New Zealand ultrarunner Sophie Woods ran 1,240 miles across eight countries to conquer one of the world’s toughest endurance challenges – breaking both the men’s and women’s time records.
The 42-year-old conquered the Via Alpina, which involves traversing a vast European alpine region stretching east to west from Italy, through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and finally France and Monaco.
She completed the challenge in 29 days, beating the previous record set by British runner Jake Catterall in 2024 by six days. Previously the fastest woman, Dutch runner Tessa Caspers, did it in 38 days.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic,” Woods said on her Instagram Sunday local time, a day after she finished the feat. “I still can’t believe that we did it.”
Her journey began in Trieste, a port city in northeastern Italy, on July 4 and ended in Monaco on Saturday. Photos posted to Instagram showed the variety of terrain she had to overcome, from a steep rock ascent in Slovenia to a night run from Germany to Austria.
I guess I’ve been preparing for this in my whole running career,” she said in a post, recalling “technical mountains” and “exposed ridges” she had encountered in the past.
But the length and duration set the present challenge apart from all her previous runs, she said.
“Whatever you do on Day 2 is going to reflect you on Day 22,” she said, calling it “a very different format.”
In an interview with British broadcaster BBC, she said her muscles were swollen and sore after the first week. To beat the record, Woods said, she had to reduce her sleep towards the end of the route to fewer than two and a half hours per night.
She also told BBC how “terrifying” it was running close to wildfires, as her challenge coincided with a punishing heatwave that has gripped Europe.
Temperatures surged past 100 degrees Fahrenheit in some parts of the continent during her record-breaking journey.
“The heat has been relentless,” she wrote in another Instagram post, adding that she had to slurp a “slushy,” a drink made with crushed ice, to cool down.
Her husband and dog provided emotional support and food supplies along the way, she said.
How tired did she get after running around European alps for 29 days straight?
“I have been sleeping in the van in a pool of sweat,” she said, feeling “completely pooped.”
But she added: “Delightful once you finish one of these things.”
