Fastest Known Time on the TRT

by Veronica Palmer Development Manager

The Tahoe Rim Trail, at about 171 miles long with almost 31,000 feet of vertical gain, poses a daunting challenge to anyone looking to complete the whole thing, let alone attempting to be the fastest person to ever complete it. That is exactly what local Tahoe City ultra-runner Adam Kimble set out to do this summer.

2020 was a challenging year that affected everyone differently. For ultrarunners, the cancelation of most big races, like the Tahoe 200 and Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Runs, left a void. Elite athletes like Adam started looking for something to do on their own. For many, the idea of setting a speed record, or Fastest Known Time (FKT), looked very appealing.

In the speed record community, there are multiple types of FKTs. The most popular are the supported and unsupported records. Supported means the runner has a team of people behind him/her helping along the way, providing food and water at different locations, or even running alongside to set the pace. An unsupported FKT means the runner is completely alone and unaided. They cannot even stash supplies for themselves ahead of time (this would be considered another type of record).

Adam set out to break the supported record set by Kilian Jornet in 2009 of 38 hours and 32 minutes. When people asked him before his attempt what time he wanted to run he told them, “if I could run 38:31 I’d be happy. Ten seconds under his time would be good enough for me.” Adam did his best to run the exact path that Jornet did 11 years earlier, starting and ending in Tahoe City, running clockwise, but the trail has changed a lot since 2009. With reroutes and other changes to the trail, Adam estimates that his run was about 6 to 7 miles longer than Jornet’s record-setting course in 2009.

Breaking a record on the TRT was not a new idea for Adam. He made his first attempt at the supported record in October of 2019. Unfortunately, after a missed resupply with his crew early on resulted in running for a few hours with no food or water during the heat of the day, he was never able to fully recover. He ultimately ended up missing the record by almost 8 hours. He walked away from that attempt knowing he didn’t give it his best try and he would be back to try again. He never thought it would be just nine months later. When his schedule cleared up due to racing event cancellations, he knew the time was right.

In July, Adam coordinated with friends in his running community and put together a support team to help him achieve his goal. His team was made up of a 4-person support crew, his wife and three friends, and seven pacers. Each pacer traded off running with him for 20-mile sections. “In my lowest moments they kept me focused,” he added, “it’s hard to get too negative when there is someone next to you telling you you’re doing great.”

As he ran, he found the hardest part was the long steady climb from Kingsbury Grade to the shoulder of Freel Peak. That section fell about 80 miles into his run and was done entirely in the dark. He said the climb was relentless. By the time he made it to Dick’s Pass in Desolation Wilderness, he knew based on his pace goals that he was likely to break the record. That realization gave him the mental boost he needed to power through the last section and finish strong.

Adam ended up shaving off a whole hour and twenty minutes from Killian’s time, finishing in 37 hours and 12 minutes. When asked what made him want to break the speed record on the Tahoe Rim Trail he said, “First and foremost, my love of the trail. I think of this as my home field. I wanted to play the biggest game on the home field.”