It’s called a fastest known time, or an FKT for short. It’s a formal and public way to keep track of who’s gone the fastest on a trail, up a mountain, or through a canyon.
The official timekeepers are the regional editors at FastestKnownTime.com, who regularly update the website to show who’s doing what and how fast.
With modern technology, just about every runner has a GPS strapped to his wrist. That, in tandem with a satellite, can keep track of an athlete in real time. Plus cellphones can take geo-stamped photos, to prove it’s indeed the athlete completing the task.
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