OpenRunner, and a few Instagram screenshots...

In short, if a record is to be called into question, let’s do it with evidence. In the meantime, discovering at 5:50 a.m. that the “supported” format allows for a support team might just be the real record of the day.