The Katy Trail and Rock Island Trail

switch to Rock Island map

Katy Trail by foot

Go to Forum

Rick from Independence, MO on 1/5/2011 10:59:56 PM:

I know the cycling record for the entire trail is right at 14 hours. Is
there a documented record for covering it by foot? I know this is a
cycling forum but I can't seem to find any good information anywhere
else. A friend and I are planning on run/walking it east to west in 6
days in May.

MidSouth from Rogersville, MO on 1/6/2011 11:20:07 AM:

38 miles a day is a bunch of walking!

Trek on 1/6/2011 11:24:49 AM:

Agreed.....that will be quite an event, I'd think. What is the record number of consecutive marathon runs?

Skyguy9999 on 1/6/2011 12:22:46 PM:

The verified marathon record of this nature (link not posted, but you can google it) is 50 marathons in 50 days (one per day). So I would think marathoning Katy in 6/7 days is possible for someone really in shape.

Besides, the average marathon run time for someone in shape for it is around 5 hours for men, so it wouldn't be too hard on someone in shape to cover it if they don't worry too hard about a decent finish time and just worry about covering as much distance as possible in the course of one day.

Although, I gather that someone who is a competitive marathon runner will measure the time to run the Katy in hours over x days instead of just days.
The more

Rick from Independence, MO on 1/6/2011 12:53:39 PM:

We'll be doing about 50/50 run/walk and are planning on a couple of hours of stops per day. We're both sub-4 hour marathoners and in good enough shape that I'm not worried about the conditoning to go that long. My biggest concern is blisters.

We've already got reservations at B&B's along the way. If a record does exist, we won't kill ourselves or modify our plans to go after it. We may document our start and finish time each day, or we might not even get that detailed. I just wondered if such a record was documented.

Ray (webmaster) on 1/6/2011 1:14:15 PM:

I don''t know of any "official" records for this sort of thing, but I have built a web page to track and acknowledge those who have covered the Katy Trail on foot, or biked the Katy Trail in one day. Definitely let me know when you finish, so I can add you to the list.

This will be an amazing experience for you, and a fantastic achievement. Good luck!

Steve on 1/7/2011 2:59:21 PM:

Am planning on backpacking it in June but taking 16 days and doing a food drop after 7 days.

Michael Rodemeyer from Hartsburg on 1/9/2011 3:00:44 PM:

The Katy Trail was set up for people to enjoy the outdoors, the scenery and the river. By trying to set a record you are missing alot of the above plus the good people in the towns who have bars resturants etc. Slow down and enjoy the experience.

Anonymous on 1/9/2011 4:56:02 PM:

Walk as slow as you can from bar to bar and enjoy the trail for the true purpose that it was set up for. Good advice Michael.

Anon on 1/10/2011 12:24:56 PM:

Sometimes the first-time users want to accomplish the entire trail as fast as they can, while the second- and third-times want to enjoy all of the trail's amenities.

Trek on 1/10/2011 1:22:37 PM:

We all have different reasons for being on the Katy. It's amazing to me when someone tries to tell others how fast or slow they should go because they are missing out on what the trail was designed or set up for. I've yet to read any official declaration stating what the trail was set up for. If it was solely for enjoying the outdoors, the scenery, and the river as defined by some, there would surely be speed limit signs posted along the way and it would be illegal to not see every tree and wildflower.

The origanal poster is going to run/walk the trail....doubtfull they'll rocket through and miss everything in the blurr.

Rick from Independence, MO on 1/10/2011 4:26:25 PM:

Thanks, Trek! I love running, and that’s how I want to spend my week of vacation. This is kind of my rebellion against the usual runner mentality of chip times and start/finish lines. Every time I’ve thought about breaking away from organized events, I’ve thought about hiking. I just realized that I don’t have to abandon what I love just because it’s not arranged by someone else. I’m planning on plenty of breaks along the way. I will need to consume about 5-6000 calories per day and plan on most of that coming from establishments along the trail.

Michael, we’ll be staying in Hartsburg on our second night. We’re planning on eating at Big Muddy Tavern. We’ll stop at Riverview Traders in Wilton the next morning, then grab a snack at Cooper’s Landing. We’ll run when we want to, walk when we feel like it, and just enjoy the day on the trail. We’ll stop for another snack at Lucy’s in McBaine, and then we’ll have to decide between the too many choices for lunch in Rocheport. I’m sure we’ll stop for plenty of pictures along the way. Anything else you’d recommend along that stretch?

Skyguy9999 on 1/10/2011 10:03:15 PM:

And if anyone wants to rocket through and that's what they want, then that's fine too. Katy is great in that you can do long distance riding and training pretty readily without having to constantly worry about traffic, provisions, and route planning.

If someone has different reasons and sources of enjoyment for the trail then good for them too. It means the trail has interest and is getting used.

Michael Rodemeyer from Hartsburg on 1/11/2011 6:32:08 PM:

RICK: Good choice on picking the Big Muddy in Hartsburg for your stop on your journey thru Mid Missouri on the KATY Trail. If you call me when you arrive I will buy you a beer and tell you about the local scenery in and around Hartsburg. The Globe B and B is a great place to stay if you have time.

Chris from Jeff City on 11/5/2011 11:02:34 AM:

Well, is there an "on foot" record?

For a Great Cause on 11/5/2011 6:16:19 PM:

How about getting your run/walk record try event into the Komen Foundation to coincide for a Race for the Cure event like Ben Dumont did for his wife on the trail? Alzheimers has walks too. Probably would get more takers including this runner/walker/biker?

Anon on 11/5/2011 6:56:45 PM:

Near 7/27/2009, a couple of guys finished running across MO via the Katy for charity. They pushed large-wheel baby strollers for their supplies. One of them had to drop out for a short while with injury. However, the other one completed the entire run. His time for the Katy itself was 107-hr 13-min 25-sec. That’s almost four and a half days.

For a Great Cause on 11/5/2011 7:26:39 PM:

Anon is that a story? Then there is a record for on foot on the Katy?
You work for the state so it must be made up?

Anon on 11/6/2011 8:47:49 PM:

I'm not sure if this time has been confirmed or is website official. But it is posted on this forum at or just past page 89. You can jump to that page. Good luck.

Anon on 11/7/2011 11:12:54 AM:

Make that page 88 instead. Here's their photo website.

http://picasaweb.google.com/David.Stores/RunAcrossMissouri2009#

For a Great Cause on 11/8/2011 8:39:00 PM:

Anon, excellent research. Very cool. Page 88.
So Rick may have to do some 60+ mile days to have a chance? Thanks.

FEEDBACK! - Please let us know if you have suggestions, corrections, complaints, or ideas. Your input is valued and appreciated - thanks in advance!

More info: KT Home Katy Trail Map Trip Planner Travel Timeline Forum Towns & Services Mileage Chart Events Trail Merchandise Search Advertise Contact Us

By using this website, you agree to the Terms and Conditions.
how this website uses cookies
This information may not be copied or reproduced in any way.
© Copyright 2026 BikeKatyTrail. All rights reserved.
BikeKatyTrail and BikeKatyTrail.com are registered trademarks.