Joe McConaughy, Appalachian Trail Speed Record, legit??

Yes

Just asking..... wrote:

Joe McConaughy, Appalachian Trail Speed Record, legit??

Is this legit?

https://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/meet-the-man-who-just-destroyed-the-appalachian-trail-speed-record?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=Social&utm_term=1062530322&utm_campaign=Runner%E2%80%99s+World

None of these records are legit.

Unless there is impartial monitoring of the entire attempt, it's all hearsay.

Just shows you ultras are about youth. And "old, cagey" runner will never trump a young, hungry, and fit runner.

This Lake Sonoma result points to legit fitness.

Yeah I have to believe this was legit, he was a decent 3:52ish 1500 runner in college. No funky stuff here, previous results seem to indicate he would be capable of something like this.

48 miles a day average? 25 pound pack?

I have no doubt this is legit based on his previous experience. As great of endurance runners Jurek and Meltzer are, a young guy in his prime with as much or more trail experience should be able to take down their records.

Congratulations to all three. That is an epic feat.

UltraHack wrote:

This Lake Sonoma result points to legit fitness.

I just watched this:

Just a week before Lake Sonoma, he was 2nd behind Walmsley at the halfway point of the Gorge Waterfalls 100K (sub 4:00 vs. 4:12 at halfway), before fading to 5th. Good results for back to back weekends. Maybe another Wardian type?

It shouldn't be a surprise that someone young and faster than Jurek and Meltzer now would be more capable than the middle-aged dudes at such a long hike. My body was best at recovery was when I was young.

Damn, Walmsley is just another level runner in these things. He's a damn deer with world class form and elasticity in stride.

Wut? wrote:

48 miles a day average? 25 pound pack?

The unsupported part makes it nearly unbelievable unless the record was weak.

Highly recommend giving this a watch as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoaMlE3WDTs

Lol nobody cares about that stuff.

Being the "fastest" to cover the AT or run around the Grand Canyon .. whatever.

It's like being the smartest kid in special ed.

Lol nobody cares about that stuff.

Being the "fastest" to cover the AT or run around the Grand Canyon .. whatever.

It's like being the smartest kid in special ed.

Amazing how so many letsrunners don't "get" ultrarunning. Talk about blinders on. LOTS of people care about it, just not you. It's a burgeoning sport, and the fastest-growing sector of the racing scene in the running world these days by far. Meanwhile elite track is struggling. And the other thing is it's not all about the times and performances. The biggest part of the appeal is about being out in nature vs. running around in circles on a flat, barren track or on concrete roads or sidewalks in the urban jungle.

I used to be all about elite track, and I still follow it with interest. But I've grown to have just as much interest in ultra and trail-running, even though I don't do it myself. Why? Because there are many more events and racers to follow, for one thing. Elite-level track and road-racing are very constricted at the top with very little room for anyone because there are so few events. The playing field in ultras/trails is much larger.

In ultra/trail-running, the competitors also tend to have more personality, or at least they seem to let it hang out more. Basically, track is more one-dimensional, ultra/trail-running more multi-dimensional. And these days, the GoPro-type cameras can really capture the experience of what it's like running out on the trails, so you can live it a bit vicariously. Being stuck in a big metro area, I for one appreciate that.

Liking and following track vs. ultras doesn't have to be an either/or thing, or one vs. the other, one better than the other, etc. They're just different. Try looking around a little bit with an open mind.[quote]NotPC wrote:

NotPC wrote:

Lol nobody cares about that stuff.

Being the "fastest" to cover the AT or run around the Grand Canyon .. whatever.

It's like being the smartest kid in special ed.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I think it is a very fair question to ask whether or not this record is legitimate. Scott Jurek and Karl Meltzer, while not world class runners, are both legends in US ultra running. For Joe McConaughty to not only beat both of them, but to beat them without any outside support and carrying a 10 plus pound pack is quite shocking. The reality is that it would be incredibly easy to cheat during this type of event that goes on for two months. Supposedly Joe shared his live GPS data from SPOT with Peter Bakwin from the FKT boad, but I did not like that he only shared instagram posts on his progress several days after he passed through. It would be super easy to, for example, have a buddy or two hike instead of you on occassion or on a semi-regular basis. Taking a couple mornings or nights off makes the endeavor much, much easier. Pete Kostelnick, when he set the record for running across the country, welcomed people to come run with him. Just imagine trying to run a marathon with a 15 pound pack? Imagine doing that 1,000 times in a row. Sure, Galen Rupp is not going to beat Kipchoge in a marathon, but strap 15 pounds on Kipchoge's back and dozens of Americans could beat him in a marathon. I am not saying Jurek and Meltzer are Kipchoge - or that Joe McConaughty is Rupp - but I am having trouble wrapping my head around how McConaughty could have maintained the claimed speeds completely unsupported.

I was very briefly on the Bartram Trail in NC recently, near the Appalachian Trail. It was killer steep and wild. 1/2 million feet of elevation gain.

hearsay?

Hard to argue with a Spot Tracker that's on 24-7 tracking your GPS location to the nearest 6 feet.

....Are you serious?

Spot tracker data is very easy to fake. Have a buddy carry "your" spot tracker. The spot tracker data was not widely shared during his attempt that I am aware of, and he purposely did not post to instagram until several days after he passed through. Honestly, I have no idea whether or not this record is legit and I don't think anyone but Joe does either. But, Scott Jurek and Meltzer and many others have put in very solid running efforts on the trail. Hiking with a (relatively) heavy pack unsupported and beating these talented distance runners makes me at least a bit skeptical.