Truckee runner sets record on Mt. Whitney

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - Truckee’s Helen Mino Faukner now holds the Fastest Known Time on multiple mountain runs in California, including Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States.

“It feels really good,” said Mino Faukner. “Everyone was so nice on the way up and super encouraging.”

She set two FKT’s on that run, shattering the previous women’s mark up Mt. Whitney by 18 minutes (2:46:53), and setting the new record for the round-trip time (4:54:24).

“The previous night in the parking lot I was preparing by writing all of the splits that the previous girl had run per mile,” explained Mino Faukner. “So I knew going into it, and especially once I made it to the top, that I was on track.”

Two weeks later, she set the FKT on the Desolation 7 Summits in the Tahoe Basin (9:23:02), proving the former Wolf Pack Track and Field athlete is just starting to hit her stride.

“I was not very successful at running at Nevada,” admitted Mino Faukner. “It was fun and I made friends, but I’m definitely better at trail running.”

She also holds a third record with her former Nevada teammate, EmKay Sullvan (Myers), who set the FKT together on Mt. Tallac (1:59:49). And she credits a lot of her success to her day job as a yoga instructor.

“I think with mobility, and it kind of forces me to stretch too,” added Mino Faukner. “It’s kind of just like finding the piece within your head. So it’s like the same throughout a yoga practice, like I find the same thing while running.”

She is now training for a 50k run in Puerto Vallarta in October.

“I just find a lot of joy in it (running); a lot of peace,” continued Mino Faukner. “Especially when you get up to places you don’t see anyone, it’s really quite.”

Mino Faukner teaches yoga at both Alpenflow Yoga and Camp One Fitness in Truckee

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