Teen sets record in George 6 Peak FKT
Bailee Nell's clocked times ranked among the 30 best times ever recorded on the George 6 Peaks FKT challenge.
Bailee Nell, who grew up in Springs, became the youngest person to compete in the George 6 Peaks Fastest Known Time (FKT) challenge.
The FKT is a challenge held three times a year that entails summiting six peaks in the Witfontein Nature Reserve surrounding George.
Bailee’s latest achievement comes after the FKT organisers saw how easily she completed the 4 Peaks Challenge last year, which was 33 km with 2500 m of elevation gain.
“This is rated by even the most avid trail runners as one of the most gruelling challenges, as the elevation gain for the distance covered is phenomenal,” said Bailee’s father, Brett Vermuelen.
Brett explains that Bailee’s run was 3085m and the total distance she covered for the challenge was 38.66km. She then had to run an extraction route of almost 8.3km once she was done to get to a point where a vehicle could collect her.
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“Most hikers and trail runners only do 1 to 2 peaks at a time, and only a few people can claim the six peaks title.”
Brett expressed that what Bailee has achieved is a remarkable achievement that most grown and mature runners would not be able to accomplish.
“It is not just physically demanding, but it drains you mentally,” he said.
“What I admire the most about my daughter is the amount of training and effort she puts into everything she does.
“This includes her running and physical conditioning. During the build-up to this challenge, she consistently clocked 50 plus kilometres a week of mixed running.”
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Bailee, who is passionate and determined, said she invested more than four hours a week in spinning as well as strength training every evening before she went to bed.
On the day she did her FKT, Brett said it was misty and raining most of the way. However, Bailee managed to complete her maiden 6 Peaks FKT in a time of 10:04.
“The conditions were slippery and muddy and even more difficult to navigate, it also becomes disorienting on the mountains, as you can barely see in front of you.”
Bailee, who is passionate and determined, said she invested more than four hours a week in spinning as well as strength training every evening before she went to bed.
“I’m elated about being the youngest runner to compete in the challenge. It was a lot of hard work, but once I got on the trail then all my effort paid off,” said Bailee.
