Published April 13, 2022 02:36PM
Sponsor Content: Athletic Brewing Company
An Inside Look at Jason Hardrath’s Journey to 100 FKTs
Watch the new documentary from Athletic Brewing Company that chronicles Hardrath’s record-breaking feat
Photo: Luke Webster
In the fall of 2020, Jason Hardrath, an elementary school P.E. teacher from Klamath Falls, Oregon, was closing in on his goal of setting 100 FKTs (fastest known times). One important question was on his mind: what objective was worthy of being number 100? Hardrath decided the Bulger List—a burly lineup of the 100 highest peaks in Washington State—fit the bill.
The pursuit of FKTs isn’t new. Until the age of the internet, however, reporting FKTs was largely done within tight-knit athlete communities. Today, anyone can chase the glory of logging an FKT thanks to the website that tracks it all: fastestknowntime.com. There athletes can see the time to beat on any of the hundreds of routes that have already been done, or they can submit their own for consideration. Hardrath had already set the fastest times on iconic routes like the Mount Rainier Infinity Loop (going up and down the mountain twice and running 90 miles around it) and on routes from Yosemite Valley to Red Rock Canyon. But 100 peaks for his 100th FKT was bold (the Bulgers are no gimmes) albeit poetic.
The Bulgers are a lifetime bucket list for many mountaineers in the Cascades and include a wide variety of objectives—glaciated volcanoes like Mount Rainier (Tahoma) and Mount Baker (Kulshan), technical and chossy Class 5 summit pyramids, and peaks that are dozens of miles away from a trailhead and involve heavy bushwhacking. The FKT record was 410 days. Hardrath whittled that time down to 50.
“When push comes to shove and it’s all added up, this may be the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Hardrath. Watch Journey to 100 to follow Hardrath’s incredible feat.
Where to Watch Journey to 100
Catch a screening of the film at one of these locations or tune in May 10 for the digital release on Outside TV.
- April 21: Klamath Falls, Oregon – Ragland Theater 7–9 p.m.
- April 23: Denver, Colorado – American Mountaineering Center 6:30–8:30 p.m.
- April 30: Portland, Oregon – The Hotel Zags 6:30–8:30 p.m.
- May 7: Seattle, Washington – The Mountaineers 6:30–8:30 p.m.
- May 9: Virtual Screening 7–9 p.m. Mountain Time
FastestKnownTime.com is part of the Outside family and the global home of the FKT movement. Check out the latest attempts and records by thousands of athletes worldwide—and log your own—by visiting today.