British ultrarunner blazes to new Appalachian Trail FKT
Kristian Morgan weathered some brutal conditions for a new southbound fastest known time (supported) of 45 days, four hours and 27 minutes
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CurraNZ.com
British ultrarunner Kristian Morgan has set a new fastest known time (FKT) (supported) southbound on the Appalachian Trail, covering the 3,529-kilometre distance in 45 days, four hours and 27 minutes.
The 46-year-old’s successful attempt, ratified Wednesday, beats the previous FKT set by Karl Meltzer in 2016 by 18 hours.
Morgan averaged more than 80 km a day on his record-setting trek across 14 states from Maine to Georgia, which he completed Sept. 16. With this feat, Morgan also becomes the only person to complete the Appalachian Trail in both northbound and southbound directions in under 90 days in two consecutives seasons.
“This was my fourth attempt since 2019 and I’m so pleased I finished. We had flooded river crossings and 100-mile (160 km/h) winds over Mt. Washington (in New Hampshire), which is the most dangerous part of the trail,” says Morgan.”I saw the obituaries of hikers who have died attempting to climb Mt. Washington and thought I do not want my name added to this list.”
The Londoner says he encountered “some serious setbacks with the terrible weather conditions that saw one hiker drown on a river crossing while I was there. I felt tremendous empathy for his family’s loss. I persisted with a new-found respect for the trail and conditions.”
Morgan says he was able to maintain the pace needed to set the record “despite having some dicey moments, including a river crossing when my foot caught between two underwater boulders.”
Describing his journey as a process of “breakdowns and breakthroughs,” he says: “I felt a lot more present and mentally strong this time, and I feel I ‘cracked the code’ to the Appalachian Trail.
“Last year I didn’t achieve the record, despite having perfect weather and less pressure. I had a 27-mile (43-km) lead, which by day 31 fell to a 10-mile (16-km) lead and then I fell off the pace and towards the end, felt more beat up and got more and more slow towards the finish.
“This year I didn’t have the same lead, which created more pressure on me, but I was able to cope with it mentally and keep on pushing. I ran 85 miles (136 km) in the same time it took me to run 55 miles (88 km) last year.
“My longest day was my last day. I ran the final 85 miles (136 km) in 27 hours with 27,000 feet (8,230 metres) of vertical gain and technical terrain.”
Morgan says he still feels he has unfinished business on the Appalachian Trail, and has his sights set on the overall record of 41 days on the northbound route.
“This has made me want to return next year and see if I can get the northbound overall record. We’ll see. It’s still early days and I know I can keep on improving.”
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