Ultimate Direction, a hydration and wearable gear brand, in association with UltraRunning Magazine, revealed the results of the Fastest Known Time Of The Year Awards 2016 (FKTOY).
The men’s competition was won by Pete Kostelnick for his Trans America FKT, where he broke a 36-year-old record by four days.
Ultimate Direction ambassador Heather Anderson won the women’s award for establishing a self-supported record on a long trail, this time on the Arizona Trail, where her time was two days faster than the men’s self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT).
The concept of FKT was created by renowned running adventurists Peter Bakwin and Ultimate Direction’s Brand Vice President Buzz Burrell. The yearly competition was established to celebrate core qualities such as personal vision, creativity and determination.
Candidates are judged by a jury of their peers – consisting of 21 knowledgeable and experienced runners from as wide a demographic as possible in terms of gender, age and location.
Burrell said, “Runners all over the world now understand and use the term, and may expend more effort going for a FKT than for a race. In 2016, some notable FKT’s received more publicity than the winners of the biggest ultra races. There will never be objective parameters for FKTs, instead we have a list of amazing achievements that sprang from the inspired hearts, minds, and bodies of individuals, and we have the opportunity to learn and be inspired by them.”
Karl Hoagland, publisher of UltraRunning Magazine, said, “We thought it was time to recognize the extraordinary feats of human endurance taking place in the FKT corner of our sport, so we went to the creators of the term and curators of the whole concept – Buzz Burrell and Peter Bakwin. The March issue of UltraRunning Magazine will have complete coverage of the FKTOY. As with the Ultra Runner of the Year, recognizing and honoring the best in our sport is a fun and natural part of our coverage. But its most important function is to shine a light on what we all can do, and to inspire everyone to get out there and create their own epic experiences.”
