One of the greatest outdoor feats in history was fulfilled shortly after noon last Sunday.

Seattle trail runner Joe McConaughy averaged 50 miles a day for nearly two months to complete the roughly 2,663-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in 53 days, 6 hours, 37 minutes. It was - by six days - the fastest-ever time for an "assisted" traverse of the PCT.

As someone who takes 20 days to hike the John Muir Trail - about 250 miles (with side trips) from Mount Whitney to Yosemite Valley - McConaughy's time seems incomprehensible.

It also has a backstory of heroism. Through his website and blog posts, McConaughy raised $29,000 for CancerCare, which provides services to help people manage the financial and emotional challenges of cancer; Joe's cousin, Colin, died of cancer in 2012 at age 2.

"My family knows the distress and anguish that cancer can cause," McConaughy said.

Last year, almost to the day, Josh Garrett, set the previous record, 59 days, 8 hours, 14 minutes. He dedicated that run/hike to Mercy For Animals and raised about $10,000 in donations through his website.

In 2011, the Bay Area's Scott Williamson finished in a then-record 64 days and change as part of a series of amazing hiking accomplishments over a 10-year span. Williamson hiked both directions of the PCT in one year and completed the Triple Crown: the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail and Appalachian Trail. He has hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail 13 times.

What drives Williamson, a personal hero to many, is a near-death experience. In 1996, while working at quick-stop store in Richmond, a robber shot him in the face. The bullet is still lodged in his head. Like many who have faced death and survived, he doesn't spend another day treading water. His passion is wilderness hiking and he's out there all summer at a huge financial sacrifice.

These hikers and others - like Brian Robinson of Monterey, the only hiker to complete the Triple Crown in one year, and Ken and Marcia Powers, Pleasanton's prolific hiking couple - are outdoor super athletes seemingly able to accomplish anything. Many are marathon runners who converted to the wilderness trail.

Problem is, not everybody is physically gifted, has the right DNA, body type, training regimen or know-how to conquer outdoor challenges of this magnitude. In this era, when nearly everything already has been done, it seems that those who attempt to be the first or fastest at anything in the outdoors also must risk their lives.

I still regret that I publicized the dangerous treks of Michael Popov of Walnut Creek. The charismatic and engaging Popov gained world renown in 2007 when he completed the 211-mile John Muir Trail without receiving outside assistance in a then-record 4 days, 5 hours, 25 minutes.

In our conversations, "Mish," as he was known, talked at length about how far he could push himself and the outrageous challenges he hoped to complete. Then in August 2012, Popov died of heatstroke while on a midday 6-mile run through Death Valley on a day the temperature reached 123 degrees.

He wanted to be the first, to set records - and he died at 34. Other deaths have occurred among adventure-seekers base-jumping, free diving to record depths in the ocean or playing tag with grizzly bears. GoPro cameras also have provided some with misplaced courage. It's likely there will be stories about people being injured or killed while swimming with great white sharks, kayaking over 100-foot waterfalls ... or perhaps trying to set a speed record on the PCT.

What matters is how your adventure makes you feel, regardless of your experience, age, background or your aspirations. In a survey I once conducted with a dozen national-class anglers, hikers, hunters and wildlife experts, their most cherished moments were not their records and feats but the time they spent in the outdoors with people for whom they cared most.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicle's outdoors writer. E-mail: Twitter: @StienstraTom