On Saturday, August 1, New Zealander Sophie Woods (née Grant) finished her traverse of the entire length of the Alps, on the Via Alpina route, setting a new overall supported fastest known time of 28 days, 17 hours, and 59 minutes. This beats both the prior men’s record of 35 days, 21 hours, and 4 minutes, set by the U.K.’s Jake Catterall in 2024, and the previous women’s record of 38 days, 2 hours, and 54 minutes, set by Tessa Caspers (The Netherlands) in 2025.
Sophie Woods on her way to setting a new overall FKT on the Via Alpina route through the Alps. All photos: Zoe Salt
The route stretches from Trieste, Italy, to Monaco. On the way, it passes through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, back into Italy, and through France before terminating at Place du Palais in Monaco. Woods averaged just over 70 kilometers (43 miles) and over 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) of climbing each day to cover a total of 2,018 kilometers (1,254 miles) and 117,614 meters of elevation (385,873 feet).
Woods, an ultrarunner from New Zealand who lives in the U.K., excels at long-distance technical trails. She is a three-time Tor des Géants finisher, placed third in the 2026 Winter Spine Race, and took 15th in the 2017 UTMB, and 12th there in 2015. She’s also finished top 10 at the Lavaredo Ultra Trail on numerous occasions, including sixth in 2023, and has numerous accolades in skyrunning, also.
Motivations and Preparations
She had deeply personal reasons for wanting to take on the Via Alpina fastest known time (FKT), and told iRunFar:
“After years of trying to get pregnant, followed by a failed IVF transfer, I reached a point where I wanted my life to look different. I have raced at so many incredible events over the past decade, but I no longer wanted to keep returning to the same start lines. I had never been particularly interested in attempting an FKT, but when my husband, George [Woods], suggested this route, it sounded far too good to pass up.”
Sophie Woods and her husband, George, after setting the new overall FKT on the Via Alpina.
On how she prepared for the challenge, she shared: “I was very conscious of the stress I was going to place on my body, so I worked hard in the gym to build strength. I also focused heavily on my nutrition so that I began the challenge with as much energy in reserve as possible.”
She also leaned heavily on the experiences of others in the FKT world and said: “I listened to as many podcasts featuring Tara Dower and Karel Sabbe as I could, and I picked the brains of my La Sportiva teammates John Kelly and Sabrina Verjee. I wanted to learn from their experiences and limit the number of mistakes I made out on the trail.”
A Run Through the Alps
Woods set off from Trieste at 4 a.m. on Saturday, July 4, and ran through temperatures of 33 degrees Celcius (91 Fahrenheit) on the first day, as all of Europe endured an unprecedented heatwave. Already across the border and into Slovenia, the second day presented a new challenge as her support crew vehicle, Quentin the van, began having mechanical problems. The third day saw Woods push through 20 hours of steep climbing and technical descents.
By the sixth day, Woods had traded the quieter, technical sections of the route for busier trails, traveling from Grunsee to Obstansersee-Hütte, Austria. By the end of the first week, she had reached the Italian Dolomites and had already covered 480 kilometers (300 miles) and climbed almost 28,000 meters (92,000 feet).
Woods runs through the Vanoise National Park in France.
The second week posed new challenges, including knee pain and crew access issues, which necessitated cutting the eighth day short, but Woods was still on track to break both the women’s and overall records. The 11th day was marred by horseflies and the onset of thunderstorms, which forced a change in plans for the following days.
Woods recalled, “Quite early in the journey, Zoe [Salt, a photographer who accompanied Woods and documented much of the FKT] and I were caught in a horrendous thunderstorm. It became so frightening that I found myself thinking about what I would tell her family if something went badly wrong.”
The second week ended with brutal tarmac sections through Austria amid 37-degree-Celsius (98 Fahrenheit) heat. Woods told iRunFar, “The heat was extremely tough. I was very fortunate to have a crew who packed me with ice every time I saw them. I also tried to stay as wet as possible, cooling myself down in every stream and fountain I passed.”
Into the third week, the heat continued to rage as Woods journeyed through Liechtenstein and into Switzerland, but her spirits remained high. Through this section, Woods found herself running amongst competitors in the Crossing Switzerland ultra, which added atmosphere and momentum.
A Team Effort
On the 20th day, Woods was surprised by then-overall Via Alpine FKT holder, Catterall, who came out to show his support. By the end of the third week, she’d covered 1,434 kilometers (891 miles) and climbed 84,442 meters (277,041 feet).
As word had filtered out through various channels about Woods’s run, she was joined each day by several local runners and journalists throughout the fourth week. Fellow Kiwi and 2025 UTMB champion, Ruth Croft, was among the friends coming out to show their support and share some miles.
Sophie Woods (right) is joined by friends (left to right) Martin Gaffuri, Ruth Croft, Daniel Jones, Katie Morgan, and Katie Wright during her Via Alpina run.
For Woods, the highlight of the whole experience was the miles shared with friends. She recalled, “By the third week, I had spent a great deal of time alone, so having so many close friends come out to join me was incredibly motivating. Their company, support, and love completely renewed my energy at a time when I really needed it.”
As the heatwave continued, wildfires ravaged parts of the mountains, meaning Woods and her crew had to constantly adapt and plan detours as sections of the trail became impassable. This meant adding distance and elevation, while staying as true to the original route as possible. Undeterred, Woods surged on. Toward the end of the third week, her husband, George, coined her new trail name, “Freight Train.”
The week ended with a very technical section from Colle Della Lombarda in Italy to Camp D’Argent in France, amidst thunderstorms, swarms of insects, and very long sections without crew access. With almost a month of climbing already in her legs, Woods covered over 84 kilometers (52 miles) and nearly 6,000 meters (19,700 feet) of climbing on the 28th day, then slept for just 90 minutes before the final push to the finish.
On the final day, Woods covered the last remaining 58 kilometers (36 miles) into Monaco, finishing in a total time of 28 days, 17 hours, and 59 minutes, beating the overall record by more than a week.
Woods at the finish of the Via Alpina in Monaco.
Woods felt hugely indebted to her crew, led by her husband George; photographer Salt for her work documenting the journey; and a further team at home managing media and other logistics.
She said: “Until you attempt something like this, I do not think you can fully understand how important it is to have the right people in your corner. Each day, all I could do was place myself in their hands and let them tell me what to do. I was so exhausted that I was often completely incapable of making decisions for myself.”
She added: “I had a formidable group of women in my corner managing everything from my Instagram posts to the media requests that began arriving after Stephanie Case’s post went viral. Their work allowed me to focus entirely on moving forward.”