Brian Robinson is a competitive distance hiker and long-distance runner, holding multiple world-firsts and ultramarathon world records. Robinson was the first person to hike the

Triple Crown of Hiking The Triple Crown of Hiking informally refers to the three major U.S. long-distance hiking trails: * Appalachian Trail – , between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine and traversing North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wes ...

(

Pacific Crest Trail The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), officially designated as the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, is a long-distance hiking and equestrian trail closely aligned with the highest portion of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, which lie ...

Appalachian Trail The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...

, and

Continental Divide Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail (CDT)) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico a ...

) in one year, a total distance of over 7,000 miles.Tresniowski, Alex; O'Connor, Colleen; Billups-Kneeland, Andrea (December 10, 2001), "March Madness". ''People''. 56 (24):117

Hiker Triple Crown

In 2000, Robinson decided to take a six-month leave of absence from his job at

Compaq Compaq Computer Corporation (sometimes abbreviated to CQ prior to a 2007 rebranding) was an American information technology company founded in 1982 that developed, sold, and supported computers and related products and services. Compaq produced ...

and attempt the Pacific Crest Trail with his father Roy, who himself is a seasoned backpacker. Midway through the trip, Brian realized the Hiker Triple Crown might be achievable in a single year.Ballard, Chris (July 23, 2001), "Walking the Walk". ''Sports Illustrated''. 95 (3):A20 Robinson completed the Triple Crown with support from his friends and family. Support for his pursuit ranged from notes of encouragement in trail registers, to regular food resupplies mailed to strategic points along the route, and even a complete equipment replacement by a near-stranger after his backpack, containing most of his original gear, was lost. His father maintained a website with frequent updates from his daily journal and the most current photographs. During Robinson's travail, he overcame several emotional obstacles including having his pack misrouted during a bus transfer, discovering on September ''12'', 2001 that the US had been attacked, and encountering a woman that might have been "the one." Because of his rapid hiking pace, his fellow through-hikers began calling him "Flyin' Brian", a trail name he continues to use.

Ultramarathons

In the years following his calendar-year Hiker Triple Crown, Robinson became an active ultramarathoner. He has completed several 100-mile races, including the

Western States 100 The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. The race starts ...

and the

Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run The Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run is an ultramarathon in length, with of climb at an average elevation of over . The race is held on a loop course on 4WD roads, dirt trails, and cross country in Southern Colorado's San Juan Range, US. T ...

. In 2008 he set the record at the

Barkley Marathons The Barkley Marathons is an ultramarathon trail race held each year in Frozen Head State Park in Morgan County, Tennessee. The course, which varies from year to year, consists of five loops of the 20 miles course for a total of . Some racers hav ...

, a grueling 100+ mile course in

Frozen Head State Park Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area is a state park in Morgan County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The park, situated in the Crab Orchard Mountains between the city of Wartburg and the community of Petros, contains some of ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. His record time was held for four years, until surpassed in 2012. A feature in the Washington Post chronicles his attempt to finish the race in 2007.

Footnotes

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Hikers Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Hist ...

American male ultramarathon runners Living people Year of birth missing (living people)