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Adidas/July 2021/
3 minute read

Timothy Olson Owns The Pacific Crest Trail's Fastest Known Time

Over 2,650 Miles, in 51 days, 16 hours and 55 min. Adidas ultrarunner and activist, Timothy Olson owns the Fastest Known (FKT) Time on the Pacific Crest Trail.

After two years of training and the postponement of last year’s planned attempt due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adidas ultrarunner and activist Timothy Olson, two-time winner and former record holder of the Western States 100-mile race, has set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the PCT. Over 2,650 MIles, in 51 days, 16 hours and 55 min. 
From the outset, the epic scale of his quest meant that Tim had to be prepared in ways that were different than ever before. 
 

I don’t even know what to expect, but I’m just excited to see what comes of it. Training for the PCT is just as much mentally challenging as it is physically challenging. I’m spending a lot of time on my feet... I’m hiking more than I usually do and not doing as much speedwork – just spending a lot more time out on the trails and getting used to long days and being sore... just dealing with all the challenges that may come.

– Timothy Olson 

 
At over 2,650 miles, stretching from Mexico to Canada and crossing through three states, the Pacific Crest Trail, or PCT, is the country’s second longest trail. It travels along the Sierra Nevadas and Cascades to bear witness to some of the country’s most varied and scenic ecosystems – everything from active volcanoes to untouched wildernesses to arid desertscapes to enticingly deep freshwater lakes. 
 
TrailRunning-FKT-BodyImage-2 

From moving to Ashland, OR, where the trail from my home took me to the Pacific Crest Trail, to my very first ultra, which was held on the trail, I knew in my soul I wanted to complete the entire PCT and attempt the Fastest Known Time in the process.

– Timothy Olson

 
On his epic journey, Tim bested the record of 52 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes by averaging over 50 miles a day up and down unforgiving terrain, accompanied by unpredictable weather, amid unrelenting exhaustion, and through both expected and unexpected challenges. Along the way, he also inspired others to find their own trails and goals, and helped raise awareness of plastic waste impacting everything from the oceans to the mountains. 
 

My whole career has been leading up to this point. As I put one foot in front of the other on the trails of my PCT dream that I’ve held in the front of my mind for so long, it became more than I’d ever imagined it to be

 
Every step along his quest, his training, his team and his family (which is one in the same in many cases), his nutrition, his mindfulness, and his TERREX footwear and apparel provided the mental, physical and emotional support that kept him ever moving forward, through the inevitable soreness and moments of self-doubt. 
 

I’m grateful for each moment on the trail as it unfolded, my family and my team’s support, the beauty of Mother Nature, and for the amazing journey.

TrailRunning-FKT-BodyImage-1 
 
A big part of the Pacific Crest Trail’s identity is shaped by “thru-hikers” who cover many miles along the trail over periods of several days, weeks and even months. Thru-hikers have been very supportive of Timothy’s attempt to claim the trail’s Fastest Known Time, and they can be counted on to cheer him as he passes. One of their traditions is to bestow trail names upon fellow thru-hikers (and in Tim’s case, thru-runner!), and how each name is given is part of the mystery and mystique of the trail. Tim has been anointed “The Mirage,” and the name has reflected and shaped his new identity on the PCT as someone who “appears out of nowhere and disappears into the distance”! 
 
Tim received additional influxes of encouragement and overall stoke that was provided along the way by a rotating cast of supporters, pacers, and friends, some of whom he was reconnecting with for the first time in years. At countless trail heads and even within the sections themselves, Timothy was recognized and motivated, thanks to news of his attempt spreading through social 
media. "You got this, Tim!” and “Keep it up!" rang across the trail and social media, courtesy of fans and fellow PCT trail runners, hikers and visitors. 
 
From his pre-race preparations to the trek across the trail to his finish line celebration, you can look back on everything Tim accomplished to own the PCT FKT via @adidasterrex on Instagram and Outside Online.
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