Ajay Pickett broke the record -- and his leg -- for the fastest Superior Hiking Trail time.

Last week, Ajay Pickett of Woodbury, MN broke the record for fastest time hiking the Super Hiking Trail -- a 310 mile trail along the NW shore of Lake Superior.

The previous record set September 9, 2016 was by Mike Ward at 8 days 7 hours and 59 minutes.

"My plan is to take the mileage that Mike Ward did and just do longer hours and more miles every day," Pickett told Duluth News Tribune. "Every day, I made sure I did at least 3 to 10 more miles than he did."

Everything was going as planned until Day 5, when Pickett tripped over a hidden tree root. He knew it was more than a stubbed toe when we his ankle and shin began swelling.

"The pain was like an eight or a nine. I'm thinking, 'Am I done?' So I decided to take it one step at a time."

A visit to the doctor after completing the trip revealed a hairline fracture.

Pickett -- knowing he was on time and still beating the previous record -- took ibuprofin to numb the pain and slowed his pace from four miles an hour to just one. He completed the trail in 7 days 20 hours and 56 minutes, beating the previous Ward's record by 10 hours and 3 minutes, and officially making it onto FKT or Fastest Known Time -- a website that reports records for trail hikes.

"It's such a weird feeling to be done," Duluth News Tribune quotes Pickett. "You went through agony for the last eight days, and you get to the end and it's just a sign. There's the proof."

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