8/10/2023 0 Comments Backbone trail fkt![]() It’s run the way it was established: East to West. Before that, Chris Price had it for a little bit but he ran it the “wrong way”: West to East, which is less vert and ignores the historical significance of the trail. The current FKT stood at 12 hours nine minutes, set by Mark Hartell back in 2012. “Yeah….” Jeff said casually, “I’m just trying to finish in the daylight. Somehow I don’t think I really wanted to know the answer. I had been wanting to ask him this from the first moment we started chatting but I had held off. “You trying to go under the FKT today?” I asked. He basically invented drilling screws into your shoes for running on snow and ice, making anyone who purchased “running crampons” feel like a total moron. I was just trying to soak in all of the wisdom I could from a guy who is 45 years old and still crushing 100 milers in big mountains (he finished just behind Kilian at Hardrock last year), has consistently shown an ability to be competitive and run an exceptional smart race from start to finish (regardless of what is happening at the front of the pack). I was in 17th at Forest Hill last year at Western.”Īnd we all know how that turned out. ![]() If I can just run nine minute pace, I’m picking people off. I like to make sure I can run the last 50k of a 100. Once the wheels fall off, they ain’t going back on. We’re going out pretty hot right now,” Jeff said glancing back at me with slightly raised eyebrows. “Would you go out this hard in a 100 typically?” I asked. I glanced down at my watch as we approached the top of the Will Rogers trail: we had been averaging just over eight minute per mile pace for the first seven miles, which had over two thousand feet of vertical gain and no relief– maybe 10 cumulative feet of descent. We were hammering hard uphill, climbing away from Will Rogers State Park en route to Trippet Ranch in the heart of Topanga. It was only 7:15am but it was already getting hot. “I think you can run year-round if you stay in that 70-80 mile range.” Jeff said. Not only was I running with Jeff Browning (in the lead of a race) but he– one of the most successful, competitive, smart ultrarunners in the world– was dropping knowledge on me like a professor. I think it was right around this point, when I heard Jeff casually referred to Anton Krupicka as “Tony” during a conversation he was having with me that I started to realize how lucky I was in the present moment. There’s a place for a 100 mile week in a training plan. “If you look at anyone who’s had any longevity in this sport– like me or Meltzer– we’re consistently putting in 70-80 mile weeks. One hundred and forty, one hundred and sixty mile weeks, one after another.” “Have you seen that dude’s Strava?” Jeff asked. My head snapped back toward the trail and Jeff, away from Sullivan Canyon, slowly being awoken by the soft morning light. “Within five years, Walmsley will be out of the sport.” My ears perked as the musing from Jeff Browning came floating over his shoulder. While I think I did an accurate job remembering what was said and how it was said, we were running (fast) up a mountain at the time. Author’s Note: All Jeff Browning quotes are reconstructed from memory.
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