ETIQUETTE, ETHICS AND FASTEST KNOWN TIMES\u00a0(FKT’s)<\/strong><\/h3>\nMany have looked to me to answer some questions as to what, if any, rules should be adopted when approaching \u201cfastest known times\u201d (FKT)<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0A FKT<\/strong> without more definition is likely to be misleading.\u00a0 For example, vast differences exist between a FKT<\/strong> set by an athlete sporting oxygen and assisted by others, than a solo, self supported, sans oxygen bid.\u00a0 This might be an extreme example, but it serves to illustrate how so much more than \u201ctime\u201d is at stake<\/strong>, especially when recording FKT\u2019s<\/strong>.\u00a0 Degrees of difficulty, much like those seen in Olympic events should be considered, route, style, preceding record(s) taken into account, the condition of being \u201csolo\u201d, level of support or assistance, and documentation including witnesses, among other criterion.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
PRECEDENCE<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Bryce](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Running_below-235x300.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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As a young adult, I was very interested in both running and climbing<\/strong>.\u00a0 The two disciplines intersected when I adopted a rule:\u00a0 \u201cOff the top before noon.\u201d\u00a0 (To avoid uncertain afternoon weather, and be home for dinner!) My times improved as a by-product.\u00a0 A good friend, Kim Miller\u2014a great climber in his own right, let me climb with him, though I was much younger, and taught me a lot about conquering climbing problems such as Red Cross Rock near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.<\/p>\nKim and I often talked about the \u201cgreats\u201d amongst \u201crecord holders\u201d which included the likes of Jock Glidden who held a round trip time of 4:11 covering the old \u201cClimber\u2019s Trail\u201d to the Owen Spaulding climbing route on the Grand Teton, and Alex Lowe for his astounding record of the Grand Traverse.[1]<\/a><\/p>\nOne evening, after Kim and I had been climbing at the City of Rocks, Idaho, we ran into Jock Glidden.\u00a0 I felt a kind of awe in my solar plexus and a bit of speechless stammering coming on.\u00a0 Kim (who knew Jock) said: \u201cHey Jock, this is Bryce Thatcher, he is going to break your record on the Grand!\u201d\u00a0 Jock, took a lazy glance at me and then dismissively snarled: \u201cGood luck, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I will never forget that look.\u00a0 It translated my initial shock of Kim\u2019s announcement into a palpable commitment to do it.\u00a0 And, I did.\u00a0 Twice.\u00a0 The same route, the same style, unassisted, and in keeping with the established fastest known time record on that route.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
DOCUMENTATION, STYLE AND ROUTE<\/strong><\/h3>\nI sought a fastest known time record that was \u201cfair\u201d<\/strong>, and approached it with the same respect one might have for an Olympic event.\u00a0 \u00a0Now, I am often referred to as a \u201cpioneer of mountain running<\/strong>\u201d, but where I was going, Jock had gone before. \u00a0Jock\u2019s original route and style delineated the rules of the run\u2014and set the standard for me.\u00a0 It turns out, Jock had many of the same notions of legitimacy. \u00a0In Jock\u2019s own words:<\/p>\n![\"Establishing](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Profile-300x233.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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\u201cAt the trail head parking lot there was frost on the car windows. I shivered in my shorts and long-sleeved shirt\u2026At 0701 I set off with no food, ice axe or water. Almost naked faith. But I had one advantage: giardia was unknown then. I could drink freely from any available stream.\u00a0 About 1 hour and 40 minutes later I reached the lower saddle. I tried to beg a candy bar from two lads striking camp but they refused, saying that they needed their candy to get down. \u201cThanks a lot, jerks!\u201d I yelled back and disappeared into the boulder field\u2026Soon I was over the scary traverse and up the chimneys but my hands grew very cold. I even jogged up a catwalk or two to the summit. Time so far: 2 hours and 32 minutes.<\/p>\n
A party of two was at the summit register as I arrived.\u00a0 I begged again for candy. This time they pressed more on me than I could eat. My hand felt like a frozen claw as I signed my name to prove I was there. Thus refreshed, I was off again\u2026Guided parties were making their way up the trail by now, requiring me to run around them. Otherwise I took no shortcuts so the contest would be standard and the Park Service would have no grounds for complaint. Friends were at the trail head to witness my finish. My round trip time was 4 hours and 11 minutes\u2026<\/p>\n
Jock took the trail from the parking lot to the lower saddle, then climbed the Owen Spaulding route, solo<\/strong>, unassisted<\/strong>.\u00a0 He took \u201cno shortcuts<\/strong>\u201d and observed Park etiquette<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also traveled self-supported<\/strong>, (though he successfully begged a bit of candy) without ropes and unaided<\/strong>.<\/p>\nJock added:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fall I sent a short account of my speed record to the American Alpine Club journal. It was rejected as being irrelevant to the traditions of American alpinism. Perhaps the editor was right; what I did was neither mountaineering nor running. Yet it was both<\/strong>.\u201d [2]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
TRADITION VS SPEED BASED HYBRID SPORTS ENDEAVORS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nMany of us participate in hybrid \u201csports\u201d that often combine Alpinism or trail running and ultra-running<\/strong> or other disciplines.\u00a0\u00a0 What rules or traditions should apply?\u00a0 The question doesn\u2019t just effect ultra-runners who happen to do some climbing during a run, it also effects climbers who now run in the course of summiting.\u00a0 Traditional Alpinism has not only veered into ultra-running, it, in some ways, had no where else to go.\u00a0 The compelling result is a new generation of athletes like Ueli Steck and Chad Kellogg, challenging Alpine \u201cclassics\u201d around the world. \u00a0A peak as formidable as the Eiger, for example, has been summited, on one route, with a fastest known time (FKT) of\u00a0only 2:47:33<\/strong>. \u00a0Likewise, runners have increasingly expanded the extremity of terrain on which they choose to run.\u00a0 For some time now many clearly\u00a0 delineated ultra-running courses have been staged in mountainous settings that require a skill level well beyond that of road racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SPEED ASCENTS, TRADITION AND <\/strong>PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe ascent history of the Grand Teton is a great place to study this evolution, the goals and ethics involved. \u00a0John Holyoke, and Joseph Hawkes went for a speed record on the Grand on August 17, 1939. \u00a0Holyoke said his purpose in climbing the Grand Teton was \u201csimply to see how fast he and Hawkes could do it<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to set a fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>, but since he had no idea what the fastest ascent to that date had been or who made it, he felt he wasn\u2019t competing \u201cagainst anyone but himself\u201d. \u00a0He wrote in his journal: \u201cTomorrow Joe Hawkes and I will climb the Grand in as short a time as we feel it advisable to do.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Ground](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Hydrating-300x234.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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Hawkes just wanted to \u201cset a standard for a forty-year-old man.\u201d\u00a0 He believed that: \u201cWhile some persons may have misgivings about the esthetics or desirability of attempting to establish mountaineering speed records, I feel that this is a matter better left to the judgment and tastes of each individual.\u201d These \u201cclimbers\u201d looked to the past for precedent, but finding none, chose to set \u201ca standard\u201d \u201cin as short a time\u201d as they felt was safe\u2014and in a minimalist style, especially for the time.\u00a0 The night before they were so excited they couldn\u2019t sleep and Hawkes was still up at 1:00 a.m. preparing food \u2014 a solution of honey, corn syrup, and salt water. \u00a0(Not unlike today\u2019s \u201cGu\u201d or \u201cShot Bloks\u201d.)<\/p>\n
Park Service records indicate that, Hawkes and Holyoke left Lupine Meadow at 6:14 a.m. \u00a0\u201cHawkes wore shorts and a pair of smooth, rubber-soled hiking boots and carried only his honey water and two wooden dowels.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Holyoke wore a pair of nailed climbing boots.\u201d\u00a0 In the meadow above the platforms, Hawkes slowed his pace for a few minutes then lost his way in the boulder field.\u00a0 Holyoke continued through the meadow and started up the trail to Petzoldt\u2019s Caves. He arrived on the summit at 9:36 a.m., three hours and twenty-two minutes after leaving Lupine Meadow.\u00a0 Hawkes arrived at 9:46 a.m. \u00a0Each made an entry in the summit register.\u00a0 They returned to the Upper Saddle via the catwalk and the Owen route, downclimbing the route unroped.\u00a0 Holyoke \u201cshort-cut the trail below the platforms between the seventh and the first switchback, but Hawkes stayed on the trail all the way down, just as he had on the ascent.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\nThe two traveled in a minimalist<\/strong>, \u201cself supported<\/strong> style<\/strong>, did their own route finding<\/strong>, documented the beginning times<\/strong>, summit times<\/strong>, and other information, each had witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are some important differences; however.\u00a0 Holyoke and Hawkes did not apparently run as \u201ca team\u201d.\u00a0 Early on, each chose his own pace, conducted his own route finding and summited at different times.\u00a0 They followed separate routes on the descent<\/strong>.<\/p>\nPhilosophically, the accounts pose, or raise several questions.\u00a0 For example, would the time set qualify as a \u201cteam\u201d time and\/or for individual records?<\/strong>\u00a0 Did Holyoke\u2019s shortcutting the accepted \u201croute\u201d disqualify him for a record of the traditional \u201croute\u201d, but qualify him for a route record of his own? \u00a0Did Hawkes set a record for a Fastest Known Time for a forty year old of 5:21\u2014that possibly still stands today<\/strong>?<\/p>\nThese questions are legitimate ones to ask and should be answered.\u00a0 Defining grounds need to be made \u201cso the contest would be standard\u201d as Glidden refers.\u00a0 And these foundations should also reflect \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d, \u201cvalues<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cethics<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
GROUND RULES <\/strong><\/h3>\nCreighton King approached his speed ascent of the Grand in the same style, unassisted<\/strong> and solo<\/strong>, and on the same route as the previous record holders<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also documented the feat in confirmable ways<\/strong>, and with witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 His exceptional speed running the lower sections pushed the record fastest known time (FTK) by 17 minutes<\/strong>.\u00a0 His skill as a speed runner, far surpassed my ability in that arena.\u00a0 I had to make up for this deficit in other ways when I reclaimed the record\u2014but I did so on the same route<\/strong>, same style<\/strong> with witnesses<\/strong> and documentation<\/strong>, just as Hawks, Glidden and King had done before me.<\/p>\n![\"Bryce](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Scraped_Knees-202x300.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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Andy Anderson is the current record holder of this same \u201croute\u201d [5]<\/a> on the Grand Teton first set by Hawks, (Holyoke\u2019s shortcut equaled a different route), and followed by Glidden, Thatcher, King, and then Thatcher.\u00a0 Anderson had the following to say about why he choose his route and style:<\/p>\n\u201cI also knew that Bryce Thatcher did not use shortcuts<\/strong>, nor did I in previous attempts at the 3 hour mark, and the park does not like folks to use them. As for food I took, one pack of caffinated Clif Shot Bloks, 4 packs of caffinated Clif Shots, 3 electrolyte pills, and no water. I drank water along the way. My wife asked if I was worried about giardia, my reply, \u201cWell, if I can run fast, getting sick in two weeks will be worth it.\u201d So far so good, but maybe I will change my mind in another week if I am sitting on the toilet with the trash can in front of me.\u201d [6]<\/a><\/p>\nLike the previous record holders of the route, Anderson went solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, he stuck to the trail<\/strong>.\u00a0 Precedent is an important piece of formulating a groundwork for new fastest known time \u00a0(FKT) records<\/strong>\u2014or determining that a different new record might be involved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SOLO VS ASSISTED EFFORTS <\/strong><\/h3>\nThere are other current fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong>, on the Grand including an \u201cassisted<\/strong>\u201d (non-solo) Female record by Emelie Forsberg, who was accompanied in her effort by Killian Jornet.\u00a0 The distinction may be a subtle one, but much like climbing Everest with a Sherpa and oxygen, it is not the same feat made solo<\/strong>, self-supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, as having a pacer or being, otherwise, aided.\u00a0 \u00a0The need for skills in route finding<\/strong>, thinking<\/strong>, planning<\/strong> and risk factor<\/strong>, almost disappear when you have aid of any kind.\u00a0 The psychology of running solo vs having any companion at any time changes the dynamic of a \u201csolo\u201d endeavor.\u00a0 Anton (Tony) Krupicka has set some astounding \u201csolo\u201d records, and has beautifully documented these as to every detail.\u00a0 Anton\u2019s blog post running his record on Gannett Peak is a shining example of documentation. (http:\/\/blog.ultimatedirection.com\/gannet-the-grand-a-wyoming-whirlwind-tour\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
DISTINGUISHING DIFFERENCES, ACCOUNTING AND DOCUMENTATION<\/strong><\/h3>\nDocumenting important aspects of difficulty<\/strong>, level of assistance<\/strong>, age at ascent<\/strong>, style<\/strong> and route<\/strong> aid the next person in ascertaining a standard and in choosing how to proceed and what fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> will actually be sought.\u00a0 It also aids the world in knowing what, exactly has been accomplished and how.<\/p>\nThough it is clear I personally value solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong> endeavors, it is not my purpose here to elevate, or to diminish any type of fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord,\u201d<\/strong> just to emphasize that they may be as different as apples and oranges<\/strong>\u2014and have a lot to do with personal choice, often centered on an individual\u2019s comfort zone.\u00a0 Minimalist<\/strong> style involves inherent risk<\/strong> that may be offset to the extent travel speed is increased exponentially.\u00a0 Likewise, traveling as a team increases safety<\/strong>, but decreases the chance that all individuals will simultaneously achieve a chosen speed goal.<\/p>\n![\"Krissy](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Krissy-Devon-R2R2R-FKT-199x300.jpg\" "\\"Krissy")
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Not long ago, Krissy Moehl and Devon Crosby-Helms (now Yanko), \u00a0established a Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim fastest known time (FKT)\u00a0\u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 Much like a game of pool\u2014they called the shots prior to accomplishing the goal.\u00a0 They publicly announced<\/strong> that the \u201crecord<\/strong>\u201d would be set as a \u201cteam<\/strong>\u201d, would be self-supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong>.\u00a0 The route was delineated by the established National Park Trail system.\u00a0\u00a0 During the run, one runner had a weak moment and encouraged the other to continue without her, however, it was reaffirmed that they were a team and would accomplished the goal together or not at all<\/strong>.\u00a0 They succeeded and gained a \u201cteam\u201d fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong>. \u00a0They also succeeding in breaking previously documented female speed records for the route, which gave them individual speed records as well.<\/p>\nA few days afterward, Darcy P. Africa, challenged their fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0A remarkable time resulted and definitely a female fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>.\u00a0 The feat; however, \u00a0may be categorized neither as a \u201csolo\u201d nor as a \u201cteam\u201d effort, unless the team is a coed team, in that she was accompanied by male runners capable of keeping a record pace<\/strong> and giving, at minimum, mental support<\/strong>.\u00a0 Though her time was faster than all other women for that route, her record is distinguishable from the prior \u201cteam\u201d effort and from any prior or subsequent completely \u201csolo\u201d effort.\u00a0 (Solo efforts, should also be distinguished by layers or levels of support<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, was water stashed previously?)<\/p>\nIt is not any more difficult to distinguish the differences in the fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> discussed above than it would be to distinguish an additional fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0record<\/strong> utilizing preset repels off the 3000 vertical feet of cliffs per rim in the Grand Canyon versus using only the trail.<\/p>\nIn the Tetons, \u00a0the name Carolyn Ortenburger, born in 1962, began appearing on summit registers in 1969, including the Exum Ridge route on the Grand Teton when she was aged 7.\u00a0 My son, Matthew Thatcher, is the youngest known person to summit Teewinot at age 6.\u00a0 These examples, of course, are for \u201cassisted\u201d records.<\/p>\n
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SELF SUPPORTED VS ASSISTED ENDEAVORS<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen I determined to set a Mountain Bike fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong> on Moab\u2019s White Rim, the rules I set for myself included being completely unassisted<\/strong>, solo<\/strong>, and self supported<\/strong> the full 103 miles, which meant carrying two gallon-sized reservoirs and two large bottles.\u00a0 During the ride, flat tires and other problems had to be fixed before proceeding and other obstacles overcome without assistance<\/strong>, before setting a record fastest known time (FKT) of 8 hours and 12 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\nLater, another cyclist rode the course and claimed online and in other publications that he had broken my record.\u00a0 Officially, his fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> was set while he had a support vehicle<\/strong> for spares<\/strong> and extra sets<\/strong> of anything he needed including handing out water bottles<\/strong>, and other supplements<\/strong>, while also acting as a pacer<\/strong> and route finder<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThough the difference might seem like whining or knit picking to those who have not been through these types of grueling record attempts, having support is a substantial advantage mechanically, physically and mentally<\/strong>.\u00a0 The risk factor also decreases substantially<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
AN ERA OF MINIMALISM<\/strong><\/h3>\nSpeed is certainly increased incrementally as an individual chooses minimalism over safety<\/strong> and tips the balance toward \u201cnaked faith\u201d.\u00a0 Carrying enough water, foods, weather kit, first aid and other items is a personal choice, which could substantially effect speed<\/strong>, and may encourage minimalist repetition with disastrous consequences.\u00a0 Choice of gear should be documented<\/strong> with other details and minimalism possibly discouraged as to some routes.\u00a0 \u00a0My personal style is that I still prefer to maintain a minimal amount of safety, and always carry a kit and jacket<\/strong>.\u00a0 Many basics might be standard<\/strong> and even required<\/strong> as to the needs of \u201cself-supported<\/strong>\u201d events.\u00a0 Such rules should be followed if they exist for a course or event.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
RESPECTING EXISTING RULES AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Bryce](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Exhaustion-300x238.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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An issue, which both Glidden and Anderson mentioned, involves respecting the rules<\/strong> of the place in which you find yourself.\u00a0 So, the \u201cPark Service would have no grounds for complaint.\u201d\u00a0 You may be the best climber in the world or the fastest runner but that does not entitle you to disregard rules and convention in a place you do not own<\/strong>.\u00a0 Cutting trails substantially lessons the \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d and is especially disrespectful<\/strong>,\u00a0 even illegal<\/strong>, when it occurs in an area set apart as a National Park or other special grant.\u00a0 However, even if a place isn\u2019t set aside by state or federal proclamation, it is still worthy of responsible behavior<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are just travelers in a place that will, hopefully, be here long after we are gone. \u00a0I value an ecology minded life and promote using a trail whenever one is available<\/strong>. (Please see www.leavenotrace.com<\/a> ).\u00a0 My climber daughter also assures me that many climbers are increasingly trying to leave \u201cno trace\u201d as reflected in a desire to use less invasive equipment, \u00a0clean away old and redundant protection, and keep \u201capproach\u201d paths to a minimum, all reflecting \u201cminimalist<\/strong>\u201d attitudes<\/strong> and ethics<\/strong>.<\/p>\nMy attempts at \u201crecord breaking<\/strong>\u201d or \u201crecord setting<\/strong>\u201d have really been more about pushing my own limits and improving myself<\/strong>.\u00a0 Still, speed is where it has gone, and\u00a0If we expect to be treated with the same honor and respect the world imparts to other \u201cchampions<\/strong>\u201d, such as those to be found in track and field<\/strong> events, triathlon<\/strong>, cycling<\/strong> and Ultra-running races<\/strong>, we must establish a code of ethics<\/strong>, honor<\/strong> and etiquette<\/strong> amongst us.<\/p>\nThis code should accord deference to existing fastest known time (FKT) records<\/strong> as to route and style, as discussed, \u00a0and allow for the possibility of entirely new records<\/strong> based on differing routes and styles<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Fastest known times reference<\/strong> has helped set some great guidelines and requires a challenger to contact a current record holder<\/strong>.\u00a0 This shows respect<\/strong> and also allows monitoring of the challenge<\/strong>.\u00a0 (See http:\/\/fastestknowntime.proboards.com\/<\/a> ).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nLIFETIME AND OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Hawks was interviewed in 1968, at Winter Park, Colorado, he was sixty nine years old and was still doing a daily workout on cross-county skis and skiing at Winter Park, where he chose to hike to the top rather than use the lift.\u00a0 The year before, at sixty-eight years of age, he had walked up two of Colorado\u2019s 14,000-foot peaks in a short day.<\/p>\n
While it is amazing to see what young, sponsored, and full-time career athletes are accomplishing, ultra, endurance<\/strong> and speed<\/strong> endeavors can be a life-long pursuit<\/strong> for many and as such, age and other relevant facts need to be distinguished.\u00a0 Now that I know Hawks may still hold a fastest known time record on the Grand for those aged 40+, I just may need to go for it again at 50+!<\/p>\nThere are many other accomplishments that may not be adequately documented to qualify as official \u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cbenchmarks<\/strong>\u201d but are worthy of note in the annals of \u00a0history and the traditions springing out of them.\u00a0 Christian Beckwith is operating a great site that lists records as \u201cofficial and unofficial<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Some of the \u201cunofficial<\/strong>\u201d fastest known times involve just a person and a stopwatch<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have recorded a few such times, but these were about me just chasing time for my own personal improvement, pushing a stopwatch at the beginning and then at the end; These were never posted<\/strong>, were made without a witness<\/strong>, and had no official documentation<\/strong>.\u00a0 To me, none of these should be considered a \u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 (See www.Outerlocal.com<\/a>)[7]<\/a><\/p>\nI know, first hand, the questions that are raised as to the validity of a fastest known time \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> which even with when documented may still be controversial.\u00a0 Was it roped? How much snow was there? Was glissading possible?\u00a0 If so, how far was it glissaded? \u00a0Was the route cut?\u00a0 These are questions good documentation<\/strong> will cover.\u00a0 The clearer and more detailed the documentation<\/strong>, the more acceptance<\/strong>, authority<\/strong> and legitimacy<\/strong> a record will achieve over the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SUMMARY<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"Bryce](\"http:\/\/ultraspire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/11\/Bryce-waffle-shoes-233x300.jpg\" "\\"Bryce")
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In retrospect, holding a mountain \u201crunning\u201d fastest known time record for almost thirty years was a bit lonely.\u00a0 At the time, only a handful of people were doing that kind of thing. \u00a0\u00a0There was no way to chronicle the event, no GPS, no GoPro or digital camera, and no ability to truly share the journey with friends.\u00a0 Few had any understanding of what it was like or a basic understanding of what such an endeavor entailed.\u00a0 \u00a0I always believed I could do the Grand in sub-three hours, but no one challenged a return speed ascent.\u00a0 Meanwhile, many climbers turned to other peaks where new routes were the main draw.\u00a0 \u00a0I sought goals in other places\u2014and focused on cycling and other interests.\u00a0 When I went to the Tetons, it was often as a guide to friends and family\u2014getting them up and down in a sub 15 hour time was difficult at best.\u00a0 As time has gone by, I began to really wish someone would break that record for a couple of reasons.\u00a0 First, It was really dismaying when many suggested that I hadn\u2019t really accomplished the time claimed because it wasn\u2019t possible.\u00a0 It was a relief when Ricky Gates and Luke Nelson put in the first sub three and \u00bd hour times in many years.\u00a0 Second, I yearned for some idea where I would stand today, had I been in my prime now and with such \u201cpeers\u201d to help push limits.\u00a0 The best part for me about this trend toward mountain running is that I am finally able to discuss speed ascents and mountain running with others who actually do it\u2014and who understand what it entails<\/strong>.<\/p>\nA record fastest known time eventually \u201cbecomes history\u201d<\/strong> but it also shapes and defines history<\/strong> as well\u2014and influences the future of possibility<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 No achievement, no matter how impressive, is ever accomplished in a microcosm. \u00a0\u00a0The accomplishment of one person is reliant on the accomplishments of many individuals.\u00a0 Without Jock Glidden setting a standard, I may have run the Grand simply to see how fast I could do it, but not with the goal of challenging what someone else had already proven was possible. \u00a0Reaching beyond the possible closes the gap on what is thought to be an impossible fastest known time.<\/p>\nPlease respect route and style<\/strong>, keep it the same<\/strong>, or distinguish the differences<\/strong>.\u00a0 Notify any holder of a current record of intentions<\/strong>.\u00a0 If it\u2019s not going to be completely \u201csolo\u201d<\/strong>, specify this.\u00a0 If it is a \u201cteam\u201d effort<\/strong>\u2014make sure all individuals on the team follow the same route and finish together<\/strong>\u2014or the that the last time in, is the time that counts.\u00a0 If it is a paced<\/strong>, led<\/strong>, accompanied<\/strong> or otherwise assisted<\/strong> as to any part, document the details<\/strong>.\u00a0 Include detailed information about what is carried<\/strong> and what, if anything, is carried or fixed by others<\/strong>.\u00a0 Use witnesses<\/strong> at the beginning<\/strong>,
<\/p>\n
PRECEDENCE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
As a young adult, I was very interested in both running and climbing<\/strong>.\u00a0 The two disciplines intersected when I adopted a rule:\u00a0 \u201cOff the top before noon.\u201d\u00a0 (To avoid uncertain afternoon weather, and be home for dinner!) My times improved as a by-product.\u00a0 A good friend, Kim Miller\u2014a great climber in his own right, let me climb with him, though I was much younger, and taught me a lot about conquering climbing problems such as Red Cross Rock near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.<\/p>\nKim and I often talked about the \u201cgreats\u201d amongst \u201crecord holders\u201d which included the likes of Jock Glidden who held a round trip time of 4:11 covering the old \u201cClimber\u2019s Trail\u201d to the Owen Spaulding climbing route on the Grand Teton, and Alex Lowe for his astounding record of the Grand Traverse.[1]<\/a><\/p>\nOne evening, after Kim and I had been climbing at the City of Rocks, Idaho, we ran into Jock Glidden.\u00a0 I felt a kind of awe in my solar plexus and a bit of speechless stammering coming on.\u00a0 Kim (who knew Jock) said: \u201cHey Jock, this is Bryce Thatcher, he is going to break your record on the Grand!\u201d\u00a0 Jock, took a lazy glance at me and then dismissively snarled: \u201cGood luck, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I will never forget that look.\u00a0 It translated my initial shock of Kim\u2019s announcement into a palpable commitment to do it.\u00a0 And, I did.\u00a0 Twice.\u00a0 The same route, the same style, unassisted, and in keeping with the established fastest known time record on that route.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
DOCUMENTATION, STYLE AND ROUTE<\/strong><\/h3>\nI sought a fastest known time record that was \u201cfair\u201d<\/strong>, and approached it with the same respect one might have for an Olympic event.\u00a0 \u00a0Now, I am often referred to as a \u201cpioneer of mountain running<\/strong>\u201d, but where I was going, Jock had gone before. \u00a0Jock\u2019s original route and style delineated the rules of the run\u2014and set the standard for me.\u00a0 It turns out, Jock had many of the same notions of legitimacy. \u00a0In Jock\u2019s own words:<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the trail head parking lot there was frost on the car windows. I shivered in my shorts and long-sleeved shirt\u2026At 0701 I set off with no food, ice axe or water. Almost naked faith. But I had one advantage: giardia was unknown then. I could drink freely from any available stream.\u00a0 About 1 hour and 40 minutes later I reached the lower saddle. I tried to beg a candy bar from two lads striking camp but they refused, saying that they needed their candy to get down. \u201cThanks a lot, jerks!\u201d I yelled back and disappeared into the boulder field\u2026Soon I was over the scary traverse and up the chimneys but my hands grew very cold. I even jogged up a catwalk or two to the summit. Time so far: 2 hours and 32 minutes.<\/p>\n
A party of two was at the summit register as I arrived.\u00a0 I begged again for candy. This time they pressed more on me than I could eat. My hand felt like a frozen claw as I signed my name to prove I was there. Thus refreshed, I was off again\u2026Guided parties were making their way up the trail by now, requiring me to run around them. Otherwise I took no shortcuts so the contest would be standard and the Park Service would have no grounds for complaint. Friends were at the trail head to witness my finish. My round trip time was 4 hours and 11 minutes\u2026<\/p>\n
Jock took the trail from the parking lot to the lower saddle, then climbed the Owen Spaulding route, solo<\/strong>, unassisted<\/strong>.\u00a0 He took \u201cno shortcuts<\/strong>\u201d and observed Park etiquette<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also traveled self-supported<\/strong>, (though he successfully begged a bit of candy) without ropes and unaided<\/strong>.<\/p>\nJock added:<\/p>\n
\u201cThat fall I sent a short account of my speed record to the American Alpine Club journal. It was rejected as being irrelevant to the traditions of American alpinism. Perhaps the editor was right; what I did was neither mountaineering nor running. Yet it was both<\/strong>.\u201d [2]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
TRADITION VS SPEED BASED HYBRID SPORTS ENDEAVORS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\nMany of us participate in hybrid \u201csports\u201d that often combine Alpinism or trail running and ultra-running<\/strong> or other disciplines.\u00a0\u00a0 What rules or traditions should apply?\u00a0 The question doesn\u2019t just effect ultra-runners who happen to do some climbing during a run, it also effects climbers who now run in the course of summiting.\u00a0 Traditional Alpinism has not only veered into ultra-running, it, in some ways, had no where else to go.\u00a0 The compelling result is a new generation of athletes like Ueli Steck and Chad Kellogg, challenging Alpine \u201cclassics\u201d around the world. \u00a0A peak as formidable as the Eiger, for example, has been summited, on one route, with a fastest known time (FKT) of\u00a0only 2:47:33<\/strong>. \u00a0Likewise, runners have increasingly expanded the extremity of terrain on which they choose to run.\u00a0 For some time now many clearly\u00a0 delineated ultra-running courses have been staged in mountainous settings that require a skill level well beyond that of road racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SPEED ASCENTS, TRADITION AND <\/strong>PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS<\/strong><\/h3>\nThe ascent history of the Grand Teton is a great place to study this evolution, the goals and ethics involved. \u00a0John Holyoke, and Joseph Hawkes went for a speed record on the Grand on August 17, 1939. \u00a0Holyoke said his purpose in climbing the Grand Teton was \u201csimply to see how fast he and Hawkes could do it<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to set a fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>, but since he had no idea what the fastest ascent to that date had been or who made it, he felt he wasn\u2019t competing \u201cagainst anyone but himself\u201d. \u00a0He wrote in his journal: \u201cTomorrow Joe Hawkes and I will climb the Grand in as short a time as we feel it advisable to do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Hawkes just wanted to \u201cset a standard for a forty-year-old man.\u201d\u00a0 He believed that: \u201cWhile some persons may have misgivings about the esthetics or desirability of attempting to establish mountaineering speed records, I feel that this is a matter better left to the judgment and tastes of each individual.\u201d These \u201cclimbers\u201d looked to the past for precedent, but finding none, chose to set \u201ca standard\u201d \u201cin as short a time\u201d as they felt was safe\u2014and in a minimalist style, especially for the time.\u00a0 The night before they were so excited they couldn\u2019t sleep and Hawkes was still up at 1:00 a.m. preparing food \u2014 a solution of honey, corn syrup, and salt water. \u00a0(Not unlike today\u2019s \u201cGu\u201d or \u201cShot Bloks\u201d.)<\/p>\n
Park Service records indicate that, Hawkes and Holyoke left Lupine Meadow at 6:14 a.m. \u00a0\u201cHawkes wore shorts and a pair of smooth, rubber-soled hiking boots and carried only his honey water and two wooden dowels.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Holyoke wore a pair of nailed climbing boots.\u201d\u00a0 In the meadow above the platforms, Hawkes slowed his pace for a few minutes then lost his way in the boulder field.\u00a0 Holyoke continued through the meadow and started up the trail to Petzoldt\u2019s Caves. He arrived on the summit at 9:36 a.m., three hours and twenty-two minutes after leaving Lupine Meadow.\u00a0 Hawkes arrived at 9:46 a.m. \u00a0Each made an entry in the summit register.\u00a0 They returned to the Upper Saddle via the catwalk and the Owen route, downclimbing the route unroped.\u00a0 Holyoke \u201cshort-cut the trail below the platforms between the seventh and the first switchback, but Hawkes stayed on the trail all the way down, just as he had on the ascent.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\nThe two traveled in a minimalist<\/strong>, \u201cself supported<\/strong> style<\/strong>, did their own route finding<\/strong>, documented the beginning times<\/strong>, summit times<\/strong>, and other information, each had witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are some important differences; however.\u00a0 Holyoke and Hawkes did not apparently run as \u201ca team\u201d.\u00a0 Early on, each chose his own pace, conducted his own route finding and summited at different times.\u00a0 They followed separate routes on the descent<\/strong>.<\/p>\nPhilosophically, the accounts pose, or raise several questions.\u00a0 For example, would the time set qualify as a \u201cteam\u201d time and\/or for individual records?<\/strong>\u00a0 Did Holyoke\u2019s shortcutting the accepted \u201croute\u201d disqualify him for a record of the traditional \u201croute\u201d, but qualify him for a route record of his own? \u00a0Did Hawkes set a record for a Fastest Known Time for a forty year old of 5:21\u2014that possibly still stands today<\/strong>?<\/p>\nThese questions are legitimate ones to ask and should be answered.\u00a0 Defining grounds need to be made \u201cso the contest would be standard\u201d as Glidden refers.\u00a0 And these foundations should also reflect \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d, \u201cvalues<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cethics<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
GROUND RULES <\/strong><\/h3>\nCreighton King approached his speed ascent of the Grand in the same style, unassisted<\/strong> and solo<\/strong>, and on the same route as the previous record holders<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also documented the feat in confirmable ways<\/strong>, and with witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 His exceptional speed running the lower sections pushed the record fastest known time (FTK) by 17 minutes<\/strong>.\u00a0 His skill as a speed runner, far surpassed my ability in that arena.\u00a0 I had to make up for this deficit in other ways when I reclaimed the record\u2014but I did so on the same route<\/strong>, same style<\/strong> with witnesses<\/strong> and documentation<\/strong>, just as Hawks, Glidden and King had done before me.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Andy Anderson is the current record holder of this same \u201croute\u201d [5]<\/a> on the Grand Teton first set by Hawks, (Holyoke\u2019s shortcut equaled a different route), and followed by Glidden, Thatcher, King, and then Thatcher.\u00a0 Anderson had the following to say about why he choose his route and style:<\/p>\n\u201cI also knew that Bryce Thatcher did not use shortcuts<\/strong>, nor did I in previous attempts at the 3 hour mark, and the park does not like folks to use them. As for food I took, one pack of caffinated Clif Shot Bloks, 4 packs of caffinated Clif Shots, 3 electrolyte pills, and no water. I drank water along the way. My wife asked if I was worried about giardia, my reply, \u201cWell, if I can run fast, getting sick in two weeks will be worth it.\u201d So far so good, but maybe I will change my mind in another week if I am sitting on the toilet with the trash can in front of me.\u201d [6]<\/a><\/p>\nLike the previous record holders of the route, Anderson went solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, he stuck to the trail<\/strong>.\u00a0 Precedent is an important piece of formulating a groundwork for new fastest known time \u00a0(FKT) records<\/strong>\u2014or determining that a different new record might be involved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SOLO VS ASSISTED EFFORTS <\/strong><\/h3>\nThere are other current fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong>, on the Grand including an \u201cassisted<\/strong>\u201d (non-solo) Female record by Emelie Forsberg, who was accompanied in her effort by Killian Jornet.\u00a0 The distinction may be a subtle one, but much like climbing Everest with a Sherpa and oxygen, it is not the same feat made solo<\/strong>, self-supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, as having a pacer or being, otherwise, aided.\u00a0 \u00a0The need for skills in route finding<\/strong>, thinking<\/strong>, planning<\/strong> and risk factor<\/strong>, almost disappear when you have aid of any kind.\u00a0 The psychology of running solo vs having any companion at any time changes the dynamic of a \u201csolo\u201d endeavor.\u00a0 Anton (Tony) Krupicka has set some astounding \u201csolo\u201d records, and has beautifully documented these as to every detail.\u00a0 Anton\u2019s blog post running his record on Gannett Peak is a shining example of documentation. (http:\/\/blog.ultimatedirection.com\/gannet-the-grand-a-wyoming-whirlwind-tour\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
DISTINGUISHING DIFFERENCES, ACCOUNTING AND DOCUMENTATION<\/strong><\/h3>\nDocumenting important aspects of difficulty<\/strong>, level of assistance<\/strong>, age at ascent<\/strong>, style<\/strong> and route<\/strong> aid the next person in ascertaining a standard and in choosing how to proceed and what fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> will actually be sought.\u00a0 It also aids the world in knowing what, exactly has been accomplished and how.<\/p>\nThough it is clear I personally value solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong> endeavors, it is not my purpose here to elevate, or to diminish any type of fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord,\u201d<\/strong> just to emphasize that they may be as different as apples and oranges<\/strong>\u2014and have a lot to do with personal choice, often centered on an individual\u2019s comfort zone.\u00a0 Minimalist<\/strong> style involves inherent risk<\/strong> that may be offset to the extent travel speed is increased exponentially.\u00a0 Likewise, traveling as a team increases safety<\/strong>, but decreases the chance that all individuals will simultaneously achieve a chosen speed goal.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Not long ago, Krissy Moehl and Devon Crosby-Helms (now Yanko), \u00a0established a Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim fastest known time (FKT)\u00a0\u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 Much like a game of pool\u2014they called the shots prior to accomplishing the goal.\u00a0 They publicly announced<\/strong> that the \u201crecord<\/strong>\u201d would be set as a \u201cteam<\/strong>\u201d, would be self-supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong>.\u00a0 The route was delineated by the established National Park Trail system.\u00a0\u00a0 During the run, one runner had a weak moment and encouraged the other to continue without her, however, it was reaffirmed that they were a team and would accomplished the goal together or not at all<\/strong>.\u00a0 They succeeded and gained a \u201cteam\u201d fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong>. \u00a0They also succeeding in breaking previously documented female speed records for the route, which gave them individual speed records as well.<\/p>\nA few days afterward, Darcy P. Africa, challenged their fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0A remarkable time resulted and definitely a female fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>.\u00a0 The feat; however, \u00a0may be categorized neither as a \u201csolo\u201d nor as a \u201cteam\u201d effort, unless the team is a coed team, in that she was accompanied by male runners capable of keeping a record pace<\/strong> and giving, at minimum, mental support<\/strong>.\u00a0 Though her time was faster than all other women for that route, her record is distinguishable from the prior \u201cteam\u201d effort and from any prior or subsequent completely \u201csolo\u201d effort.\u00a0 (Solo efforts, should also be distinguished by layers or levels of support<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, was water stashed previously?)<\/p>\nIt is not any more difficult to distinguish the differences in the fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> discussed above than it would be to distinguish an additional fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0record<\/strong> utilizing preset repels off the 3000 vertical feet of cliffs per rim in the Grand Canyon versus using only the trail.<\/p>\nIn the Tetons, \u00a0the name Carolyn Ortenburger, born in 1962, began appearing on summit registers in 1969, including the Exum Ridge route on the Grand Teton when she was aged 7.\u00a0 My son, Matthew Thatcher, is the youngest known person to summit Teewinot at age 6.\u00a0 These examples, of course, are for \u201cassisted\u201d records.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SELF SUPPORTED VS ASSISTED ENDEAVORS<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen I determined to set a Mountain Bike fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong> on Moab\u2019s White Rim, the rules I set for myself included being completely unassisted<\/strong>, solo<\/strong>, and self supported<\/strong> the full 103 miles, which meant carrying two gallon-sized reservoirs and two large bottles.\u00a0 During the ride, flat tires and other problems had to be fixed before proceeding and other obstacles overcome without assistance<\/strong>, before setting a record fastest known time (FKT) of 8 hours and 12 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\nLater, another cyclist rode the course and claimed online and in other publications that he had broken my record.\u00a0 Officially, his fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> was set while he had a support vehicle<\/strong> for spares<\/strong> and extra sets<\/strong> of anything he needed including handing out water bottles<\/strong>, and other supplements<\/strong>, while also acting as a pacer<\/strong> and route finder<\/strong>.<\/p>\nThough the difference might seem like whining or knit picking to those who have not been through these types of grueling record attempts, having support is a substantial advantage mechanically, physically and mentally<\/strong>.\u00a0 The risk factor also decreases substantially<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
AN ERA OF MINIMALISM<\/strong><\/h3>\nSpeed is certainly increased incrementally as an individual chooses minimalism over safety<\/strong> and tips the balance toward \u201cnaked faith\u201d.\u00a0 Carrying enough water, foods, weather kit, first aid and other items is a personal choice, which could substantially effect speed<\/strong>, and may encourage minimalist repetition with disastrous consequences.\u00a0 Choice of gear should be documented<\/strong> with other details and minimalism possibly discouraged as to some routes.\u00a0 \u00a0My personal style is that I still prefer to maintain a minimal amount of safety, and always carry a kit and jacket<\/strong>.\u00a0 Many basics might be standard<\/strong> and even required<\/strong> as to the needs of \u201cself-supported<\/strong>\u201d events.\u00a0 Such rules should be followed if they exist for a course or event.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
RESPECTING EXISTING RULES AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
An issue, which both Glidden and Anderson mentioned, involves respecting the rules<\/strong> of the place in which you find yourself.\u00a0 So, the \u201cPark Service would have no grounds for complaint.\u201d\u00a0 You may be the best climber in the world or the fastest runner but that does not entitle you to disregard rules and convention in a place you do not own<\/strong>.\u00a0 Cutting trails substantially lessons the \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d and is especially disrespectful<\/strong>,\u00a0 even illegal<\/strong>, when it occurs in an area set apart as a National Park or other special grant.\u00a0 However, even if a place isn\u2019t set aside by state or federal proclamation, it is still worthy of responsible behavior<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are just travelers in a place that will, hopefully, be here long after we are gone. \u00a0I value an ecology minded life and promote using a trail whenever one is available<\/strong>. (Please see www.leavenotrace.com<\/a> ).\u00a0 My climber daughter also assures me that many climbers are increasingly trying to leave \u201cno trace\u201d as reflected in a desire to use less invasive equipment, \u00a0clean away old and redundant protection, and keep \u201capproach\u201d paths to a minimum, all reflecting \u201cminimalist<\/strong>\u201d attitudes<\/strong> and ethics<\/strong>.<\/p>\nMy attempts at \u201crecord breaking<\/strong>\u201d or \u201crecord setting<\/strong>\u201d have really been more about pushing my own limits and improving myself<\/strong>.\u00a0 Still, speed is where it has gone, and\u00a0If we expect to be treated with the same honor and respect the world imparts to other \u201cchampions<\/strong>\u201d, such as those to be found in track and field<\/strong> events, triathlon<\/strong>, cycling<\/strong> and Ultra-running races<\/strong>, we must establish a code of ethics<\/strong>, honor<\/strong> and etiquette<\/strong> amongst us.<\/p>\nThis code should accord deference to existing fastest known time (FKT) records<\/strong> as to route and style, as discussed, \u00a0and allow for the possibility of entirely new records<\/strong> based on differing routes and styles<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Fastest known times reference<\/strong> has helped set some great guidelines and requires a challenger to contact a current record holder<\/strong>.\u00a0 This shows respect<\/strong> and also allows monitoring of the challenge<\/strong>.\u00a0 (See http:\/\/fastestknowntime.proboards.com\/<\/a> ).<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\nLIFETIME AND OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\nWhen Hawks was interviewed in 1968, at Winter Park, Colorado, he was sixty nine years old and was still doing a daily workout on cross-county skis and skiing at Winter Park, where he chose to hike to the top rather than use the lift.\u00a0 The year before, at sixty-eight years of age, he had walked up two of Colorado\u2019s 14,000-foot peaks in a short day.<\/p>\n
While it is amazing to see what young, sponsored, and full-time career athletes are accomplishing, ultra, endurance<\/strong> and speed<\/strong> endeavors can be a life-long pursuit<\/strong> for many and as such, age and other relevant facts need to be distinguished.\u00a0 Now that I know Hawks may still hold a fastest known time record on the Grand for those aged 40+, I just may need to go for it again at 50+!<\/p>\nThere are many other accomplishments that may not be adequately documented to qualify as official \u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cbenchmarks<\/strong>\u201d but are worthy of note in the annals of \u00a0history and the traditions springing out of them.\u00a0 Christian Beckwith is operating a great site that lists records as \u201cofficial and unofficial<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Some of the \u201cunofficial<\/strong>\u201d fastest known times involve just a person and a stopwatch<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have recorded a few such times, but these were about me just chasing time for my own personal improvement, pushing a stopwatch at the beginning and then at the end; These were never posted<\/strong>, were made without a witness<\/strong>, and had no official documentation<\/strong>.\u00a0 To me, none of these should be considered a \u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 (See www.Outerlocal.com<\/a>)[7]<\/a><\/p>\nI know, first hand, the questions that are raised as to the validity of a fastest known time \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> which even with when documented may still be controversial.\u00a0 Was it roped? How much snow was there? Was glissading possible?\u00a0 If so, how far was it glissaded? \u00a0Was the route cut?\u00a0 These are questions good documentation<\/strong> will cover.\u00a0 The clearer and more detailed the documentation<\/strong>, the more acceptance<\/strong>, authority<\/strong> and legitimacy<\/strong> a record will achieve over the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
SUMMARY<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
In retrospect, holding a mountain \u201crunning\u201d fastest known time record for almost thirty years was a bit lonely.\u00a0 At the time, only a handful of people were doing that kind of thing. \u00a0\u00a0There was no way to chronicle the event, no GPS, no GoPro or digital camera, and no ability to truly share the journey with friends.\u00a0 Few had any understanding of what it was like or a basic understanding of what such an endeavor entailed.\u00a0 \u00a0I always believed I could do the Grand in sub-three hours, but no one challenged a return speed ascent.\u00a0 Meanwhile, many climbers turned to other peaks where new routes were the main draw.\u00a0 \u00a0I sought goals in other places\u2014and focused on cycling and other interests.\u00a0 When I went to the Tetons, it was often as a guide to friends and family\u2014getting them up and down in a sub 15 hour time was difficult at best.\u00a0 As time has gone by, I began to really wish someone would break that record for a couple of reasons.\u00a0 First, It was really dismaying when many suggested that I hadn\u2019t really accomplished the time claimed because it wasn\u2019t possible.\u00a0 It was a relief when Ricky Gates and Luke Nelson put in the first sub three and \u00bd hour times in many years.\u00a0 Second, I yearned for some idea where I would stand today, had I been in my prime now and with such \u201cpeers\u201d to help push limits.\u00a0 The best part for me about this trend toward mountain running is that I am finally able to discuss speed ascents and mountain running with others who actually do it\u2014and who understand what it entails<\/strong>.<\/p>\nA record fastest known time eventually \u201cbecomes history\u201d<\/strong> but it also shapes and defines history<\/strong> as well\u2014and influences the future of possibility<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 No achievement, no matter how impressive, is ever accomplished in a microcosm. \u00a0\u00a0The accomplishment of one person is reliant on the accomplishments of many individuals.\u00a0 Without Jock Glidden setting a standard, I may have run the Grand simply to see how fast I could do it, but not with the goal of challenging what someone else had already proven was possible. \u00a0Reaching beyond the possible closes the gap on what is thought to be an impossible fastest known time.<\/p>\nPlease respect route and style<\/strong>, keep it the same<\/strong>, or distinguish the differences<\/strong>.\u00a0 Notify any holder of a current record of intentions<\/strong>.\u00a0 If it\u2019s not going to be completely \u201csolo\u201d<\/strong>, specify this.\u00a0 If it is a \u201cteam\u201d effort<\/strong>\u2014make sure all individuals on the team follow the same route and finish together<\/strong>\u2014or the that the last time in, is the time that counts.\u00a0 If it is a paced<\/strong>, led<\/strong>, accompanied<\/strong> or otherwise assisted<\/strong> as to any part, document the details<\/strong>.\u00a0 Include detailed information about what is carried<\/strong> and what, if anything, is carried or fixed by others<\/strong>.\u00a0 Use witnesses<\/strong> at the beginning<\/strong>,
<\/p>\nKim and I often talked about the \u201cgreats\u201d amongst \u201crecord holders\u201d which included the likes of Jock Glidden who held a round trip time of 4:11 covering the old \u201cClimber\u2019s Trail\u201d to the Owen Spaulding climbing route on the Grand Teton, and Alex Lowe for his astounding record of the Grand Traverse.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n One evening, after Kim and I had been climbing at the City of Rocks, Idaho, we ran into Jock Glidden.\u00a0 I felt a kind of awe in my solar plexus and a bit of speechless stammering coming on.\u00a0 Kim (who knew Jock) said: \u201cHey Jock, this is Bryce Thatcher, he is going to break your record on the Grand!\u201d\u00a0 Jock, took a lazy glance at me and then dismissively snarled: \u201cGood luck, kid.\u201d<\/p>\n I will never forget that look.\u00a0 It translated my initial shock of Kim\u2019s announcement into a palpable commitment to do it.\u00a0 And, I did.\u00a0 Twice.\u00a0 The same route, the same style, unassisted, and in keeping with the established fastest known time record on that route.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I sought a fastest known time record that was \u201cfair\u201d<\/strong>, and approached it with the same respect one might have for an Olympic event.\u00a0 \u00a0Now, I am often referred to as a \u201cpioneer of mountain running<\/strong>\u201d, but where I was going, Jock had gone before. \u00a0Jock\u2019s original route and style delineated the rules of the run\u2014and set the standard for me.\u00a0 It turns out, Jock had many of the same notions of legitimacy. \u00a0In Jock\u2019s own words:<\/p>\n \u201cAt the trail head parking lot there was frost on the car windows. I shivered in my shorts and long-sleeved shirt\u2026At 0701 I set off with no food, ice axe or water. Almost naked faith. But I had one advantage: giardia was unknown then. I could drink freely from any available stream.\u00a0 About 1 hour and 40 minutes later I reached the lower saddle. I tried to beg a candy bar from two lads striking camp but they refused, saying that they needed their candy to get down. \u201cThanks a lot, jerks!\u201d I yelled back and disappeared into the boulder field\u2026Soon I was over the scary traverse and up the chimneys but my hands grew very cold. I even jogged up a catwalk or two to the summit. Time so far: 2 hours and 32 minutes.<\/p>\n A party of two was at the summit register as I arrived.\u00a0 I begged again for candy. This time they pressed more on me than I could eat. My hand felt like a frozen claw as I signed my name to prove I was there. Thus refreshed, I was off again\u2026Guided parties were making their way up the trail by now, requiring me to run around them. Otherwise I took no shortcuts so the contest would be standard and the Park Service would have no grounds for complaint. Friends were at the trail head to witness my finish. My round trip time was 4 hours and 11 minutes\u2026<\/p>\n Jock took the trail from the parking lot to the lower saddle, then climbed the Owen Spaulding route, solo<\/strong>, unassisted<\/strong>.\u00a0 He took \u201cno shortcuts<\/strong>\u201d and observed Park etiquette<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also traveled self-supported<\/strong>, (though he successfully begged a bit of candy) without ropes and unaided<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Jock added:<\/p>\n \u201cThat fall I sent a short account of my speed record to the American Alpine Club journal. It was rejected as being irrelevant to the traditions of American alpinism. Perhaps the editor was right; what I did was neither mountaineering nor running. Yet it was both<\/strong>.\u201d [2]<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Many of us participate in hybrid \u201csports\u201d that often combine Alpinism or trail running and ultra-running<\/strong> or other disciplines.\u00a0\u00a0 What rules or traditions should apply?\u00a0 The question doesn\u2019t just effect ultra-runners who happen to do some climbing during a run, it also effects climbers who now run in the course of summiting.\u00a0 Traditional Alpinism has not only veered into ultra-running, it, in some ways, had no where else to go.\u00a0 The compelling result is a new generation of athletes like Ueli Steck and Chad Kellogg, challenging Alpine \u201cclassics\u201d around the world. \u00a0A peak as formidable as the Eiger, for example, has been summited, on one route, with a fastest known time (FKT) of\u00a0only 2:47:33<\/strong>. \u00a0Likewise, runners have increasingly expanded the extremity of terrain on which they choose to run.\u00a0 For some time now many clearly\u00a0 delineated ultra-running courses have been staged in mountainous settings that require a skill level well beyond that of road racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The ascent history of the Grand Teton is a great place to study this evolution, the goals and ethics involved. \u00a0John Holyoke, and Joseph Hawkes went for a speed record on the Grand on August 17, 1939. \u00a0Holyoke said his purpose in climbing the Grand Teton was \u201csimply to see how fast he and Hawkes could do it<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 He wanted to set a fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>, but since he had no idea what the fastest ascent to that date had been or who made it, he felt he wasn\u2019t competing \u201cagainst anyone but himself\u201d. \u00a0He wrote in his journal: \u201cTomorrow Joe Hawkes and I will climb the Grand in as short a time as we feel it advisable to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Hawkes just wanted to \u201cset a standard for a forty-year-old man.\u201d\u00a0 He believed that: \u201cWhile some persons may have misgivings about the esthetics or desirability of attempting to establish mountaineering speed records, I feel that this is a matter better left to the judgment and tastes of each individual.\u201d These \u201cclimbers\u201d looked to the past for precedent, but finding none, chose to set \u201ca standard\u201d \u201cin as short a time\u201d as they felt was safe\u2014and in a minimalist style, especially for the time.\u00a0 The night before they were so excited they couldn\u2019t sleep and Hawkes was still up at 1:00 a.m. preparing food \u2014 a solution of honey, corn syrup, and salt water. \u00a0(Not unlike today\u2019s \u201cGu\u201d or \u201cShot Bloks\u201d.)<\/p>\n Park Service records indicate that, Hawkes and Holyoke left Lupine Meadow at 6:14 a.m. \u00a0\u201cHawkes wore shorts and a pair of smooth, rubber-soled hiking boots and carried only his honey water and two wooden dowels.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 Holyoke wore a pair of nailed climbing boots.\u201d\u00a0 In the meadow above the platforms, Hawkes slowed his pace for a few minutes then lost his way in the boulder field.\u00a0 Holyoke continued through the meadow and started up the trail to Petzoldt\u2019s Caves. He arrived on the summit at 9:36 a.m., three hours and twenty-two minutes after leaving Lupine Meadow.\u00a0 Hawkes arrived at 9:46 a.m. \u00a0Each made an entry in the summit register.\u00a0 They returned to the Upper Saddle via the catwalk and the Owen route, downclimbing the route unroped.\u00a0 Holyoke \u201cshort-cut the trail below the platforms between the seventh and the first switchback, but Hawkes stayed on the trail all the way down, just as he had on the ascent.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n The two traveled in a minimalist<\/strong>, \u201cself supported<\/strong> style<\/strong>, did their own route finding<\/strong>, documented the beginning times<\/strong>, summit times<\/strong>, and other information, each had witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 There are some important differences; however.\u00a0 Holyoke and Hawkes did not apparently run as \u201ca team\u201d.\u00a0 Early on, each chose his own pace, conducted his own route finding and summited at different times.\u00a0 They followed separate routes on the descent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Philosophically, the accounts pose, or raise several questions.\u00a0 For example, would the time set qualify as a \u201cteam\u201d time and\/or for individual records?<\/strong>\u00a0 Did Holyoke\u2019s shortcutting the accepted \u201croute\u201d disqualify him for a record of the traditional \u201croute\u201d, but qualify him for a route record of his own? \u00a0Did Hawkes set a record for a Fastest Known Time for a forty year old of 5:21\u2014that possibly still stands today<\/strong>?<\/p>\n These questions are legitimate ones to ask and should be answered.\u00a0 Defining grounds need to be made \u201cso the contest would be standard\u201d as Glidden refers.\u00a0 And these foundations should also reflect \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d, \u201cvalues<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cethics<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Creighton King approached his speed ascent of the Grand in the same style, unassisted<\/strong> and solo<\/strong>, and on the same route as the previous record holders<\/strong>.\u00a0 He also documented the feat in confirmable ways<\/strong>, and with witnesses<\/strong>.\u00a0 His exceptional speed running the lower sections pushed the record fastest known time (FTK) by 17 minutes<\/strong>.\u00a0 His skill as a speed runner, far surpassed my ability in that arena.\u00a0 I had to make up for this deficit in other ways when I reclaimed the record\u2014but I did so on the same route<\/strong>, same style<\/strong> with witnesses<\/strong> and documentation<\/strong>, just as Hawks, Glidden and King had done before me.<\/p>\n Andy Anderson is the current record holder of this same \u201croute\u201d [5]<\/a> on the Grand Teton first set by Hawks, (Holyoke\u2019s shortcut equaled a different route), and followed by Glidden, Thatcher, King, and then Thatcher.\u00a0 Anderson had the following to say about why he choose his route and style:<\/p>\n \u201cI also knew that Bryce Thatcher did not use shortcuts<\/strong>, nor did I in previous attempts at the 3 hour mark, and the park does not like folks to use them. As for food I took, one pack of caffinated Clif Shot Bloks, 4 packs of caffinated Clif Shots, 3 electrolyte pills, and no water. I drank water along the way. My wife asked if I was worried about giardia, my reply, \u201cWell, if I can run fast, getting sick in two weeks will be worth it.\u201d So far so good, but maybe I will change my mind in another week if I am sitting on the toilet with the trash can in front of me.\u201d [6]<\/a><\/p>\n Like the previous record holders of the route, Anderson went solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, he stuck to the trail<\/strong>.\u00a0 Precedent is an important piece of formulating a groundwork for new fastest known time \u00a0(FKT) records<\/strong>\u2014or determining that a different new record might be involved.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are other current fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong>, on the Grand including an \u201cassisted<\/strong>\u201d (non-solo) Female record by Emelie Forsberg, who was accompanied in her effort by Killian Jornet.\u00a0 The distinction may be a subtle one, but much like climbing Everest with a Sherpa and oxygen, it is not the same feat made solo<\/strong>, self-supported<\/strong> and unassisted<\/strong>, as having a pacer or being, otherwise, aided.\u00a0 \u00a0The need for skills in route finding<\/strong>, thinking<\/strong>, planning<\/strong> and risk factor<\/strong>, almost disappear when you have aid of any kind.\u00a0 The psychology of running solo vs having any companion at any time changes the dynamic of a \u201csolo\u201d endeavor.\u00a0 Anton (Tony) Krupicka has set some astounding \u201csolo\u201d records, and has beautifully documented these as to every detail.\u00a0 Anton\u2019s blog post running his record on Gannett Peak is a shining example of documentation. (http:\/\/blog.ultimatedirection.com\/gannet-the-grand-a-wyoming-whirlwind-tour\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Documenting important aspects of difficulty<\/strong>, level of assistance<\/strong>, age at ascent<\/strong>, style<\/strong> and route<\/strong> aid the next person in ascertaining a standard and in choosing how to proceed and what fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> will actually be sought.\u00a0 It also aids the world in knowing what, exactly has been accomplished and how.<\/p>\n Though it is clear I personally value solo<\/strong>, self supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong> endeavors, it is not my purpose here to elevate, or to diminish any type of fastest known time (FTK) \u201crecord,\u201d<\/strong> just to emphasize that they may be as different as apples and oranges<\/strong>\u2014and have a lot to do with personal choice, often centered on an individual\u2019s comfort zone.\u00a0 Minimalist<\/strong> style involves inherent risk<\/strong> that may be offset to the extent travel speed is increased exponentially.\u00a0 Likewise, traveling as a team increases safety<\/strong>, but decreases the chance that all individuals will simultaneously achieve a chosen speed goal.<\/p>\n Not long ago, Krissy Moehl and Devon Crosby-Helms (now Yanko), \u00a0established a Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim fastest known time (FKT)\u00a0\u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 Much like a game of pool\u2014they called the shots prior to accomplishing the goal.\u00a0 They publicly announced<\/strong> that the \u201crecord<\/strong>\u201d would be set as a \u201cteam<\/strong>\u201d, would be self-supported<\/strong> and unaided<\/strong>.\u00a0 The route was delineated by the established National Park Trail system.\u00a0\u00a0 During the run, one runner had a weak moment and encouraged the other to continue without her, however, it was reaffirmed that they were a team and would accomplished the goal together or not at all<\/strong>.\u00a0 They succeeded and gained a \u201cteam\u201d fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong>. \u00a0They also succeeding in breaking previously documented female speed records for the route, which gave them individual speed records as well.<\/p>\n A few days afterward, Darcy P. Africa, challenged their fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0A remarkable time resulted and definitely a female fastest known time (FKT)<\/strong>.\u00a0 The feat; however, \u00a0may be categorized neither as a \u201csolo\u201d nor as a \u201cteam\u201d effort, unless the team is a coed team, in that she was accompanied by male runners capable of keeping a record pace<\/strong> and giving, at minimum, mental support<\/strong>.\u00a0 Though her time was faster than all other women for that route, her record is distinguishable from the prior \u201cteam\u201d effort and from any prior or subsequent completely \u201csolo\u201d effort.\u00a0 (Solo efforts, should also be distinguished by layers or levels of support<\/strong>.\u00a0 For example, was water stashed previously?)<\/p>\n It is not any more difficult to distinguish the differences in the fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0\u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> discussed above than it would be to distinguish an additional fastest known time\u00a0(FKT)\u00a0record<\/strong> utilizing preset repels off the 3000 vertical feet of cliffs per rim in the Grand Canyon versus using only the trail.<\/p>\n In the Tetons, \u00a0the name Carolyn Ortenburger, born in 1962, began appearing on summit registers in 1969, including the Exum Ridge route on the Grand Teton when she was aged 7.\u00a0 My son, Matthew Thatcher, is the youngest known person to summit Teewinot at age 6.\u00a0 These examples, of course, are for \u201cassisted\u201d records.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I determined to set a Mountain Bike fastest known time (FTK) record<\/strong> on Moab\u2019s White Rim, the rules I set for myself included being completely unassisted<\/strong>, solo<\/strong>, and self supported<\/strong> the full 103 miles, which meant carrying two gallon-sized reservoirs and two large bottles.\u00a0 During the ride, flat tires and other problems had to be fixed before proceeding and other obstacles overcome without assistance<\/strong>, before setting a record fastest known time (FKT) of 8 hours and 12 minutes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Later, another cyclist rode the course and claimed online and in other publications that he had broken my record.\u00a0 Officially, his fastest known time (FKT) \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> was set while he had a support vehicle<\/strong> for spares<\/strong> and extra sets<\/strong> of anything he needed including handing out water bottles<\/strong>, and other supplements<\/strong>, while also acting as a pacer<\/strong> and route finder<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Though the difference might seem like whining or knit picking to those who have not been through these types of grueling record attempts, having support is a substantial advantage mechanically, physically and mentally<\/strong>.\u00a0 The risk factor also decreases substantially<\/strong>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Speed is certainly increased incrementally as an individual chooses minimalism over safety<\/strong> and tips the balance toward \u201cnaked faith\u201d.\u00a0 Carrying enough water, foods, weather kit, first aid and other items is a personal choice, which could substantially effect speed<\/strong>, and may encourage minimalist repetition with disastrous consequences.\u00a0 Choice of gear should be documented<\/strong> with other details and minimalism possibly discouraged as to some routes.\u00a0 \u00a0My personal style is that I still prefer to maintain a minimal amount of safety, and always carry a kit and jacket<\/strong>.\u00a0 Many basics might be standard<\/strong> and even required<\/strong> as to the needs of \u201cself-supported<\/strong>\u201d events.\u00a0 Such rules should be followed if they exist for a course or event.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n An issue, which both Glidden and Anderson mentioned, involves respecting the rules<\/strong> of the place in which you find yourself.\u00a0 So, the \u201cPark Service would have no grounds for complaint.\u201d\u00a0 You may be the best climber in the world or the fastest runner but that does not entitle you to disregard rules and convention in a place you do not own<\/strong>.\u00a0 Cutting trails substantially lessons the \u201cdegree of difficulty<\/strong>\u201d and is especially disrespectful<\/strong>,\u00a0 even illegal<\/strong>, when it occurs in an area set apart as a National Park or other special grant.\u00a0 However, even if a place isn\u2019t set aside by state or federal proclamation, it is still worthy of responsible behavior<\/strong>.\u00a0 We are just travelers in a place that will, hopefully, be here long after we are gone. \u00a0I value an ecology minded life and promote using a trail whenever one is available<\/strong>. (Please see www.leavenotrace.com<\/a> ).\u00a0 My climber daughter also assures me that many climbers are increasingly trying to leave \u201cno trace\u201d as reflected in a desire to use less invasive equipment, \u00a0clean away old and redundant protection, and keep \u201capproach\u201d paths to a minimum, all reflecting \u201cminimalist<\/strong>\u201d attitudes<\/strong> and ethics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n My attempts at \u201crecord breaking<\/strong>\u201d or \u201crecord setting<\/strong>\u201d have really been more about pushing my own limits and improving myself<\/strong>.\u00a0 Still, speed is where it has gone, and\u00a0If we expect to be treated with the same honor and respect the world imparts to other \u201cchampions<\/strong>\u201d, such as those to be found in track and field<\/strong> events, triathlon<\/strong>, cycling<\/strong> and Ultra-running races<\/strong>, we must establish a code of ethics<\/strong>, honor<\/strong> and etiquette<\/strong> amongst us.<\/p>\n This code should accord deference to existing fastest known time (FKT) records<\/strong> as to route and style, as discussed, \u00a0and allow for the possibility of entirely new records<\/strong> based on differing routes and styles<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 Fastest known times reference<\/strong> has helped set some great guidelines and requires a challenger to contact a current record holder<\/strong>.\u00a0 This shows respect<\/strong> and also allows monitoring of the challenge<\/strong>.\u00a0 (See http:\/\/fastestknowntime.proboards.com\/<\/a> ).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n When Hawks was interviewed in 1968, at Winter Park, Colorado, he was sixty nine years old and was still doing a daily workout on cross-county skis and skiing at Winter Park, where he chose to hike to the top rather than use the lift.\u00a0 The year before, at sixty-eight years of age, he had walked up two of Colorado\u2019s 14,000-foot peaks in a short day.<\/p>\n While it is amazing to see what young, sponsored, and full-time career athletes are accomplishing, ultra, endurance<\/strong> and speed<\/strong> endeavors can be a life-long pursuit<\/strong> for many and as such, age and other relevant facts need to be distinguished.\u00a0 Now that I know Hawks may still hold a fastest known time record on the Grand for those aged 40+, I just may need to go for it again at 50+!<\/p>\n There are many other accomplishments that may not be adequately documented to qualify as official \u201crecords\u201d<\/strong> or \u201cbenchmarks<\/strong>\u201d but are worthy of note in the annals of \u00a0history and the traditions springing out of them.\u00a0 Christian Beckwith is operating a great site that lists records as \u201cofficial and unofficial<\/strong>.\u201d\u00a0 Some of the \u201cunofficial<\/strong>\u201d fastest known times involve just a person and a stopwatch<\/strong>.\u00a0 I have recorded a few such times, but these were about me just chasing time for my own personal improvement, pushing a stopwatch at the beginning and then at the end; These were never posted<\/strong>, were made without a witness<\/strong>, and had no official documentation<\/strong>.\u00a0 To me, none of these should be considered a \u201crecord.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 (See www.Outerlocal.com<\/a>)[7]<\/a><\/p>\n I know, first hand, the questions that are raised as to the validity of a fastest known time \u201crecord\u201d<\/strong> which even with when documented may still be controversial.\u00a0 Was it roped? How much snow was there? Was glissading possible?\u00a0 If so, how far was it glissaded? \u00a0Was the route cut?\u00a0 These are questions good documentation<\/strong> will cover.\u00a0 The clearer and more detailed the documentation<\/strong>, the more acceptance<\/strong>, authority<\/strong> and legitimacy<\/strong> a record will achieve over the years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In retrospect, holding a mountain \u201crunning\u201d fastest known time record for almost thirty years was a bit lonely.\u00a0 At the time, only a handful of people were doing that kind of thing. \u00a0\u00a0There was no way to chronicle the event, no GPS, no GoPro or digital camera, and no ability to truly share the journey with friends.\u00a0 Few had any understanding of what it was like or a basic understanding of what such an endeavor entailed.\u00a0 \u00a0I always believed I could do the Grand in sub-three hours, but no one challenged a return speed ascent.\u00a0 Meanwhile, many climbers turned to other peaks where new routes were the main draw.\u00a0 \u00a0I sought goals in other places\u2014and focused on cycling and other interests.\u00a0 When I went to the Tetons, it was often as a guide to friends and family\u2014getting them up and down in a sub 15 hour time was difficult at best.\u00a0 As time has gone by, I began to really wish someone would break that record for a couple of reasons.\u00a0 First, It was really dismaying when many suggested that I hadn\u2019t really accomplished the time claimed because it wasn\u2019t possible.\u00a0 It was a relief when Ricky Gates and Luke Nelson put in the first sub three and \u00bd hour times in many years.\u00a0 Second, I yearned for some idea where I would stand today, had I been in my prime now and with such \u201cpeers\u201d to help push limits.\u00a0 The best part for me about this trend toward mountain running is that I am finally able to discuss speed ascents and mountain running with others who actually do it\u2014and who understand what it entails<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A record fastest known time eventually \u201cbecomes history\u201d<\/strong> but it also shapes and defines history<\/strong> as well\u2014and influences the future of possibility<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0 No achievement, no matter how impressive, is ever accomplished in a microcosm. \u00a0\u00a0The accomplishment of one person is reliant on the accomplishments of many individuals.\u00a0 Without Jock Glidden setting a standard, I may have run the Grand simply to see how fast I could do it, but not with the goal of challenging what someone else had already proven was possible. \u00a0Reaching beyond the possible closes the gap on what is thought to be an impossible fastest known time.<\/p>\n Please respect route and style<\/strong>, keep it the same<\/strong>, or distinguish the differences<\/strong>.\u00a0 Notify any holder of a current record of intentions<\/strong>.\u00a0 If it\u2019s not going to be completely \u201csolo\u201d<\/strong>, specify this.\u00a0 If it is a \u201cteam\u201d effort<\/strong>\u2014make sure all individuals on the team follow the same route and finish together<\/strong>\u2014or the that the last time in, is the time that counts.\u00a0 If it is a paced<\/strong>, led<\/strong>, accompanied<\/strong> or otherwise assisted<\/strong> as to any part, document the details<\/strong>.\u00a0 Include detailed information about what is carried<\/strong> and what, if anything, is carried or fixed by others<\/strong>.\u00a0 Use witnesses<\/strong> at the beginning<\/strong>, DOCUMENTATION, STYLE AND ROUTE<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nTRADITION VS SPEED BASED HYBRID SPORTS ENDEAVORS<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SPEED ASCENTS, TRADITION AND <\/strong>PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nGROUND RULES <\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nSOLO VS ASSISTED EFFORTS <\/strong><\/h3>\n
DISTINGUISHING DIFFERENCES, ACCOUNTING AND DOCUMENTATION<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nSELF SUPPORTED VS ASSISTED ENDEAVORS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
AN ERA OF MINIMALISM<\/strong><\/h3>\n
RESPECTING EXISTING RULES AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\nLIFETIME AND OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SUMMARY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n