By Oksana Lightfield
For most of us, Friday, September 25 was shaping up to be another hazy, pollen-infused, goldenrod of an autumn day. Not for Lindsey Weaver. By the time some of us finished drinking our morning coffee and pondered the next development, our fellow Steep was already making history.
In just over two days, Lindsey would run the entire stretch of the C&O Canal, starting from Cumberland, MD and finishing in downtown Washington, D.C. 184.5 miles in 53 hours, 39 minutes, 33 seconds to be exact! That makes for an average pace of 17:00/mile. With the total moving time of 41 hours, 16 minutes, 12 seconds, the average pace comes down to 13:00/mile. Way to go, Lindsey!
Lindsey recorded the first-ever supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) by a female runner on the C&O canal. The FKT for a male runner was recorded on September 2, 2018 by none other than Mike Wardian, running the 184.5 miles of the gravel tow path in 36 hours, 48 minutes, 14 seconds.
The 2020 year of challenges paled in comparison to what Lindsey, a librarian by trade, working as a Media Specialist for FCPS, has accomplished. Lindsey was tracking her miles with Garmin fēnix 6S Pro and was wearing Hoka One One Speedgoat 3 trail running shoes. The Fitbrarian, as she cheekily describes herself, was fortunate to have the support of her boyfriend, Joshua McAlister, her family, and her friends and fellow Steeps who aided, encouraged, and paced her along the way. You can take a peek at the extensive Google Doc Spreadsheet Lindsey created for the FKT attempt that depicts the amazing level of her preparation for the event and the selfless dedication of her crew.
Having a good crew is crucial for any ultra running event, particularly an event of this magnitude, not only to make sure you execute everything according to plan, but also to have fun doing it. Lindsey summarizes this perfectly in her own Instagram comment:
“What a freakin’ amazing weekend! I cannot begin to express just how grateful I am for the awesome community of friends and family who came out to support my running adventure! Sure, I had a goal that I wanted to achieve, but the true joy of that weekend was sharing the experience with all of the wonderful people who supported me along the way. I couldn’t have done this without them!“
Lindsey Weaver on her achievement
Next time you see Lindsey, please give her a huge shoutout and congratulate her on this incredible feat of unrelenting strength, mental toughness, and perseverance. “Milepost 0″ has a new superhero queen, ladies and gentlemen, — Lindsey Weaver!
Check out some other places where you’ll find Lindsey’s FKT story in the running media: Canadian Trail Running, FKT, Garmin Connect. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook.