Ain\u2019t no mountain high enough \u2014 at least not for this superwoman.<\/p>\n
Ultra-runner and New Zealand native Sophie Grant has set out to break the record for the fastest known time ever through the treacherous Alpine pass of Via Alpina. She\u2019s set to achieve her goal in 30 days.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to look up and actually be inside these landscapes \u2014 it\u2019s unbelievable, a once-in-a-lifetime thing,\u201d Grant exclusively told The Post.<\/p>\n
Sophie Grant on the trail. Photo: Zoe Salt<\/a> @zoe_salt_photography<\/p>\n The 42-year-old runner\u2019s mentally and physically demanding route covers Slovenia, Italy, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and France before ending on the Mediterranean coast in Monaco. \u201cEvery so often I lift my head, see how beautiful the place is and just think how lucky I am.\u201d<\/p>\n The course spans 2,000 kilometers (roughly 1,250 miles), along with 120,000 meters (393,700 feet) of ascent.<\/p>\n The current record for the speediest Alps crossing was set by runner Jack Catterall in August of 2024, ringing in at 35 days, 21 hours. A year later, Tessa Caspers set the fastest women\u2019s time for the route at 38 days and 2 hours.<\/p>\n Grant, who runs under her maiden name, is set to blow both records out of the water \u2014 or rather, off the Swiss cliffs.<\/p>\n She began the route on July 4 in Trieste, Italy. Now she\u2019s about 310 miles from setting the record, which would make her the fastest person of any gender to complete the demanding course.<\/p>\n A typical day on Grant\u2019s trek involves running 14 to 18 hours, which nets her roughly 40 to 50 miles a day. That includes as much as 16,000 feet of climbing the legendary mountain pass, which includes limestone, dolomite and even crystal formations.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really think about it,\u201d said Grant of the steep task in front of her. \u201cI just move as fast as the terrain will let me.\u201d<\/p>\n Grant\u2019s trek includes climbing rugged mountain passes in the Alps. Photo: Zoe Salt<\/a> @zoe_salt_photography<\/p>\n How is she fueling her Alpine adventure? Not with Ricola.<\/p>\n After sleeping three to five hours in either the camper van, a mountain hut, hotel room or tent, Grant starts each morning with protein-packed muesli<\/a> and coffee<\/a>.<\/p>\n Throughout the day, Grant keeps hydrated with sports beverages<\/a> and stays fueled with a mix of energy gels, nuts, seeds, dried meat, oat bars and ham and cheese sandwiches, making sure to fill up on \u201cproper food\u201d like big burritos and pasta whenever she sees her team. <\/p>\n Grant\u2019s photographer, Zoe Salt, and her partner, George Woods, try to meet her at every rest stop and nightly pause. She tries to take water breaks every three hours. (Fun fact: The Alps have drinking fountains on the route.)<\/p>\n The 42-year-old elite athlete is posting her progress Instagram.<\/p>\n Grant estimated that through her journey, she\u2019s typically been eating 6,000 to 7,000 calories a day, which \u201cstill isn\u2019t enough to keep up with what I\u2019m burning.\u201d<\/p>\n The feat is even more remarkable considering Europe\u2019s unexpected extreme heat wave<\/a>, which has created \u201cbrutally hot\u201d temperatures for Grant\u2019s groundbreaking trek. She keeps her skin protected from prolonged sun exposure and scorching temps with long-sleeved running tops<\/a> engineered for breathability, along with gallons of sunscreen<\/a>. Grant told The Post that the trail has been \u201clong, beautiful and completely relentless,\u201d adding that the terrain was \u201cmuch rougher and more remote\u2026 everything is taking longer than it should.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had to be really disciplined about taking it one day at a time,\u201d she explained. \u201cEach climb becomes its own separate goal, rather than a piece of something enormous.\u201d<\/p>\n