Teaser | Restlessly Relentless: 750-mi Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) Fastest Known Time (FKT)

Christof Teuscher

On Fri, Jul 29, 2016, I completed a speed record on the 750-mi Oregon Desert Trail (ODT): 17 days and 15 hours. I averaged 43 miles per day without any rest day in some of the most challenging terrain I ever navigated. Below is a short teaser for a longer movie that will be coming out soon. Sign up for the e-mail notifications (see right tabs) if you’d like to get updates.

Direct URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D8Lz0TIie8

The Trail

The trail is the brainchild of the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA). Because of its novelty and uniqueness, it was featured in both a National Geographic (“World’s Best Hikes: 20 Dream Trails“) and CNN article (“10 of the world’s most amazing long-distance trails“). Compared to other long-distance trails, the 750-mile ODT is very challenging for a thru-hiker/runner, both physically and logistically. There are few reliable water sources, the trail is extremely remote, 267 miles (36%) are cross-country, and the environment is very unforgiving.

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odt_overview_elevation

Map of the conceptual trail designed by ONDA. (c) Map by Mapbox. For an interactive version, click here.

Additional ODT Resources and Posts

ODT2: Gear

Christof Teuscher

For the geeks and curious, here is a complete list of the gear I used for the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) speed record. I spent a lot of time and money optimizing this list. The base pack was just above 9lbs. It got lighter over time as a I used many of the med kit items, sunscreen, toiletries, etc.

Overall, the gear selection worked great. I only wished I had a pair of long pants for the 3 nights when the temperature dropped below 30F, but I didn’t suffer too much. Since it never rained, I only used the bivy bag once against some strong winds at night.

What I was wearing

[table width=”600″ colwidth=”40″ colalign=”left”]
Item
La Sportiva Quest shirt
Salomon S-Lab Exo TW shorts
Outdoor Research Spectrum sun sleeves
Glacier Glove Ismorada sun gloves
Skins calf tights
Knee sleeves
Drymax Trail Run 1/4 Crew socks
La Sportiva Mutant shoes
Black Diamond Z-Poles
Julbo Venturi sunglasses
Ultimate Direction Desert Hat
Suunto Ambit2 GPS watch
Suunto Ambit3 Peak GPS watch
[/table]

The pack

[table width=”600″ colwidth=”10|60|30|30|20|” colalign=”left|left|left|left|left”]
Quantity,Item,Item weight [g],Weight [g],% of total weight
1,Raidlight Ultra Olmo 20l with 4l front pack,860,860,20.12
1,Western Mountaineering SummerLite sleeping bag,490,490,11.46
1,Integral Design Siltarp 1 + 4 tent stakes,304,304,7.11
1,Tape and medical kit (initial weight),256,256,5.99
1,Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer down jacket,197,197,4.61
2,Raidlight bottles (750ml),98,196,4.59
1,GoalZero battery pack with 4 AA batteries,175,175,4.09
1,Klymit Inertia X Lite sleeping pad,173,173,4.05
1,Repair/backup kit + 4 AAA batteries,151,151,3.53
1,Ultimate Direction ultra rain jacket,146,146,3.42
1,SPOT satellite transponder with 4 AAA batteries,114,114,2.67
1,Raidlight rain pants,112,112,2.62
1,Extra La Sportiva Legacy shirt,106,106,2.48
1,Ruta Locura Wasatch bivy bag,105,105,2.46
1,Black Diamond ReVolt headlamp with 3 AAA batteries,94,94,2.20
1,Toiletries,92,92,2.15
1,North Face 5″ shorts,86,86,2.01
2,Ultimate Direction soft bottles (17oz),41,82,1.92
1,GoPro Session camera,73,73,1.71
2,Ultimate Direction soft bottles (14.2oz),31,62,1.45
1,Knee sleeves,52,52,1.22
1,CEP ultralight compression socks,46,46,1.08
1,Extra socks,45,45,1.05
1,Suunto Ambit charging cable,41,41,0.96
1,Columbia omni-heat glove liner,36,36,0.84
1,Sunscreen,35,35,0.82
1,Salomon soft bottle (500ml),27,27,0.63
1,Sea to Summit bug head net,27,27,0.63
1,Raidlight waterproof overmitts,25,25,0.58
1,Salomon beanie,20,20,0.47
1,Half buff,20,20,0.47
1,GoPro charging cable,16,16,0.37
1,MSR foldable spoon,10,10,0.23
,Total [g],,4274,[g]
,Total [lbs],,9.423,[lbs]
[/table]