Exploring Appalachian Trail History and Endurance Records with Warren Doyle
08/11/24 • 103 min
Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!
This conversation with Warren Doyle might need a bit of context if you’re not well-versed in the long-distance thru-hiking scene in North America. Warren is a prominent figure in the Appalachian Trail community. While there's some debate about the exact beginning of the modern fastest known time (FKT) scene on the AT, Warren's impressive 1973 record of 66 days and change is widely considered a significant milestone.
Warren’s contributions to the trail are extensive. Over a 45-year period, he led eight large-group “circle” expeditions with near 100% completion rates. He founded the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association and established the Appalachian Trail Institute, which has helped thousands of hikers achieve their thru-hiking goals. He has also played a key role in preparing notable figures like Jenn Pharr Davis and Liz Derstine for record-setting endurance attempts, and has advised many other prominent endurance athletes, including Karel Sabbe.
I’m excited to have Warren on the show for several reasons. First and foremost, my deep love for the AT and my ongoing quest to understand its history. Warren has been a central figure in shaping the trail’s scene over the past 40 to 50 years. In our conversation, we’ll explore topics like the nature of endurance records on long trails, the purpose of the AT, social change, the impact of the outdoor industry on thru-hiking culture, the relationship between government and nature, and much more.
Regardless of your familiarity with the scene, I think you’ll find this episode engaging. Warren is a vibrant and generous conversationalist, and I’m sure you’ll gain a lot from our discussion.
Timestamps:
- 02:00 Introduction and Backlash on the AT
- 10:34 The Commercialization of the Outdoor Industry
- 17:48 The Relationship Between the Trail and the Government
- 25:22 The Importance of Substantive Conversations on the Trail
- 40:10 Regulations and Policing of Mount Katahdin
- 44:39 The Amateur Aspect of Endurance Hiking
- 47:26 The Role of Support Crews in Endurance Record Attempts
- 01:03:36 Challenges of Reintegrating into Society after the AT
- 01:11:54 Embracing a Wilderness State of Mind
- 01:17:04 Supporting Dreams and Moving Forward
- 01:24:05 The Role of a Social Change Educator
- 01:31:55 Concerns about the Future of the Appalachian Trail
Sponsors:
- Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
- Rabbit - use code Singletrack10 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 10% off your next order.
- Pillar Performance - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout on their website (https://pillarperformance.shop/) to get 15% off your next order.
- deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order.
Additional Links:
Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!
This conversation with Warren Doyle might need a bit of context if you’re not well-versed in the long-distance thru-hiking scene in North America. Warren is a prominent figure in the Appalachian Trail community. While there's some debate about the exact beginning of the modern fastest known time (FKT) scene on the AT, Warren's impressive 1973 record of 66 days and change is widely considered a significant milestone.
Warren’s contributions to the trail are extensive. Over a 45-year period, he led eight large-group “circle” expeditions with near 100% completion rates. He founded the Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association and established the Appalachian Trail Institute, which has helped thousands of hikers achieve their thru-hiking goals. He has also played a key role in preparing notable figures like Jenn Pharr Davis and Liz Derstine for record-setting endurance attempts, and has advised many other prominent endurance athletes, including Karel Sabbe.
I’m excited to have Warren on the show for several reasons. First and foremost, my deep love for the AT and my ongoing quest to understand its history. Warren has been a central figure in shaping the trail’s scene over the past 40 to 50 years. In our conversation, we’ll explore topics like the nature of endurance records on long trails, the purpose of the AT, social change, the impact of the outdoor industry on thru-hiking culture, the relationship between government and nature, and much more.
Regardless of your familiarity with the scene, I think you’ll find this episode engaging. Warren is a vibrant and generous conversationalist, and I’m sure you’ll gain a lot from our discussion.
Timestamps:
- 02:00 Introduction and Backlash on the AT
- 10:34 The Commercialization of the Outdoor Industry
- 17:48 The Relationship Between the Trail and the Government
- 25:22 The Importance of Substantive Conversations on the Trail
- 40:10 Regulations and Policing of Mount Katahdin
- 44:39 The Amateur Aspect of Endurance Hiking
- 47:26 The Role of Support Crews in Endurance Record Attempts
- 01:03:36 Challenges of Reintegrating into Society after the AT
- 01:11:54 Embracing a Wilderness State of Mind
- 01:17:04 Supporting Dreams and Moving Forward
- 01:24:05 The Role of a Social Change Educator
- 01:31:55 Concerns about the Future of the Appalachian Trail
Sponsors:
- Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
- Rabbit - use code Singletrack10 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 10% off your next order.
- Pillar Performance - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout on their website (https://pillarperformance.shop/) to get 15% off your next order.
- deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order.
Additional Links:
Previous Episode
Long Run Archives #18 | Backyard Ultra Olympics, Disrupting Western States 100 Elite Field, Moonshot Ultrarunning Ideas
Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!
Brett Hornig and Jeff Colt join the Singletrack Podcast for another edition of the Long Run Archives. We talk about the prospect of the backyard ultra format being added to the Olympic games, insights for trail runners from the Tour de France, a Western States 100 with no automatic returning top-10 runners, the value of increasing popularity in fastest known time attempts, and speculate where top runners like Zach Miller and Courtney Dauwalter might race next.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 Imagining the Backyard Ultra Format in the Paris Olympics
- 08:28 Tour de France Nutrition Strategies for Trail Running
- 27:29 Training Partners vs. Crew Service
- 39:40 Changing the Invitation System for Western States
- 44:40 The Impact on Race Dynamics and Strategies
- 48:04 The Role of Team Support and Camaraderie
- 53:51 Improving the World Trail Majors' Team Format
- 1:15:09 Harnessing the Power of Self-Talk in Sports Performance
- 1:31:50 The Strava Pro Badge Purge
- 1:35:34 The Worth of Increasing the Popularity of the FKT Scene
Sponsors:
- Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
- Rabbit - use code Singletrack10 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 10% off your next order.
- Pillar Performance - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout on their website (https://pillarperformance.us/) to get 15% off your next order.
- deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order.
Additional Links:
Next Episode
Jim Walmsley | Western States Reflections, Summer Olympics Reactions, UTMB Outlook
Text us your thoughts about this episode or ideas for future episodes!
Jim Walmsley returns to the Singletrack Podcast to talk about his upcoming title defense at Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc (UTMB), final takeaways from his win at the Western States 100 in June, observations from spectating this year's Hardrock 100, whether he would ever do a full season on the Golden Trail series circuit, and how his career in ultrarunning has progressed to date both from training and race standpoints.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 The Increasing Competitiveness of Western States
- 09:02 The Importance of Mental Strength in Racing
- 15:19 Considering the Golden Trail Series
- 18:22 Adjusting Strategies for Future Races
- 22:50 The Challenges of the UTMB Course
- 27:56 Keeping Training Private for Focus
- 33:25 Approaching UTMB with Caution
- 35:30 Considering the World Trail Championships
- 39:31 The Longevity of a Successful Career
- 49:29 Finding Inspiration in Other Sports
Partners:
- Naak - use code SINGLETRACK20 at checkout on their website (https://www.naak.com/) to get 20% off your purchase.
- Rabbit - use code Singletrack10 at checkout on their website (https://www.runinrabbit.com/) to get 10% off your next order.
- deltaG Ketones - use code Singletrack20 at checkout on their website (https://www.deltagketones.com/SINGLETRACK20) to get 20% off your next order.
- Pillar Performance - use code SINGLETRACK at checkout on their website (https://pillarperformance.shop/) to get 15% off your next order.
Additional Links:
If you like this episode you’ll love
Episode Comments
Generate a badge
Get a badge for your website that links back to this episode
<a href="https://goodpods.com/podcasts/singletrack-281786/exploring-appalachian-trail-history-and-endurance-records-with-warren-68523941"> <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/goodpods-images-bucket/badges/generic-badge-1.svg" alt="listen to exploring appalachian trail history and endurance records with warren doyle on goodpods" style="width: 225px" /> </a>
Copy