Fastest known time
A Fastest Known Time (FKT) is the speed record for a running, hiking or cycling route.{{Cite web|title=Alone In The Wild: Long-Distance Endurance Runs Gain Popularity During The Pandemic|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/07/24/895191877/alone-in-the-wild-long-distance-endurance-runs-gain-popularity-during-the-pandem|access-date=2021-06-22|website=NPR.org|language=en}} Unlike most endurance sports competitions such as marathon world records, FKTs are self-organized and done alone or in small groups.{{Cite web|last=Wiederkehr|first=Anna|date=2020-07-20|title=Canceled Races Aren't Stopping Endurance Athletes From Setting Wild New Records|url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/canceled-races-arent-stopping-endurance-athletes-from-setting-wild-new-records/|access-date=2021-06-22|website=FiveThirtyEight|language=en-US}} FKTs are most popular on long trails suitable for thru-hiking or ultramarathon trail running such as the Appalachian Trail,{{Cite book|last=Jurek|first=Scott|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WVoRDgAAQBAJ|title=North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail|date=2018-04-10|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=978-0-316-43378-5|language=en}} the Pennine Way,{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/604c406b-af53-4930-94f8-f2ee33cdffca |work=Financial Times |title=The race for the 'fastest known time' |date=March 3, 2021}} and the John Muir Trail.{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/sports/a-real-adventure-sorting-out-all-the-fkts-fastest-known-times.html?_r=0 |work=The New York Times |date=August 8, 2015 |title=A Real Adventure: Sorting Out All the F.K.T.s (Fastest Known Times)}}
History
Informal, unverified speed records have long existed on named trails, but the invention of handheld GPS devices, such as GPS watches or personal locator beacons, made it significantly easier and more reliable to collect and compare fastest times on a route even in the backcountry. The modern FKT movement has been cataloged on a tracking website, fastestknowntime.com, founded by outdoor enthusiasts Pete Bakwin and Buzz Burrell, who coined the term "FKT" in the year 2000.{{Cite news|date=October 21, 2017|title=26 hours to race up Mt. Everest? It's part of a new running trend of 'Fastest Known Time.'|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/26-hours-to-race-up-mt-everest-its-part-of-a-new-running-trend-of-fastest-known-time/2017/10/20/63530928-7ece-11e7-a669-b400c5c7e1cc_story.html}}
FKT popularity increased most recently due to trail races being cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.{{citation |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/2415877/fastest-known-times-pandemic-boom |title=The Enduring Appeal of the Fastest Known Time |work=Outside |date=August 1, 2020 }} While there is no governing body for certifying FKTs, the site acts as an informal arbiter, sometimes requiring additional certification like photographs and pre-announcing your intent to attempt a record.
In March 2022, FastestKnownTime.com was sold to Outside Inc., the parent company of Outside magazine and other outdoor media companies.{{Cite news |last= |date=2022-03-16 |title=Outside Inc. Acquires Sports Database Fastest Known Time |language= |work=Outside Online |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/business-journal/brands/outside-inc-acquires-sports-database-fastest-known-time/ |access-date=2022-12-12}}
FKT categories
FastestKnownTime.com tracks records in three styles:{{Cite web|title=FKT Guidelines|url=https://fastestknowntime.com/guidelines|access-date=2021-07-29|website=fastestknowntime.com|language=en}}
- "Unsupported" athletes must carry all of their supplies except for water from naturally occurring sources.
- "Self-supported" athletes are allowed any support that is equally available to all people. For example, sleeping at a hotel is allowed, but sleeping at a friend's house is not.
- "Supported" athletes are allowed support of any kind except physical assistance in moving.
See also
== References==
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External links
- [https://fastestknowntime.com fastestknowntime.com], the canonical list of FKTs
Category:World record databases
Category:Long-distance running
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