A light rain woke me up, and I began my 2nd day in the pitch black night, well before the first hints of morning began. With my heavy thru-hiker’s pack, I had walked down to the fish hatchery and given the challenge everything I had. I was completely out of food. I passed Blanks Cabin and turned a full 360, putting myself back into 2018 when I finished Nolans 14 in 59 hours as part of the Great Western Loop. Bikes again commandeered the trail all the way up to the first ridge. The FKT movement has become increasingly popular as GPS tracking technology has become a trend to record fast individual efforts of trail runners, fastpackers and mountaineers. I remained optimistic. Colorado native Jeff Garmire has set a new record for the fastest time ever to complete an unsupported hike along the Colorado Trail. Overcoming them taught patience and mental toughness. The rain was minimal, but the threat of lightning was constant. “It was a critical point, because I knew I had finally made up the distance I had lost, but it cost precious time,” he said. First I dropped down to Animas River and crossed the railroad tracks. I enjoy the task, challenge, and mental oscillation of highs and lows, but not the physical measuring of when the challenge will be over. The last time I spent any amount of time in Colorado was when I lived in Denver after college. The trail had immediately become so difficult. It would have been an awesome strategy had it worked, but it only seemed to make me more tired as my body attempted to digest the heavy peanut butter. For two years I have considered doing the Colorado Trail, but always came back to the question: How would I make this experience different? I had every intention of trying to push all the way to Twin Lakes. It was a smooth morning, but after I crossed over County Road 306, the dread of a hot climb encompassed me. Truhe, who had been running well up to that point, developed painful shin splints that ultimately caused him to drop that night from the attempt. My stomach turned and I was dry heaving every few feet. Garmire, 28, crossed the finish line the next day in 9 days, 8 hours and 18 minutes, breaking the trail record by about five hours. Peter Jones is author of "The Best Front Range Trail Runs" (CMC Press, 2014) and co-author of the annual Boulder Running Journal. But starting early on the morning of Aug. 26, Williams and his friend Eric Truhe set off to try and run the trail in under 8 days and 7 hours, the previous fastest known time record set by ultrarunner Scott Jaime in 2013. I exited the meadow and eventually the wilderness, only to begin the longest night of my hiking life. I tried headphones and loud music, but that only frustrated me. My pace quickened across the open expanse and I finally crossed Spring Creek Pass. It was worthy of a picture and a few moments of observance. Nine days, eight hours, and 18 minutes. It reminded me of the summer of 2015 where I had spent my weekends climbing every 14,000’ peak in Colorado. I saw multiple hikers heading southbound on their way up to the high point while I dropped down to the open grassland plateau that seemed to stretch forever. Being successful allowed my mind to wander to even more ridiculous and painful challenges. It was over. It was a smooth trail, through cowlands of rolling hills and crisscrossed with dirt roads. But, any hopes of breaking nine days were slowly slipping away. They all wanted a picture of me and I obliged. However, The Trailside Databook is a must-have for a breakdown of each segment with mileages and elevations. I would not be drinking again until the South Platte River. The giant bright moon sat just above the opposite ridge, and lit up the landscape more completely than my headlamp could. How could we film this record while staying within the boundaries of an unsupported attempt? I would feel better for twenty minutes before starting the pattern over. I eventually had the trail to myself again. It was strange walking through a series of houses shortly after walking across the Tenmile Range. But I had somehow never done the Colorado Trail. BOZEMAN — Some people enjoy hiking in their free time by doing a few miles here and a few miles there, but one Bozeman resident broke the Colorado Trail record hiking more than 50 miles a day. My mistake was allowing myself to think it would be a clear night. Shortly after moving to a new city, I spent weekend after weekend climbing peaks instead of visiting bars and trying to make friends or meet girls. It was almost 3 years to the day since I ran the amazing route, and now I was on yet another unique challenge. The frustration and anxiety of the slow climb coupled with the heat led to irritation. “But once we started, he turned it on and he was incredible. Thin, clear frozen sheets clung to all sides and rested on the shell of the tarp I used as a groundsheet. “But really, it was an amazing experience, and I just want people to realize that they are capable of so much more. DENVER — Nine days, 8 hours and 18 minutes: That’s how quickly Jeff Garmire hiked the 486-mile Colorado Trail from Durango to Denver last week — a record time. The excitement of the trail disappeared quickly, leaving only the realization of the uncomfortable weight on my back and the difficult climb underfoot. The first miles of the day leave only traces in my memory. The scenery is dark, with only a faint moonlight and my mind has not fully snapped to attention. My day lasted only long enough to eclipse the 100 mile mark. A stone’s throw from the water, the trail turned straight east toward the dam. It had been the most unique challenge I had ever undertaken. The list of climbs and traverses range from Boulder’s beloved Mount Sanitas, a brief-but-brutal lung-buster that climbs 1,300 feet over just 1.4 miles, to the state’s highest peak, the 14,440-foot Mount Elbert. Eventually crawling out of the bag was an awful commitment to the cold at altitude. It is the area I know best of any in the entire United States, so I wanted to find a different way to experience the CT. At first I considered a self-supported FKT, caching food along the route. My mind and body were thoroughly exhausted. Colorado Trail Info: For the most part, the Colorado Trail is very well marked. A University of New Mexico graduate student has shattered the fastest known time for a self-supported hike by a female on the 485-mile Colorado Trail. Most people who set out to cover the entire Colorado Trail route take two to three weeks, carrying heavy backpacks full of gear and food. Bryan Williams and Scott Jaime, holder of the pervious fastest known time on the Colorado Trail, share a moment on the final day of running. The weather was perfect, but only because the shade of the trees cooled the trail. When I was clad in all my layers, I stuffed the frozen sleeping bag and tarp in the outside mesh of my bag and started slogging up the ridge. I spent my first summer in the Mile High City climbing all 58 14ers in the state. I met new hikers and recognized others out on the Collegiate Loop from past thru hikes. It was a gentle trail and a nice reprieve from the bustling traffic even in the early morning along the roads. I blew through Kennebec Pass around mile 21 and the weather looked like it would cooperate. I quickly moved on and entered Lost Creek Wilderness. The whole time dropping down from the 12,400’ saddle in the mountain range I could see the trail switchbacking up the far side of the valley. I could only imagine the cold at 13,000’. But things didn’t go right, from the very first day all the way until the last day. A short time after the crossing I tossed my sleeping bag out on top of the soft pine needles and slept. My sleeping bag was just thrown out under the stars and I passed out. The later the morning grew the more gentle the storm became. A climb that took all my stamina and motivation to endure. Breathing the dry air with a hint of smoke along with the altitude set my stomach against me. Scott Jaime, the previous record-holder, who had been following Williams’ progress, showed up at Kenosha Pass and ran a leg with him, giving a lot of positive encouragement. I huffed and puffed and felt like each step was the last I could take. Colorado Trail Record (FKT) Trip Report. But I made it there and quickly walked the bike path to the Blue River to refill my bottles. My pack was uncomfortably heavy, but my body still felt fresh. After 16 hours of pushing on day five, Williams was bonking hard, uncontrollably sobbing, seeing faces in the rocks of the endless talus fields; he was ready to give up, to call it quits. When I checked my progress in the morning I saw that it took 13 hours to cover 22 miles. Every crooked limb on a tree or downed log immediately became a limb of a walking night creature. After my second nap of the darkness, the daily push began at 4am. The night went surprisingly smoothly. I loved my time out there. The night was crisp, but much better than the range of weather I had experienced throughout the first 36 hours. I filled up water from Lujan Creek before finally climbing into the mountains and away from the questionable water sources. But now that I had, I could only focus on how tired my legs were and absent my mind felt throughout the day. The time between my two naps in the dark was always my slowest moving period, and on this night it was no different. After the sole moment of weakness on the climb and a handful of chocolate coconut covered almonds, I finished out the climb strong. I so badly wanted to make it to Twin Lakes, but being many hours short, I put any planning out of my mind. It would have to wait for a lower elevation to consume. I had seen this fictional safari guide multiple times over the last few days and I could never decide if he was spying on me or simply observing me. The last time I spent any amount of time in Colorado was when I lived in Denver after college. Waterton Canyon was hot and heat glistened off the gravel. He was so determined, so humble, so consistent.” Finally things started to click, and Williams, who sometimes calls himself “Buffalo Wild Wing” began to motor along the trail. This was the last 150 miles, and it was time to ignore every temptation to slow down. I would not make phone calls to anyone throughout the attempt. “The only thing I have control over, I kept thinking, was eating and moving, so I started eating and eating, taking time at the creek crossings to cool down, and just really appreciating where I was, my crew, my daughter, my girlfriend,” he recalled. Its highest point is 13,271 feet (4,045 m) above sea level, and most of the trail is above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). “Our goal was to try and run the entire trail in one push, to just see if we could run for 500 miles,” Williams said a few days after finishing, “but in the back of our minds, we thought, if we can do it right, if things go right, we might have a chance at breaking the record.”. I wanted to finish so bad but with miles still remaining I turned my legs to autopilot and tried to maintain steady progress. I was surprised by my own power and fueled by the excitement to start this record on the right foot with such a big day. On September 21, Mike McKnight set a new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) on the Colorado Trail while traveling west to east and by using the trail’s Collegiate East variation. It was soon nothing more than a socked-in ridge which was reminiscent of growing up in the Pacific Northwest. The 7 hours of sleep my body received seemed to pay off. But then a disturbance to my left stopped me and I saw a giant bull moose shaking his head in the bushes. My comfort level returned and I walked through the fog. A short climb into rattling aspen trees and I was back into the woods. The last of the light faded on the final climb. It was the perfect excuse to take a minute and we began to converse. “The mood was kind of sour.”, Things didn’t improve on day four, as they once again started on the trail late. The previous record-holder on both counts was Democrat Michael Bennet, who won a second full term in the U.S. Senate in 2016 with 1,370,710 votes. I hiked through the last dark hours before morning, never eclipsing 3 miles per hour. That compulsive challenge was a large part of what led me to FKTs. They roamed around me, taking on their shape through the bright moonlight. Every thirty minutes I had to sit and rest. My pace slowed to a crawl and my mind and body fought over the desire to keep pushing versus the need for sleep. It was the heat of the day and I tried to find small bits of shade to complete my sporadic dry heaving. Griswold, incidentally, has the record for most votes received by a Colorado woman, with 1,116,693 in the 2018 election. It was the perfect storm to keep myself in position to be successful. Hikers  were everywhere at the pass. By the end of the first night Williams and Truhe were already several hours behind schedule. I feared my body would fall apart even faster in this final push. Copper Mountain Ski Resort felt within reach. I could not increase that already daunting mileage in this unsupported style. The hikers at the water source did not hold me up, but also had enough questions to make my time there eventful. We said our goodbyes and I charged on, newly rejuvenated after blowing someone’s mind! I strode down the hill, quickly losing all the altitude I had worked so hard to gain. Finally, after 20 hours of running Williams arrived at Winfield. It was frustrating, especially in the intermittent periods of rain that came and went as quickly as I could pull on my rain gear. At the top of the climb I had 13 miles left and the day was growing hot. I ate one of my best snacks: coconut chocolate covered almonds and considered it motivation enough to keep pushing. “I thought to myself, I’ve been training for 400 miles to run a 100-mile race, and I have 29 hours to do it,” he said. The 14,000 foot peaks provided both a goal and 58 individual challenges. I went from inspired at Kenosha Pass to simply ready to be done. The crossing of Highway 285 would leave about 72 miles remaining and I knew my body and mind could endure anything for that distance. The 14,000 foot peaks provided both a goal and 58 individual challenges. It took until 2am, but I successfully made up all the miles I had slept through earlier in the morning. The trees were peering at me, and with the bright moon, any irregularity in their bark looked like an eye. The last third had become a battle of desire and feasibility. I would dry the icy mess out later. On day seven, the last day, Bryan still had 89 miles to run in just under 29 hours if he wanted to break the record. It was the first challenge where I truly considered what I had gotten myself into. I was over 300 miles in, and it finally felt like a morning on autopilot where the target pace could be achieved. More plateau grassland awaited at 12,000’ but I had to coax my tired legs to carry me there. Within 11 hours I had covered almost 43 miles and it was still broad daylight. I pulled my hood on and charged forward. The trail first traveled through a small subdivision. I held a meeting with the crew the day before departing, and drew some hard boundaries. The emotions were intense and the challenges both internal and external were not what I expected but exactly the type I had hoped for. It reminded me of my FKT on Cerro Chirripo in Costa Rica. In the unsupported style it did not feel like the correct thing to do. On day two, my hands had been so cold that I wanted to throw up. Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. How would I complete this trail? “By the second day we had lost serious time, we ran out of water, we were seriously dehydrated, and just falling behind,” Willams said. My choice for Collegiate East came down to time and mileage. Slowly after the crest, my route dropped down to Clear Creek Road. I hoped to experience some form of active rest while meandering along the smooth 12,000’ trail. Then, that night they stopped 7 miles short of their goal. The intersection of 390A out of Winfield and the Colorado Trail on the morning of the sixth day; Bryan (in front) being paced by previous CT record holder Scott Jaime on the final day; Early morning on the third day atop Carson Pass, the highest point on the Colorado Trail. The Trail – The Colorado Trail a continuous, narrow path from Denver to Durango for hiking, horseback, and bicycling. I dropped lower and joined the road. The tallest mountain in the country has a marker for every kilometer on the out and back route. Princeton and finally joined a trail. From that trailhead, the trail parallels the road up to Avalanche Trailhead. It turns out that wearing a tiger striped pack and a sweatshirt with a tiger face on it are not the most inconspicuous for going after an FKT. I followed Elk Ridge and finally crossed Searle Pass. I moved at over 3.5 miles per hour despite feeling like I was leisurely walking… but it would soon catch up to me. I crossed Chalk Creek Trailhead and began the long road walk by Princeton Hot Springs. It would signal the final segment and within a half day of joining a well-used portion of the Colorado Trail that my body could relax and lean into for more comfortable miles. It was the beginning of the progression to what led me here. I was out of water, but as I walked through a fire station that I knew gave out water I put any thought of using a man made source out of my mind. But Eric really encouraged me to keep going, and I was feeling good, my knees had stopped hurting, so I kept going.”. When he finished running his first mile, he signed up for his first marathon. The parking lot was full and both sides of the highway were packed. I saw multiple hikers in this area and it seemed the tale of the man wearing a tiger sweatshirt had traveled. I had been this deep into hallucinations four times before, so I was never scared, but it felt as though I were starring in a movie that I knew wasn’t actually happening. I tried to move one foot in front of the other robotically, but even trying to distance myself from the sustained effort of a tired mind driving a worn-out body did not work for long. That's how long it took Jeff Garmire to cover 485 miles from Durango to Denver on the Colorado Trail, shattering the previous speed record by more than four hours.. Garmire ran the entire length of the trail unsupported carrying … The climb topped out at 11,847’ before yet another descent down to Pine Creek and shooting right back up to the top of the mountains. My pace jumped to 4 miles per hour, which in most cases would be unsustainable for hours on end with a heavy pack. I would be introduced to the Collegiate Wilderness and a visit to the alpine once again. The miles that lay before me felt and the miles behind felt miniscule. The weather stayed in the 30’s and I shivered uncontrollably on the exposed terrain around Molas Pass. I have spent time in every town along the trail, and throughout my adventures I’d already hiked over 90% of its length. So many things went w, This error message is only visible to WordPress admins, Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) Thru Hike Blog (2014), Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) Pictures (2014), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Thru Hike Blog (2011). It was foreshadowing for the direction my life would take. Mikaela Osler’s goal was to finish the Colorado Trail in a record 14 days. First I passed trailheads leading to the top of Colorado: Mt. It provided the opportunity to disappear into my own mind. I felt almost a fake satisfaction that the heavy weight I was carrying would not slow down my pace. But starting early on the morning of Aug. 26, Williams and his friend Eric Truhe set off to try and run the trail in under 8 days and 7 hours, the previous fastest known time record set by ultrarunner Scott Jaime in 2013. The fact that it was so hard is the same fact that made it so appealing. At Stony Pass Road, the weather calmed a bit and I saw multiple hikers camped in semi-protected spots. Summer of 2020 might just become known as the summer of F.K.T’s (fastest known times). On the groomed trails of the resort they were everywhere, with no regard for hikers. At the very least, with my new energy I could be there in the early morning. I would not help them locate me on the trail, or have any idea about their timing and plans. But as I climbed up Blackhawk Pass around Mile 46, my body began to scream “No More!” I desperately wanted (and needed) to get over 50 miles. Veteran adventurer and trail runner Peter Bakwin of Boulder, Colo., started and maintains the website Fastest Known Time as an unofficial record keeper for FKTs and attempts. Colorado native broke the record for the fastest solo unsupported hike. In a sleep-craving mind, my thoughts did somersaults with the juxtaposition of where I had been and where I was now. If I could maintain a keen alertness for mountain bikes approaching, I could let my head swivel and absorb the majesty of the ridgeline.. It was a beautiful sight, with just enough cloud cover to offer texture to the sky, and allow the sun to perfectly reflect off the river and the surrounding peaks. Still early in the adventure, I reminded myself: this is Colorado and the sun will be out again before I know it. With races canceled, runners, distance hikers, and cyclists have been charging hard and breaking records left and right. Upon waking up, I knew the beginning of my day would be tame, so my pace was fast. I passed a father and daughter, at which point the daughter made sure to warn me how long the meadow was. I would have had a simple climb had I not dwelled on the ascent for the hour leading up to it. Every mile my hands fell to my knees for a session of dry heaving. I could listen peacefully to nature and subject my mind to growing figments of my imagination. Each day I felt so good getting through the first 30 miles, but the last 20 felt harder each day that went by. I used most of my water flavoring on this day to counteract the cow-manure laden streams and troughs that I depended on for water. It is like losing a relationship you tried so hard to maintain. The 14,000 foot peaks provided both a goal and 58 individual challenges. Each would be about 45 minutes long, with 15 minutes of downtime on each side to collect myself. I crossed Marshall Pass Road and climbed back up to the Divide. It is still one the things that amazes me most about my past. 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