{"id":112422,"date":"2026-08-06T16:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/112422\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T16:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T16:01:08","slug":"im-good-at-suffering-how-the-woman-who-ran-2000km-across-the-alps-survived-28-days-on-the-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/112422\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I’m good at suffering’: How the woman who ran 2,000km across the Alps survived 28 days on the move"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sophie Woods has just run the entire length of the Alps in 28 days<\/a> \u2013 the fastest known time (FKT) ever recorded by anyone, man or woman. But despite completing the route seven days faster than the previous record holder, Woods doesn\u2019t believe speed had much to do with it.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m not necessarily the fastest person, but I\u2019m very good at suffering and I\u2019m used to doing long days,\u2019 the 42-year-old says. \u2018I know what it\u2019s like to go without sleep for 30-40 hours and keep moving \u2013 most of the races I do are on the longer side.\u2019<\/p>\n

Woods\u2019 ultramarathon CV would dwarf most people\u2019s parkrun history: she\u2019s completed the UTMB 100-miler six times, placed third in the 268-mile Winter Spine Race in January and is a three-time finisher of the Tor des G\u00e9ants \u2013 a 205-mile race through Italy’s Aosta Valley with 24,000m of elevation gain.<\/p>\n

But the Via Alpina was a different kind of challenge \u2013 one she found herself hungry to take on after years of fertility struggles.<\/p>\n

\u2018Coming to terms with the fact that I wasn\u2019t going to be a mother was very difficult for me. As someone who has spent the last decade using my body to make things happen through sheer force of will, being so out of control of my body really shook me.<\/p>\n

\u2018I found myself asking, \u201cIs this all I\u2019m going to do? Show up to races where the only question is how fast I\u2019m going to run a route?\u201d I know I\u2019m privileged to have completed some incredible races, but I really wanted to have a crack at something where I didn\u2019t know how it would go beforehand.\u2019<\/p>\n

It was her husband, George, who suggested she try to set the FKT for the Via Alpina<\/a> \u2013 a 2,000km route with a cumulative elevation gain of around 110,000m. Starting in Trieste, Italy, the Via Alpina passes through Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein and Switzerland before briefly returning to Italy. It then crosses into France before reaching the finish in Monaco.<\/p>\n

Preparing for the challenge\"hiker<\/p>\n

zoe salt<\/p>\n

Preparing to run that far is inconceivable to most of us, but Woods kept things simple. She\u2019s accustomed to running long distances, so she didn’t worry too much about following a structured training block. She did prioritise strength training and fuelling, though, and spent time working out where she could gain an advantage.<\/p>\n

\u2018I did a lot of research on Jake [Catterall, the previous record holder who completed the route in 35 days] and his attempt, because he documented it really well,\u2019 Woods explains. \u2018I noticed he was starting his days between 9 and 10am, and I was like, \u201cNo way \u2013 I’m getting up at 3 or 4am.\u201d I wanted to give myself the best possible chance to get my dark kilometres done in the morning if I could, although I did end up doing plenty of kilometres at night too.\u2019<\/p>\n

Consuming enough fuel was also crucial.<\/p>\n

\u2018I ate and drank so much,\u2019 Woods says, laughing. \u2018Pretty much everything I drank, apart from a few electrolyte drinks, was high-carb sports drinks, Coke or Fanta \u2013 anything with sugar in it. I also tried to eat as much real food as I could get into my system, as well as gels and chews. Honestly, drinking plain water right now is a real treat \u2013 everything was sweet.\u2019<\/p>\n

Overcoming setbacks\"hiker<\/p>\n

zoe salt<\/p>\n

Despite Woods\u2019 best efforts, there were hurdles she and her crew couldn\u2019t have foreseen. Two heatwaves made the challenge feel ten times harder \u2013 \u2018they had to pack me with ice\u2019 \u2013 while wildfires threatened to block her path and a series of thunderstorms left Woods and her photographer, Zoe Salt, on top of a mountain \u2018surrounded by lightning and thunder\u2019.<\/p>\n

There were also bugs to contend with \u2013 \u2018they were in my face, mouth, nose and ears\u2019 \u2013 as well as a few wrong turns. But despite it all, Woods continued to put one foot in front of the other.<\/p>\n

How on earth did she keep going, particularly during the toughest moments? Woods clearly has innate resilience, but she also relied on several distraction techniques. Listening to voice notes from family and friends, singing along to nostalgic music by the Backstreet Boys and from The Sound of Music, and simply counting her steps all helped her keep moving forwards.<\/p>\n

\u2018When you\u2019ve raced as much as I have, you know there are ups and downs and peaks and troughs, but you\u2019re never going to be in one of them forever,\u2019 she says. \u2018I know that if things were really bad, my husband would tell me to stop, but until that happens, I just tell myself to keep moving.\u2019<\/p>\n

Making history\"smiling<\/p>\n

zoe salt<\/p>\n

In the end, Woods completed the route in 28 days, 17 hours and 59 minutes \u2013 almost seven days quicker than the previous men\u2019s record and 10 days quicker than the women\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the challenge, she climbed more than 117,000m and descended a similar amount, covering an average of more than 69km and 4,000m of elevation each day. The numbers are simply mind-blowing.<\/p>\n

\u2018I don\u2019t think it\u2019s sunk in yet, to be honest,\u2019 Woods says. \u2018I think it just goes to show that when you give women a bit of belief, opportunity and support, we\u2019ll take that and run with it, because women are amazing.<\/p>\n

\u2018The fastest women are never going to beat the fastest men over 100m, but take the physiological element out of it, and we\u2019ll show you what we can do. I think we\u2019re going to be seeing a lot more women doing big, scary things and smashing them in the future. We\u2019re so capable.\u2019<\/p>\n

And Woods isn\u2019t using this achievement as an opportunity to slow down. At the end of the month, she\u2019s teaming up with her husband to run the UTMB PTL<\/a> \u2013 a 300km pairs race with more than 25,000m of elevation gain.<\/p>\n

After that, she assures me she\u2019s \u2018going to eat as much ice cream as I possibly can\u2019 and allow her body to recover before dreaming up her next adventure.<\/p>\n

\u2018I never really wanted to attempt an FKT before this, but I really enjoyed this process,\u2019 she says. \u2018Of course, I wouldn\u2019t have been able to do this without my crew, which made the experience even more special. But yeah \u2013 I’m not going to commit to anything yet, but there may be more challenges in the pipeline.\u2019<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t doubt that for a second. <\/p>\n

One of our most frequently asked questions here at Women\u2019s Health? How to build muscle and burn fat at the same time. So, we asked superstar trainer Oyinda Okunowo<\/a> exactly how to do it. In this 4-week plan \u2013 created exclusively for Women\u2019s Health COLLECTIVE members \u2013 you\u2019ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to help you on your way to better body composition. Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to Oyinda’s plan and start training today.<\/p>\n

Get the plan<\/a>
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\"oyinda\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Lauren Geall is deputy site editor for Women\u2019s Health UK and Men\u2019s Health UK. She graduated from Exeter University with a BA in English Literature before studying an MA in Magazine Journalism at City, University London. She\u2019s been writing about health, fitness and wellbeing for over five years, with a total of seven years in digital journalism. Prior to her current role, she worked at Stylist as the acting health and fitness editor. As well as being a keen runner, Lauren is passionate about women\u2019s sport and can often be found cheering on Arsenal Women at the Emirates or keeping tabs on the Red Roses\u2019 latest win.\u00a0<\/p>\n