Trail winner fined over bubbly tipple

BRUNSWICK, MAINE: A Colorado trail runner who in July set a record for the fastest completion of the Appalachian Trail agreed to pay a $500 fine (about R6 500) this week to Maine after breaking state rules by celebrating his feat with champagne at the trail’s northern terminus, his attorney said.

Officials at Baxter State Park, home to the last 24km of the 3 508km trail that ends atop 1 606m high Mount Kathadin, fined Scott Jurek for violating park rules against drinking in public, littering and hiking with an oversized group.

Jurek, a professional ultramarathoner who completed the Georgia-to-Maine trek in 46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes on July 12, beat the previous record by more than three hours. The high-profile trek sparked concern among park officials and some wilderness advocates about the commercialisation and crowding of the Appalachian Trail, which has seen increasing use in recent years.

His journey was tracked in real-time by GPS, “liked” by tens of thousands on Facebook, followed by a support vehicle bearing the logos of several corporate sponsors.