Sophie Woods sets new record on Via Alpina trail

New Zealander Sophie Woods has set a new fastest known time (FKT) record on the Via Alpina, a 2,018 km long-distance trail spanning the Alps. The 42-year-old ultramarathoner completed the route in 28 days, 17 hours, and 59 minutes.

Starting from Trieste, Italy, and ending in Monaco, the route traverses Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and France. During the run, Woods navigated extreme conditions, including heatwaves with temperatures reaching 37°C in Austria, severe thunderstorms in Switzerland, and swarms of horse flies.

Woods' performance significantly improved upon previous records. She surpassed the previous women's record held by Tessy Caspers by nearly ten days and beat the overall record set by Jake Catterall in 2024 by over a week. Throughout the journey, she covered an average of 70 km and 4,000 meters of elevation gain per day.