Karel Sabbe and Jenny Hoffman win FKT of the Year
Two transcontinental efforts received the honours for 2023's top FKT
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On Jan. 5, two incredible athletes were named recipients of the FKT of the Year award by the fastestknowntime.com website for breaking barriers in individual pursuits in 2023. Among the 55 nominees, American Jenny Hoffman’s transcontinental run across the U.S. and Karel Sabbe of Belgium’s new FKT on the Pacific Crest Trail stood out as the pinnacles.
Our 2023 FKT of the Year goes to… Jenny Hoffman for the TransCon USA and Karel Sabbe for the Pacific Crest Trail!! Listen to them on the latest FKT podcast to hear about their thoughts on this tremendous accomplishment! https://t.co/Fo3Lo70lem pic.twitter.com/hFjzjggH0z
— Fastest Known Time (@FastestKnown) January 5, 2024
Female winner: Jenny Hoffman (U.S. transcontinental run)
Hoffman, a 45-year-old mother of three and a Harvard University physics professor from Cambridge, Mass., etched her name in U.S. distance running history with her record-setting transcontinental run. Hoffman covered an astounding 3,037 miles (4,888 kilometres) from San Francisco to New York City between September and October. She completed the journey in a mere 47 days, 12 hours, and 35 minutes. Her feat was seven days faster than the previous women’s record, and just five days shy of the overall record set by Pete Kostelnick in 2016.
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Hoffman’s detailed planning allowed her to average almost 100 kilometres a day, surpassing her two previous attempts. Despite setbacks in 2019 and 2022 due to knee and hamstring injuries, she took another shot at her goal, and her perseverance prevailed. Reflecting on her journey, Hoffman wrote, “This has been decades in the making, fueled by gratitude for the beauty of this country and the freedom it affords to dream big, work hard, and achieve audacious goals.”
Male winner: Karel Sabbe (Pacific Crest Trail)
Sabbe’s achievements in 2023 were nothing short of amazing. The Belgian dentist and ultrarunner known for conquering the Barkley Marathons in March added another impressive accolade to his name with his speed record on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Sabbe completed the 4,270 km (2,653 miles) trek from the U.S. border with Mexico to the Canadian border in Manning Park, B.C., in just 46 days, 12 hours and 50 minutes, smashing the previous mark held by ultrarunner Timothy Olson from 2021 by five days.
The Pacific Crest Trail is renowned for its challenging mountain terrain in California, Oregon, and Washington, and its FKT stands as one of the most prized achievements in ultrarunning and hiking. Sabbe previously held the PCT FKT from 2016 to 2021 until it was broken by Olson in 2021.
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Sabbe now holds two-thirds of the North American “Triple Crown” of thru-hikes, having conquered the Appalachian Trail in 2018 and now reclaiming the PCT in 2023. He is the only runner to hold both the PCT and Appalachian Trail speed records simultaneously. The only FKT of the Triple Crown that Sabbe is missing is the Continental Divide Trail (CDT), which is currently held by American Brendan Hickman.
These Canadians are nominated for FKT (Fastest Known Time) of the Year
Three Canadian women were among the 28 female nominees for the award. Ontario’s Chantel Demers was nominated for her new FKT on the Caledon Hills portion of Ontario’s Bruce Trail, while Squamish, B.C., duo Jenny Abegg and Sarah Hart were nominated for their FKT on Mount Tantalus near Squamish. Neither effort was named a finalist.
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