FKT Master Class From Iris Pessey
18 7月 2024
For SCOTT Athlete Iris Pessey, setting an FKT in her hometown of Le Grand-Bornand, France has been high on her bucket list for a long time. On Sunday 14th July 2024, the stars aligned and the stage was set for Iris’ long awaited mission – go from the heart of Le Grand-Bornand village to the top of Pointe Percée (29km and 1900m+) in under 4 hours. And The SCOTT team had front seats for all the action, here’s how it all went down...
“You must treat an FKT like a race in itself. The planning, the effort, the precision.”
Setting an FKT on home turf has been on Iris’ hit-list for a long time. But making time for it amongst a busy race calendar in recent years was not an easy task. “You must treat an FKT like a race in itself. The planning, the effort, the precision – I wanted to give it my best,” Iris told us. Finally, mid-July offered a tiny slot in her racing calendar and Iris decided it was now or never. Making this date even more special: July 14th is France National Day and Mountain Celebration Day in the village of Le Grand Bornand, a special place for Iris.
“I was hanging from a tree with no way to come down at 10pm the night before my FKT attempt....”
It was a rough start, with an unexpected family issue throwing the FKT attempt into question. But, with some persuasion from her family members, she decided to go for it and the countdown was on. The eve of the challenge arrived with a new obstacle to overcome when Iris crashed her paraglider, leaving her hanging from a tree, 7 meters from the ground at 10pm with no way to come down... Having extracted herself and squeezed in some poor sleep, Iris was relieved in the final few seconds before the attempt began the following day. “Somehow when I got to the start line and saw that all the people I love were there for me, it gave me a lot of energy and confidence in what I could do to make things right,” she said.
“It was probably the best race management I have ever done in my life.”
From there, Iris began what turned out to be one of her best performances ever. “It was probably the best race management I have ever done in my life, pushing really hard but avoiding unnecessary efforts,” she said, proud of her achievement. She stayed focused the entire time, seamlessly donning a helmet to scramble vertical rock walls and sliding down the descents at high speed in true Iris fashion.
“When I saw I finished in 3:36 I couldn’t believe it.”
The original plan was to complete the route in 4 hours, but as the day approached, reality had other plans: Iris smashed the route in an impressive 3 hours and 36 minutes, much faster than she had anticipated. “When I saw I finished in 3:36 I couldn’t believe it. It was a truly solid performance,” she said. For this challenge, Iris had taken big risks with her training, even more than she usually does for important races and it seems they paid off. Just last week, she ran 6000 meters of vertical descent in one day, taking the gondola back up each time to get her legs used to going down. “I was sore until the day before the attempt, but I think it really paid off. I knew I could set a record, but I wanted to be absolutely on top of my game… it ended up paying off with that big reward.”
“I wanted to be absolutely on top of my game… it ended up paying off with that big reward.”
A special route for Iris, starting from the chaotic heart of the village where there were lots of unfamiliar faces, but also some familiar ones. “I could see all the people that live here, friends, family, old babysitters, ex-coaches, people I’ve lost touch with - they were all out on the road cheering for me.” The higher she got on the route, the more close friends she saw and at the summit, among others, was her first ski coach, who had taken her up there when she was only 8 years old.
Back in the village on the way down, hundreds of people were waiting, the national anthem was playing and emotions ran high as Iris collapsed on the finish line in blissful exhaustion. “The challenge became an even bigger deal for me because people cared, not because we spent money on advertising it.” Iris even had a friend fly in from London early in the morning and her brother, who never runs, joined her for the entire last road section.
When asked if she would attempt another similar challenge in the future, Iris said she wants to enjoy the present and not worry much about what’s to come. She pointed out that, “for me, this FKT was about doing what I love. No prizes, no awards, no rankings… but it’s the closest place in my heart.”
About FKTs
Holding an FKT (Fastest Known Time) in your hometown is an alluring concept for most runners. But while most of us settle for a life dedicated to stealing Strava segments, there are those with the talent and grit take things a step beyond.... The ultimate bragging right for those fast enough to take them on, FKTs see athletes pushing themselves against the clock on a specific route, showing their endurance, grit and above all, speed to take the ultimate glory – the FKT.
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