Ultra runners Tara Dower and Kilian Jornet have been awarded FKT of the year for two feats in 2024 that left the rest of us breathless.
The awards, announced by the Fastest Known Time website on Sunday, acknowledge the most dazzling records set in ultra running over the past year.
In September, Virginia-based Dower hiked and ran the iconic Appalachian Trail in her Altra Mont Blanc BOA running shoes in just 40 days, 18 hours and five minutes, shaving 13.5 hours off Karel Sabbe’s 2018 FKT. Dower used her dash across the AT as an opportunity to raise nearly $100,000 for the non-profit Girls on the Run, which empowers young girls with a running-based curriculum.
"It is surreal to hold #1 FKT of the year," says Dower, who burst onto the trail running scene only a few short years ago.
"I remember in 2021 when I was just a novice in the sport and viewed myself just as a major fan of FKTs and trail running."
Since 2021, Dower has set several FKTs including one on the 567-mile Colorado Trail in 2023 which she completed in eight days. She also placed fourth in last year's Hard Rock 100.
In the same month, Jornet's 2024 FKT took the Spanish runner to new heights when he completed his Alpine Connections project. That adventure saw the Nnormal co-founder trek across all 82 4000m+ peaks of the European Alps in running shoes, skis and on his mountain bike in just 19 days (including a rest day).
Though he's yet to comment on the award, in his end-of-year post on Instagram, Jornet revealed he used this and other endeavors to hold educational programs on environmental sustainability and remove than five tons of waste from natural spaces.
"This year my carbon footprint has decreased from previous years, mostly because I didn’t do any transcontinental travel."
