She ran through heatwaves, wildfires, and swarms of horseflies — averaging up to 18 hours of movement a day — and she still had enough left in the tank to shatter a world record by nearly a week.
New Zealand ultrarunner Sophie Woods, 42, has just completed one of the most jaw-dropping athletic feats of 2026, crossing the finish line of the Via Alpina in Monaco after 29 gruelling days on the trail.
The previous record stood at 35 days — set by British runner Jake Catterall in 2024 — and Woods didn’t just edge it.
She obliterated it.
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What Exactly Is the Via Alpina?
For the uninitiated, the Via Alpina is not your average hiking trail.
Stretching 2,000 kilometres across eight countries — Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France, and Monaco — the route follows the full length of the Alps with a total elevation gain equivalent to climbing Mount Everest twelve times over.
It’s considered so brutally demanding and technically complex that only a handful of runners have ever attempted it under formal timing conditions.
Woods set off from Italy on July 4th and crossed the finish line on the Mediterranean coast in Monaco on the night of August 2nd — 29 days, done.
“Ecstatic But Knackered” — Sophie’s Own Words
Speaking to BBC Sport fresh off the finish line, Woods held nothing back about the physical and emotional toll the run had taken.
I am ecstatic but knackered. The last couple of days I did on one and a half to two and a half hours of sleep to really push at the end. That tipped me over the edge a little bit.
Sleep deprivation aside, Woods was remarkably candid about the moments when self-doubt crept in.
There were a few points where I felt like I don’t know how I’m going to get to the finish of this. I never wanted to stop but the enormity of the task was overwhelming at times.
She dug deep anyway — and that grit tells you everything about who Sophie Woods is.
Wildfires, Heatwaves, and a Swarm of Horseflies
The route itself was only part of the challenge.
Woods and her support crew — husband George, friend Zoe, and a dog named Nila — faced two separate heatwaves, violent mountain storms, and active wildfires that forced an unplanned detour adding five extra kilometres and 200 metres of dangerous additional climbing to the journey.
Europe’s wildfire crisis this summer has been severe, with France, Spain, and Portugal forcing over 300,000 people to evacuate their homes, and Italy placing its major cities on the highest red alert for extreme heat.
I’ve been close to wildfires before and they are terrifying. I didn’t want to put myself, my crew or anyone in danger by going through the fires.
Even the planning went sideways in real time.
We had a rough plan of what it was going to look like, but there was quite a lot of winging it along the way. All of our calculations were out. Every day was longer and higher than we had calculated.
McDonald’s, Pasta, and Mountains for Breakfast
Running 15 to 18 hours a day demands serious fuel, and Woods’ nutrition strategy was refreshingly unpretentious.
McDonald’s, pasta, and energy gels kept her moving through the Alps — proof that elite performance doesn’t always look like a clean-eating influencer’s feed.
The first week, by her own account, was almost unbearable.
The first week was horrendous — everything was swollen, everything was sore. I was sure I was going to pull 15 million muscles. Week two wasn’t great either and then week three, I felt like I was getting fitter. It was like I was eating mountains for breakfast.
That third-week transformation is a remarkable detail — her body didn’t just survive the punishment, it adapted to it.
A Personal Journey Behind the Record
Woods’ path to this record wasn’t purely athletic — it was deeply personal.
After going through a difficult fertility journey that included IVF, she made a conscious decision that she wanted her life to look different, and the Via Alpina became the ultimate expression of that reinvention.
From the very beginning, breaking the record was the explicit goal — not just finishing.
I didn’t want to be running for more than 30 days — 30 days is enough. I knew that I was strong and capable. But this has taken it over and beyond that.
Her belief in women’s capacity to endure and adapt came through loud and clear when reflecting on the achievement.
Ultra-running is about preparation, mental strength and being able to continue to persevere when things go wrong. I think women are really good at adapting and continuing.
A Golden Year for Women in Ultra-Running
Woods’ record caps off a landmark year for women in the sport.
Earlier in May, Rachel Entrekin claimed victory at the Cocodona 250 in a record-breaking performance, signalling that 2026 is shaping up to be a watershed moment for female ultra-endurance athletes on the global stage.
As for what comes next for Woods herself — the answer is gloriously, perfectly human.
I intend to spend quite a lot of time on the couch and watch Netflix — and eat some vegetables.
After 29 days of running through the Alps on almost no sleep, surviving wildfires, and rewriting the record books — she’s more than earned it.
