Fastest Known Podcast

Fastestknowntime.com volunteer Craig Randall discusses with Buzz Burrell that this virus is not going away any time soon ... so what are we going to do about it?

"We put our own country into a medically-induced coma ... I think it's time to revive the patient."

The pandemic is certainly an enormous tragedy, which we fortunately took extreme action to limit.  And now two months in, we have learned a few things so we can correct some early misconceptions, and hopefully develop a sustainable plan.

There was something wrong with our statistics: during April, there were 31 FKTs ... just from Connecticut! What's up with that? Turns out 7 were from ONE person?  Did Sarah Connor call the Terminator for help?

"There are a lot of people out there doing more impressive things right now; I'm just doing a lot of smallish ones. It's been fun!"

This is inspirational: you can be 100m runner and long jumper in high school, work at Starbucks in the morning, and set an FKT in the afternoon.  After your nap.  During a pandemic. 

Marshall has been there, and been doing that for decades. His output, especially for the hugely long routes, is prodigious (think running across the US).  

"What I was doing was kicking back and having fun.  Showing people you can do more".

Outdoor and running shops are closed!  Which is bad for us - but how about for the world's leading brand in mountain footwear? What does it look like from behind the curtain?

"It hurts. It's not easy right now. We hit the Pause button on our entire business in mid-March."

Jonathan Lantz is President of La Sportiva North America. This is a 93 year old company based in the Italian Dolomites. What does it look like over there?

Karl was a mountain bike racer and working as a mountain guide on Kilimanjaro when his friends, noticing he was very fit, suggested he go for Kilian Jornet's FKT.  He asked,

"Who is that?  What is an FKT?"

Karl went up and back very fast - while wearing a bike jersey - and a new career was launched. That winter he prepared for Aconcagua, and heard Kilian was going also, who then set a new FKT.  When Karl heard the time, he thought,

This is our most authentic podcast!  We recorded this in-person, sitting outdoors, while maintaining a 7' physical distance - those birds you hear chirping in the background are real!

And what could be more important to talk about right now?  Exercising outdoors is the single best thing you can do for your physical, mental, and emotional health ... AND ... we are in a pandemic, where safety (not just your own) is paramount, and physical distancing is the law.  How do we resolve this?

Tyler ran the Olympic Trials Marathon, then went to Nepal to hike and relax. Then the global pandemic broke out. So he decided he might as well try the FKT for the Everest Base Camp run.

"I was over there, all races were being cancelled back home, so decided I might as well do something."

The fast road guy who had never run longer than 6 hours decides to run up to 17,598' and back.

Everyone is disappointed that races were cancelled or postponed.  What about the race directors themselves - this is how they make a living - what is their perspective?

James Varner, Rainshadow Running:

"We're known for our post-race parties as much as the running; it's one big happy family. That's all a big no-no right now with social distancing."

Justin Ricks, Mad Moose Events:

"When you lose something, you realize what you're missing. When people come back, there will be a lot of positive energy."

Everyone is talking about it so we should as well.  But instead of more graphs of "How COVID-19 will spread", we will listen to authentic, personal reports from friends.  Europe - United States - New Zealand.  Each report is very different!  We can learn from each other.

"This is a global pandemic, and it supersedes everyone's personal goals"

Note: These conversations were recorded Monday afternoon, March 23, which is important to know as every situation changes every day.

Amanda and Justin were in Kauai to run the Kalalau Trail and thought to check it out. Ill prepared for the humidity, Amanda nonetheless decided to go for the FKT, and succeeded. Justin accompanied her going out (so she is listed as Supported) but then then fell apart from the heat.

"We were all wondering, 'where's Justin'? He was two hours late getting back."

Three days later he felt better, going an hour faster than Amanda and establishing the Male FKT.