UPDATE (14/6/21): John and Steven set the FKT (Fastest Known Time) for the River Tay Way: 12 Hours 18mins 32 secs!!

Ultrarunning along the River Tay Way is kicking off for the first time this Friday as John Cassidy and Steven Watt of Young Hearts Run Free podcast take on the entire route.

They are taking on the ultrarun starting in Kenmore 50 miles following the River Tay to their hometown Perth.

This is the first ultrarun along the new River Tay Way, and people are welcome to join John and Steven, follow their progress online or come out along the route to cheer them on.

Follow them in the run up to the event and on the day via their Twitter (@yhrfpod) and Instagram (@youngheartsrunfreepodcast) feeds and via a GPS tracker they will have with them on the run (link to be released on social media soon).

Steven Watt and John Cassidy said:

When we discovered there was a new route following the River Tay, it felt rights running the length of the Tay to Perth. It felt quite fitting to run ‘home’.

There is a global movement called FKT – Fastest Known Time – it really emerged during lockdown where there was no racing.

A website is devoted to it where all of the major routes in the world have FKTs attached to them. Basically, it’s the fastest time they have ever been traversed and you upload evidence and your proof.

This will be an FKT attempt. We’re modest and don’t like to say we’re fast so we’re calling our run an OKT – Only Known Time. Or perhaps SKT – Slowest Known Time!

The River Tay Way is a new long-distance walking and cycling route between Perth and Kenmore following the mighty River Tay and connecting Perth, Luncarty, Stanley, Dunkeld and Birnam, Aberfeldy and Kenmore through a ‘daisy chain’ of community links to enable low-carbon, active travel and additional local economic income for the area. It has been developed by Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust (PKCT).

Andrew Barrie, PKCT’s Strategic Routes Officer, commented:

Ultrarunning is no small feat, and taking on the River Tay Way is going to be a fantastic chance for Steven and John to get in amongst some of the most spectacular countryside Perthshire has to offer. We hope the weather holds for them and wish all the best!

Find the Young Hearts Run Free podcast wherever you get your podcasts or on https://linktr.ee/youngheartsrunfreepodcast

Learn more about the River Tay Way, including downloadable maps and sights to see, at www.rivertayway.org