Coree Woltering: he's fast, fun, goes long ... and hates spreadsheets! - #144

Coree rose to prominence after his 21 day FKT on the Ice Age Trail, exactly one year ago. Before that he was seen rockin' a Speedo on the 10-part "World's Toughest Race" show on Amazon Prime (a great series). Coree has fun, and he has style. This is a very fun conversation with an intelligent and unique person - don't miss his captivating thoughts! "We intended to start everyday at 5:30am - the first day I woke up and said, 'Screw this; I'm going back to sleep.' Now we've changed the plan for FKTs: Start whenever I wake up - 10am or Noon - I'm totally fine with that. I prefer to run at night." Would it be safe to say you're not a methodical planner? "Absolutely. I don't like the logistics or planning - too much time to think. I want to be in top shape, and then just do it." In April Coree set the FKT on the 335 mile Pinhoti Trail in Alabama and Georgia. In this part of the country, there is no shortage of confederate flags flying. As a black man, out there sometimes alone at night, did he feel safe? "I didn't think about it. At mile 13, there was a giant confederate flag - I mean, giant. If anything, it made me more motivated. We want the outdoors experience to be available to everyone, and this demonstrates that. I never felt unsafe." "It was amazing. The people along that trail were awesome people. Pacers came out of the woodwork - they were working 8-5 jobs, showed up at night and ran with me until past Midnight, then were back at work at 8:00 the next morning." "People were dropping off hand-made food. One night I was freezing - I was so cold, all I wanted was warm soup. So a woman heard that, cooked home-made soup, and ran it out to me in the middle of the night on the trail." "Rural people are the best. So many people invited us into their homes. My crew is 3, 4, sometimes 5 people, and there was always room for us. I wanted everyone to know I felt safe. And: the Midwest is a friendly place!"