Running 453 Miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in Record Time
A day-by-day photo diary of setting a new supported FKT of the Oregon Pacific Crest Trail.
From July 16-24, Yassine Diboun and Scott Loughney successfully ran and hiked 453 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail, crossing the entire state of Oregon from the Oregon/California border to the Oregon/Washington border with help from a tireless support crew. In the process, they raised money for three charities and set a new supported fastest known time (FKT) on the route of eight days, 12 hours and 5 minutes, beating the previous record of eight days and 19 hours held by Joe McConaughy. (They originally aimed to beat the self-supported FKT of 7 days and 22 hours set by Brian Donnelly in 2013, but had to quickly adjust to the new goal in the final days of the run.)
Along with Diboun and Loughney, fellow runner Travis Liles who had set out with them on Day 1 of the run had to call it quits on Day 4 after covering 215 miles on the PCT. Tendonitis had developed on the top of his foot and ankle, making it excruciatingly painful for him to even maneuver his foot up or down. “It was a very crushing feeling to drop,” Liles says. “However, I knew there was still work to be done so I gave myself a moment to let it all sink in, accept that my role of a runner was gone, and then I turned my attention to making sure we set Yassine and Scott up for success from that point forward.”
Recapping the entire experience, Diboun wrote on his Facebook, “(It) almost broke us down physically, mentally and emotionally. We constantly had to rally and lift our spirits as we traversed rugged terrain, snow, vicious mosquitos, lots of trees blocking the trail, and we dealt with the worst sleep deprivation I’ve ever experienced. I cried almost every day on the trail. And yet it was such a cleansing and primal experience. This adventure taught us so much, brought so many people together for a great cause and challenged us to the brink that it will likely take a long time to process it all.”
Check out the day-by-day photo diary of their adventure below and read more about the run and the story of how it came together here.
Photos: Chris Low
