Brett Maune

About

Brett Maune is an American ultrarunner and high-energy physicist from Southern California whose accomplishments place him among the most remarkable endurance athletes in history, even as his reserved demeanour and preference for solo efforts have kept him outside the sport's mainstream spotlight. In 2009 he set the unsupported fastest known time on the 211-mile John Muir Trail through the High Sierra, completing it seven hours faster than the then-existing supported record — one of the most jarring FKT performances on a classic long route up to that point. Then, approaching the Barkley Marathons — the near-impossible 100-plus-mile race in Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee, featuring unmarked routes, brutal climbs, and a design philosophy explicitly intended to defeat everyone who tries — he finished in 2011 (57:13, becoming only the 10th person ever to complete the race) and returned in 2012 to finish again in 52:03, simultaneously holding the fastest finish in race history and becoming the first person ever to complete Barkley twice. Maune also invented the SoCal Triple Crown — a series of solo big-mountain efforts linking Telescope Peak, Mount Whitney, and other objectives on minimal sleep — and holds additional FKTs on Sierra Nevada routes. He approaches racing with the systematic rigour of the research scientist he is by profession.

Notable Wins

• — Barkley Marathons 2011 (57:13
• — 10th finisher ever)
• — Barkley Marathons 2012 (52:03
• — fastest finish ever
• — first double completion)
• — John Muir Trail FKT unsupported 2009 (211 miles)

Race History