Record success for Kristian as he achieves a dream
An endurance runner from the Black Country has made history after becoming the fastest man over an American mountain range.
Kristian Morgan completed the southbound route of the Appalachian trail, which runs for 2,200 miles from Mount Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in Georgia across a range of terrain including mountains and rivers, in 45 days, four hours and 27 minutes.
In successfully completing the route in that time, the 46-year-old recorded the Fastest Known Time (FKT), a measure used in endurance running where world records are hard to judge, run between August 7 and September 16.
It marked the second time Kristian, who lives in Dulwich in London, but grew up in Wolverhampton, had completed the route in either direction, having failed to complete the course in 2019 and 2021, but completing the northbound route in 2022.
He said he had overcome dreadful weather conditions on the way, including roads being washed away due to rainfall and 100 mile per hour winds.
He said: "The conditions were the worst I've ever seen and, unfortunately, a hiker lost his life because of the weather.
"We had to delay the start twice because of record rainfall washing roads away and hikers being told to get off of the trail due to river crossings not being where they were supposed to be.
"I had to wait for a while and then had a small window with which to get going, but I see the after effects of the floods as the trails were so muddy and I think there was close to a hurricane over Mount Washington with 100 mile an hour winds which I had to cross by myself, but I persevered and while it wasn't the right conditions, I had the right mindset."
Kristian said he had covered 85 miles on the last day, running through the night to complete the trail, and spoke about his sense of achievement, as well as what was next for him.
He said: "It's great, but I think it's the journey, not the destination, and it was a fantastic journey, with some great support from my crew members Iceman and Gun Section, which are their trail names.
"They helped me along with this and having them celebrate this achievement with me was fantastic and I feel fortunate to have shared this journey with them.
"Looking ahead, I'd love to get a film crew involved in my next run for the northbound record, as I have a few memories, but it would be wonderful to have that record of it to watch back."
To find out more about Kristian, go to instagram.com/kristianultra/?hl=en
