FKTs have become a marketable quantity post-pandemic. Are they on par with traditional race wins or social media influence as the new path to pro running sponsorship?
A growing body of research suggests that there may be negative implications for our mental health at high elevations. As we look deeper into these findings, questions surface about how much altitude might affect our state of mind, and whether moving to that picturesque mountain town is actually worth the potential risks. Surprisingly, I hadn’t contemplated the impact of altitude on mental performance until I came across a 2019 study.
On September 27, six athletes were tasked with running 3.2 miles up the technical dirt hiking trails of Colorado's Steamboat Ski Resort climbing 2,200 feet with an average grade of about 12 percent with the chance to set a new fastest known time (FKT) and win a massive prize. While normally that kind of "Type II fun" is just for the sake of testing yourself and earning respect within the trail running community, what made this FKT attempt vastly different was the opportunity to earn an athlete sponsorship deal with a trail running shoe brand for the 2024 race season. Yes, that's correct, Merrell created an event to challenge runners to establish a new FKT and was prepared to reward the fastest athlete in each gender with a respectable financial stipend and loads of gear while welcoming them to Merrell's elite athlete team through the next year.
Jacquie Mannhard knew from the first mile of the Leadville 100 that she was going to have an amazing day. JP Giblin, on the other hand, literally needed a pat on the back from one of his running heroes to boost his spirits midway through the race. Giblin, a 28-year-old runner from Boulder, Colorado, was last year's runner-up in Leadville and the second-place finisher at the Bandera 100K in Texas back in January.