I didn’t expect to win FKT of the Year for the Appalachian Trail, but here we are.

This video is not about splits, miles per day, or how fast the record was. It’s about the decade-long path that led to it. From leaving college in 2011 and discovering thru-hiking, to years of chasing adventure while trying to fit into a traditional career, to hitting some of the lowest points of my life, including suicidal depression, and finding my way back through the outdoors.

The Appalachian Trail has been a thread running through my entire adult life. The structure of long days, defined goals, resupply points, and moving forward one step at a time makes sense to my brain in a way the outside world often doesn’t. Trails gave me a place to belong when I didn’t feel like I fit anywhere else.

I also talk honestly about 2020, canceled plans, working at a grocery store, feeling like a failure, and how nothing about this journey was overnight. Just chipping away, year after year, at something I loved, even when it felt impossible.

We also raised over $43,000 for the Trevor Project during this FKT. That mattered more to me than any award. It was proof that people care, that kindness is real, and that we all belong, even when things feel loud, divided, or overwhelming.

This is a reflection on why the doing matters more than the accomplishment, why praise is hard for me to sit with, and why I believe if you truly love something, you’re willing to keep showing up for it, regardless of the outcome.

Thank you to everyone who supported this journey, donated, followed along, and showed kindness.

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Sawyer

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Mount to coast

As always, we can all be our own version of elite.

Stay elite, my friends.

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The conversation revolves around the Jeffrey Awards, celebrating achievements in ultra running, including new race directors, controversies, tragic FKTs, and the Walker of the Year award. The hosts discuss various nominees and their stories, highlighting the challenges and triumphs within the ultra running community. In this engaging conversation, Jeff Garmire and Derrick Lytle explore various themes in ultra running, including speed debates, the merits of double versus single track, and the significance of awards in the community.

The Jeffrey Awards – Categories & Nominees

Most Obvious New Race Director

Joe Corcione

Tim Tollefson

Dylan Bowman (added a 100K, Big Alta)

Carl Laniak (took over Barkley Marathons)

Finn Melanson (Antelope Island Buffalo Run)

We Should Be Your Publicist Award

Grand Slam Track

Candice Burt

2025 IAU 50K World Championships (canceled two weeks out)

Black Canyon 100K (cheating scandal)

Most Tragic FKT

Becca Bergstrom – multiple PCT attempts, quick failures

John Kelly – quit the AT a few hundred miles from the end

Kristian Morgan – approximately his 128th AT attempt

Eric Hallsten – quit Washington after averaging ~70 MPD

Krista Hallsten – fastest supported double TRT, not recognized, therefore “doesn’t count”

Walker of the Year

A.J. Waller (Cocodona 250)

Matt Johnson (Texas 1000)

Troy Croxdale (“Punisher”)

Madison Blagden (“Peg Leg”)

Andrea Moore (six 200+ mile races)

Lyla Harrod (Appalachian Trail FKT)

Finally It Happened Award

Kilian Jornet uses unlimited resources for an unmatchable FKT

François D’Haene loses an FKT (Nolan’s 14 to David Hedges)

Ryan Montgomery finally earns a Golden Ticket after global race hopping

Salt Lake City gets a Western States winner

Fastest Camera Operator

Jacob Banta

Drew Darby

Derrick Lyttle

Jeff Pelletier

Matt Shapiro

Forgot It Happened Award

Seth Ruhling course record at Black Canyon

Chipotle Showdown

David Roche ran Western States (kind of)

Unbreakable movie attempt

Gorge 100K Worlds qualifier

Courtney Dauwalter DNF at Cocodona

Double Track vs Singletrack Award

Double Track

Singletrack

Who Is That Award

Will Murray

Sarah Perry (395 miles)

Caitriona Jennings (Tunnel Hill, 100-mile world record)

Most Destroyed Trail

Any trail an e-bike touches

Arizona Trail

Owner of Zona (King of Arizona)

Candice Burt – Arizona Monster

Jamil Coury – Aravaipa

Abby Hall – Western States

Jim Walmsley

Sadie Curry – AZT FKT

Courtney Dauwalter vs Jim Walmsley Award

East Coaster of the Year

Dan Green (Cocodona)

Canyon Woodward (Golden Ticket)

David Sinclair

Tori Constantine (“Chewy”, Long Trail FKT)

Xander Keiter

Andrew Drummond (White Mountain Direttissima)

Weird Moment of the Year

David Roche giving up his Golden Ticket

Candice Burt doxxing someone on livestream

Kilian Jornet crowd sourcing his next FKT

Most Air Time Award

Chris Warden

Leah Yingling

A.J. Waller

Corrine Malcolm

Joe Corcione

Hypocritical Hero Award

Michelino Sunseri pardoned

Ruth Chepngetich doping ban one year after world record

Hayden Hawks Ultra Runner of the Year Award

Caleb Olson

Hans Troyer

Jeff Mogavero

Tara Dower

Katie Schide

Abby Hall

Megan Eckert (six-day world record, 603 miles)

Bezos Most Expensive Breakup Award

Katie Schide leaving TNF

Jeff Browning leaving Altra

Trend of the Year

Icy kiddie pools

Lying about Zone 2 pace

Moving across the country

Livestream everything

Running a marathon again

Influencer of the Year

David Poach

Nick Bare

David Goggins

Cam Hanes

Jeff Pelletier

Mike Wardian

Max Jolliffe

Most Pointless Miles

Jamil Coury

Kevin Russ

Matt Johnson

Andy Glaze

Derrick Lytle Award

Jeff of the Year (Audience Nominated)

Jeff Mogavero

Jeff Galloway

Jeff Garmire

Katie Schide

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Jeff Colt is back, calling in from Carbondale with a mission to help rehabilitate the name “Jeff” one mountain town conversation at a time. We start with winter training reality in ski country, how to keep momentum when the days are short, the “subsistence” weeks that quietly save your season, and the eternal debate of pants, tights, and looking cool versus staying warm. From there it turns into a bigger conversation about identity, planning, uncertainty, and why the simplest answer sometimes is “we just have Jeff,” so we might as well make it a good one.

Then we head straight into the good stuff, the White Mountains and the Mahoosuc Traverse, where “running” becomes scrambling, crawling, and three points of contact through the Mahoosuc Notch. Jeff breaks down the history and the legends (including Chris Getz and the steak stop), why style matters as much as speed in FKTs, and how different eras and ethics shape what we celebrate. We close with one of the most fun tangents of the whole Month of Jeff, what it is really like working in the AMC huts, from responsibility in dangerous weather to full-on blanket-folding skits, including Harry Potter and Frozen, all in service of three sacred rules: fold the blankets, pack out the trash, and tip the hut crew.

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Chapters

00:00 The Jeff Identity Crisis

06:19 Winter Training in Mountain Towns

09:18 Exploring the Mahusik Range

12:37 The Legacy of Chris Getz

15:27 Navigating the Mahusik Notch

18:29 Style and FKT Philosophy

22:00 The Challenge of Self-Supported FKTs

24:56 Planning and Uncertainty in Adventure

27:57 The Evolution of Trail Running Style

42:22 Exploring Style in Trail Running

44:16 The Debate on Supported vs. Unsupported

47:43 The Evolution of Trail Running

50:54 Killian Jornet: The Pinnacle of Trail Running

54:43 Authenticity in Trail Running

58:30 The Role of Creativity in Trail Running

01:03:31 Life Lessons from Working in the Huts

Subscribe to Substack: http://freeoutside.substack.com

Support this content on patreon: HTTP://patreon.com/freeoutside

Buy my book "Free Outside" on Amazon: https://amzn.to/39LpoSF

Email me to buy a signed copy of my book, "Free Outside" at jeff@freeoutside.com

Watch the movie about setting the record on the Colorado Trail: https://tubitv.com/movies/100019916/free-outside

Website: www.Freeoutside.com

Instagram: thefreeoutside

facebook: www.facebook.com/freeoutside