Could you walk 50 miles in a day?
NorthCascades
Posts: 10,968 Member
Joe McConaughy of Seattle finished setting a new fastest known time on the AT last week. He hiked 2,190 miles in 45 and 1/2 days without support. That's an average of 48 hilly miles per day, carrying his shelter on his back.
The previous record was 54 days. This one seems likely to stand for a very long time.
It's hard to imagine the physical and emotional toll this must take on a person, or the dedication involved.
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-trail-unsupported-supported-speed-record-fkt-string-bean
The previous record was 54 days. This one seems likely to stand for a very long time.
It's hard to imagine the physical and emotional toll this must take on a person, or the dedication involved.
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-trail-unsupported-supported-speed-record-fkt-string-bean
1
Replies
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Probably not. If I could, it would likely be for one day only (unless slow zombies were chasing me, in which case I think I could find the motivation).4
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I am confident I could walk 50 miles in a day. But for 45 and 1/2 days in a row? That's amazing.4
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SURE!1
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Stories like this inspire me. It's amazing what humans are capable of. We all have great potential.5
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You sure he didn't have an alpaca hidden somewhere? I mean, "unsupported" means "no one keeping track," right?
It's quite an accomplishment!2 -
For one day, yes, maybe even 2. After that...no. I can't even imagine what it took to get to the level of maintaining that over 45 days1
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Not likely. My pace unburdened, without actively trying to walk faster, is about 3 mph. It would take me over 16 hours to walk 50 miles, not accounting for breaks or terrain. So I'm going to say nope.4
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His record is safe from me!
I might be able to walk 12-20 miles in a day right now assuming carrying stuff and breaks but would probably not be able to walk the next day so 45 days of walking all day is out.2 -
No way.
20 max @ 2.5 miles/hr for 8 hrs on foot for me.
Otherwise, I'll take a bike, cab, Uber, bus, train, Sega, horse, mule or donkey instead.2 -
Not me! I've walked maybe 20 - 22 miles with a daypack, but anything more would be waaay out of my range
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Not over the Whites. Maybe JMT or PCT. The AT over the Whites goes straight up and down rock fields.1
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I did a 40 mile walk in a day. Jeep broke down in the middle of nowhere, this was in '95 - didn't have OnStar or GPS nor did I have a cell phone. Was about a 40 mile hike back to civilization. My feet has calouses on the blisters, blisters on the calouses. Not fun.5
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Very inspiring!
With some training and under the right conditions (able to take breaks, decent weather, doing it to challenge myself and it's not a stressful situation) I believe I could!
I can walk 4 miles in just under one hour at a comfortable, moderate pace.
So it would take me 12.5 total hours to get it done.
Hmmm.....3 -
I ran/walked an ultra marathon.... 50 km of up & down trails ..... once..... I'm good with that. 3
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No, my max was in the Lake District in the UK for 18 miles and it took hours and destroyed me2
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Back to back marathons and/ or short ultras are quite enough for the moment.
A couple of days of 50s are feasible, but not for more than that.1 -
No, not through those hills!1
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Yes, but not for 50 days in a row...1
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That's one of the trails in the Whites. Its like that for 1 mile while gaining about 3000'. There's a tent platform, but it's a mile of constant boulders. Feels like it never ends
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Nope. My physical limitations say heck no.1
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NorthCascades wrote: »Joe McConaughy of Seattle finished setting a new fastest known time on the AT last week. He hiked 2,190 miles in 45 and 1/2 days without support. That's an average of 48 hilly miles per day, carrying his shelter on his back.
The previous record was 54 days. This one seems likely to stand for a very long time.
It's hard to imagine the physical and emotional toll this must take on a person, or the dedication involved.
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-trail-unsupported-supported-speed-record-fkt-string-bean
I don't know if that's possible for the average person. An average pace is like 3.0 miles per hour...that's like 16-17 hours of walking and 7 hours sleeping. Sacrificing one or the other or walking faster at some points. Geez.1 -
Farthest I've ever walked in a day is 12 miles and that nearly killed me..3
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GlassAngyl wrote: »Farthest I've ever walked in a day is 12 miles and that nearly killed me..
Farthest for me is 3.2 miles
and i got blisters after the first mile. 2 -
Ran a 50K two years ago, took 9.5 hours, I iced my legs and still could just barely hobble the next day.....so NO!2
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sheepingly wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Joe McConaughy of Seattle finished setting a new fastest known time on the AT last week. He hiked 2,190 miles in 45 and 1/2 days without support. That's an average of 48 hilly miles per day, carrying his shelter on his back.
The previous record was 54 days. This one seems likely to stand for a very long time.
It's hard to imagine the physical and emotional toll this must take on a person, or the dedication involved.
https://gearjunkie.com/appalachian-trail-unsupported-supported-speed-record-fkt-string-bean
I don't know if that's possible for the average person. An average pace is like 3.0 miles per hour...that's like 16-17 hours of walking and 7 hours sleeping. Sacrificing one or the other or walking faster at some points. Geez.
The message I get from this is it's amazing what a person can do. I think the average person is full of potential. So many people in here have lost huge amounts of weight, or transformed their bodies, or improved their health. The "success stories" area is really inspiring. Now, I wouldn't personally want to walk 50 miles a day for a month and a half, I have my own goals, meaningful ones for me. I take heart in stories like this, knowing we're all capable of incredible things. 5 -
Could you walk 50 miles in a day?
Possibly ... but I have a bicycle to do those sorts of distances. 2 -
So far, I think I can do ten... Based on how long it took me to walk to my destination and how fast I usually walk.1
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I think I could do 24, which is 8 hours at a 3 mph pace, over level ground. So nope, no way.
I vaguely recall my husband had to do 40 on a road march once when he was in Ranger training. He was something like 19 years old and very fit. I'll have to ask him.2 -
On one of his bad days he said he had to stop running after 10 miles. Meaning he tends to run most of it.
So could I walk 50 miles on one day? Possibly. Could I do what he did for even one day? No chance.2 -
If my children life depended on it - but otherwise, n to the o2
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