Colorado Trail FKT: How DJ Fox Conquered All 500 Miles

The Colorado Trail is brutal. It’s 500 miles of rugged terrain with roughly 90,000 feet of elevation gain. 
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From Durango to Denver, every step is a challenge. And ultrarunner DJ Fox knows this better than most. 

• Last year pneumonia forced him to drop after covering about 420 miles of the Colorado Trail during an FKT attempt. 
• But that only made him want to run all 500 miles even more.
• Earlier this year, DJ didn’t just finish it—he set a new fastest known time (FKT).

Want to know what it takes to tackle a 500-mile challenge like this?
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Check out this Q&A with DJ Fox about his Colorado Trail FKT...

DJ Fox: I was living two miles from the trailhead, seeing it over and over again. It became this thing I was thinking about...
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So I’m like, "Man, it'd be really cool to just keep going." 
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I looked at the overall time for the fastest time...and I went, "You’re right, let’s do it."

DJ Fox: There’s no blueprint for any of this. It’s not like you can Google, "How to run 500 miles in under eight days." 
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I think time on feet is the most important aspect of this. 

• I just did a ton of miles, almost all of it very easy moving.
• I lived with a pair of hiking poles in my hands.
• I was just looking for miles and vert, miles and vert, miles and vert, the entire year.

DJ Fox: You get to the next crew stop and you have to make a decision, like, "I’m gonna go do this." 
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At one point, a thru-hiker turned around and said to me: 

• "There is a version of you at the end of this that has the FKT record." 

And I thought, "I can see it. I don’t like it right now. It sucks. It’s going to hurt, but I’m going to be that person."

DJ Fox: I was in a mental funk. I wasn’t feeling great.
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I looked at my girlfriend and was like, "Can I have a hug?" 
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I just sat on her shoulder and bawled for what felt like an eternity. 
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Then I let go and said, "I’m gonna go do this."

DJ Fox: There’s no chance in the world I could have done anything out there that I did without my people. 
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I mean, I had to go out there and do the physical exertion part and move my body from Durango to Denver.
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But there was so much in between there. My team deserves so much credit at the end of the day.

DJ Fox: The plan was 300 calories an hour at a baseline. 
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I had these high-density mixtures—900 calories in a 500-milliliter soft flask—like a giant gel. 

• But after 24 hours, I’d sip and feel this heavy sensation in my stomach. 
• It just didn’t sound good anymore. So I ended up switching to just solid foods.

DJ Fox: Last year, I made it about 420 miles in before I had to pull the plug and hopped in the back of an ambulance. 
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Pneumonia is what ended up taking me off the trail. 
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I kind of obsessed about it ever since. 
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So this year, I gave myself the entire year leading into it and didn’t really care about anything else.

DJ Fox: I told myself and everybody with me that the trail and my team get 100 percent of my heart and soul today. 

• I pushed 10-minute miles as long as I could.
• I was bearing down, hamstrings twinging, just trying to get there. 
• I wanted to finish with no doubts.

DJ Fox: I hit the sign, went over to the shade, starfished, and got my breathing to calm down. 

• It was a year and a half project, and in that moment it was over. 
• Then I got up, looked around, and my friends were just standing around me, all quiet. 
• I broke out in tears and hugged each of them. 

There’s no chance in the world I could have done it without them.

DJ Fox: I don’t plan on running a step for at least a month. 
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I’m just really looking forward to:

• Getting under some weights, putting another big strength block in. Some squats, deadlifts, overhead press, pull-ups.
• And I want to get on the jiu-jitsu mat. 

Those are the two things I’m really looking forward to right now.

DJ Fox’s journey along the Colorado Trail proves that limits are just starting points.
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Setting a new FKT didn’t come easily—it took months of relentless training, sheer determination, and a team that believed in him.
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For every runner out there, DJ's achievement is a reminder...

• Challenges are meant to be conquered. 
• No trail, race, or personal goal is too tough when you commit fully and give it everything you’ve got...even if you fail the first time.

Push your boundaries, trust in your preparation, and embrace the journey. Who knows? You might just set your own record. 

For the full interview with DJ Fox, listen to the Hobby Jogger Podcast interview:

• 🔊E24|DJ Fox Breaks Colorado Trail Fastest Known Time