Route: Art Loeb Trail (NC)

Damn, 1/3 for FKTs staying on course in 2020.

Anyone know the women one way FKT?

At some point we need to record Morgan Elliott’s 14:09 for the out/back (yo-yo)! 
 

It has been brought to my attention that a section of the trail was incorrectly marked on OpenStreetMap.org (OSM). As a result there's some confusion as to which is correct and there's a disparity in the actual routes taken by athletes claiming FKTs. Untold numbers of services use data pulled from OSM for their mapping products, including popular route building services like Strava, Caltopo, and Gaia GPS. In addition, the trail in this section is poorly blazed and is only clearly indicated if traveling southbound.

The section in question is between the summits of Black Balsam Knob and Tennent Mountain. Previously OSM had labeled the more direct path as being part of the Art Loeb Trail, whereas the less direct, roughly "S" shaped section is actually correct. For confirmation, anyone is welcome to check the Forest Service map available here or visit the actual trail and note the wooden sign that's visible when traveling southbound. As of today, I've edited OSM to reflect the correct route. That said, services using OSM data can take quite some time to reflect any changes.

As to how this impacts FKTs, the actual difference in distance traveled is minimal (0.24 miles) and, while the incorrect route is indeed faster, it's not significantly so (perhaps 2 or 3 minutes at FKT pace). Given the incorrect map data, I don't think it would be reasonable to flag/penalize any previous attempts for having used the incorrect route. I just wanted to write this to draw attention to the issue in the hope that athletes will make note of the correct route when planning future attempts.

I'm planning to make a solo unsupported fkt attempt on April 17th, 2021.

I'm planning on attempting the solo unsupported fkt attempt may 8-10th. Haven't decided actual date yet. Does anyone know the current fkt? 

I'm planning an out and back run on 5/10 starting at Davidson River. My husband will meet me at the Scout Camp for support where I will turn around. I will be solo and unsupported otherwise. 

Just seeing this page. I know several people who have gone sub 7 through the 20 years we've done ALTAR. Most years the run is self supported due to road closures and conditions. My PR 6:42 was in 2007 self supported. Not always fast, 2009 took us 16+ hours... Winter can be tough! Probably the most impressive performance I've witnessed in 20 years of ALTAR is Morgan's 14 hour double! Have fun and be safe! https://photos.app.goo.gl/RxisoGfCUqosjBh26

Just seeing this page. I know several people who have gone sub 7 through the 20 years we've done ALTAR. Most years the run is unsupported due to road closures and conditions. My PR 6:42 was in 2007 unsupported. Not always fast, 2009 took us 16+ hours... Winter can be tough! Probably the most impressive performance I've witnessed in 20 years of ALTAR is Morgan's 14 hour double! Have fun and be safe! https://photos.app.goo.gl/RxisoGfCUqosjBh26

YO-YO Unsupported FKT attempt tomorrow on October 18th, 2021 starting at Davidson River. ? not a women's time so just going to go out there and push as hard as I can. (All hiking) would like to go sub 30 hours if possible.

I will be attempting an unsuported NBound FKT this Sunday, Feb 4th. Conditions look to be favorable, though there will be plenty of ice on the N aspect at higher elevations. We've gotten rain recently, more is forecasted for Thursday Feb 2nd, with a subsequent freeze through the rest of the week. Spikes will be in order. Attempt will be recorded using my Suunto 9 Baro, uploaded to Strava. Drew Antonisse very generously will be shuttling. Looking forward to giving it a go. -David Hedges 

How accurate is the GPX?  When I load into Garmin it shows slightly off course around Black Balsam.  That a Garmin mapping issue?