Top Trails for FKTs

Fancy a different kind of challenge? Try to beat the fastest known time on some of Canada’s most rugged trails

With most races cancelled this summer, the new currency among elite racers and adventure-seeking recreational runners became fastest known times ( fkts) on trails. When runners can’t race, they can still try to set wickedly fast times on well-known trails, especially those that usually require a few days of hiking to complete. And Canada boasts plenty of those.

“Having an extra little bit of motivation, especially in the pandemic with no race goals, was great,” says Hilary Spires, a Vancouverbased ultrarunner and host of the Trail Running Women podcast, who recently tackled B.C.’s Juan de Fuca Marine Trail with fellow Vancouver transplant Katie Mills for an unsupported women’s team fkt of 7:06 in July. “To have a time-based goal that we were trying to get under was something to work toward: it made doing intervals a little bit more bearable beforehand.”

Unlike race winners, defining fkt holders is boggy ground, since the rules are ever-evolving. Currently, there are three support tiers: unsupported, self-supported (meaning you’ve dropped aid for yourself along the course before starting) and supported (meaning you have pacers and/or aid stations – even stopping at a water fountain counts), plus gender and team categories. It’s largely self-policed, based on data that you upload, and while you can technically claim an fkt anywhere, it’s generally assumed to be a longer trail and a seriously badass route.

We used the following criteria for inclusion: the achievement had to be listed on FastestKnownTime.com, the de facto site for serious runners to record fkts. There had to be multiple attempts – we wanted to focus on trails that were constantly being challenged and tested. So if you’re new to the fkt game or just looking for your next athletic challenge, consider checking out these amazing

Canadian adventures.