These Canadians are nominated for FKT (Fastest Known Time) of the Year
Ontario's Chantel Demers, and B.C. duo Jenny Abegg and Sarah Hart have been nominated for FKT of the year
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Sarah Hart
In the realm of endurance and outdoor adventures, the concept of “Fastest Known Time” (FKT) has gained significant traction. An FKT represents the fastest recorded time that an individual or pair of people have completed a specific route or trail, showcasing unparalleled athleticism and determination. The fastestknowntime.com website has just announced the 2023 nominees for its FKT of the Year award, and the list includes Ontario’s Chantel Demers and a B.C. duo, Jenny Abegg and Sarah Hart.
Demers conquers Caledon Hills (Bruce Trail, Ont.)
In May, Demers was able to add the Caledon Hills section (71 km in 9 hours, 21 minutes, unsupported) of Ontario’s Bruce Trail to her rapidly growing list of FKTs. Demers has more than 20 FKTs to her name and held the entire Bruce Trail FKT (supported) for four years after running the nearly 900-km route in 12 days in 2017. The experienced adventurer ran the nominated Caledon Hills section of the Bruce Trail as part of her quest to FKT all nine sections of the trail this year.
This Caledon Hills trail is described on the FKT website as “an approximately 70 km section of the 890 km long Bruce Trail, starting at the end of the Toronto section in the Cheltenham Badlands, and climbing up to Mono Mills. The trail has significant climbs and great views. These provincial parks are connected with trails through wooded forests, meadows and alongside gravel country roads through the rolling hills of Caledon.” The trek has 1,681 metres of elevation gain throughout, and Demers is the only woman to have run it unsupported.
Demers managed to check off unsupported FKTs on each section of the Bruce Trail between March and September. She completed the first section, Queenstown to Grimsby (79-km in 11:43) on March 9, the Iroquoia section on April 10 (144 km in 19:47), the Toronto section on April 23 (49 km in 6:07), the Caledon section on May 6 (71 km in 9:21), the Dufferin section on June 17 (54 km in 7:28), the Blue Mountains section on June 30 (67 km in 10:04), the Beaver Valley section in July 15 (114 km in 19:41) and the Sydenham section on Aug. 12 and 13 (170km in 34:55) before completing the final Peninsula section in early September.
Jenny Abegg and Sarah Hart tackle Mt. Tantalus traverse (Squamish, B.C.)
Abegg and Hart are nominated for an FKT on Mt. Tantalus, a 42.3 km trek with 3,657.6 metres of elevation. The pair completed the traverse in early July, in 12h, 39m, 20s, and bested their own FKT on the route from 2019, when they made it in 14h, 38m, 38s.
Squamish ultrarunner Nick Elson, who holds the FKT (along with Eric Carter) on the men’s side, describes the traverse: “Tantalus is a rugged, glaciated peak clearly visible from the highway between Squamish and Whistler. Approaching on foot means starting essentially at sea level and so many ascents begin with the assistance of a helicopter,” he says.”The route is a traverse of Mt. Tantalus, starting from the Sigurd Creek trailhead and finishing at the cable car at the Lake Lovelywater trailhead. Difficulties to low 5th class, with some rappels and glacier travel required.”
“I love being in the mountains with Jenny more than anyone, and she graciously joined me so we could have one last Hail Mary attempt,” Hart shared on Instagram. “We managed to solidify our geriatric names in the record books a little longer, besting our previous record by almost 2 hrs.”
The FKT team will be casting their votes to determine who the top five FKTs are and will announce them in January. Fellow FKT nominees include Belgian athlete Karel Sabbe’s Pacific Crest Trail FKT, French ultrarunner Claire Bannwarth‘s FKT on the Colorado Trail, and American runner Jason Hardrath‘s Rocky Mountain Slam. Read more about the nominees here.
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