While she’s been captivated by the Appalachian Trail since she was young, Elizabeth Anjos, who ran cross country at Greeneville College, mostly sticks to road racing.

But in 2015 when Scott Jurek broke the AT record, she started thinking more seriously about going for the record for the 2,190 miles stretching from Georgia to Maine, most recently set by Belgian dentist Karel Sabbe, who did it in 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. She had ideas between that mark and Jennifer Pharr Davis’ 2011 record, which still stands as the women’s record, of 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes.

“Before 2015, my only experience with multi-day hikes was when I was a kid,” Anjos said. “It took years of planning, and it wasn’t until summer of 2019 that I started to get out for more multi-day efforts like days on sections of the Appalachian Trail or a six-day hike in November.”

Anjos, who gave herself the nickname “Mercury” after the wing-footed greek god and a classical piece by Gustav Holtz, decided to pick a year (2020) and give the record a shot. She was coached and mentored by Warren Doyle, who has hiked the trail 18 times and set the first official speed record in 1973. He also would crew her the entire way from Georgia to Maine.

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An athlete from Virginia has set a new women’s record for summitting all of the Adirondack 46 High Peaks. Alyssa Godesky finished her supported hike at the base of Giant Mountain a little after sunset on Thursday, clocking in at 3 days, 16 hours and 16 minutes.

Godesky began her journey at 4 am on Monday, August 17, 2020 near Tupper Lake. Over the next three and a half days, Godesky would cover 160 miles and more than 67,000 feet of elevation gain. She got just a few hours of sleep each night and took quick naps on the drive between trailheads. The “supported” type of hike she did meant she had a crew of 8 people who helped her refuel, travel, and gear up between trails.

Godesky said other hikers on the trail were incredibly supportive and encouraging, some of whom were aware of what she was trying to do. “I was totally surprised by that, and that was super, super fun. People would move to the side and be like, ‘keep going, keep going,'” Godesky added, which she said took her mind off of how badly her legs were hurting at times.

She said one of the toughest aspects wasn’t the hiking, but the weather. “I’m not a fan of being cold, so I had a couple of cold, wet mornings, which were probably the biggest mental struggles I had.”

Around 8 pm on Thursday at the base on Giant Mountain, Godesky stopped her GPS watch, clocking in at 3 days, 16 hours and 16 minutes. Godesky said her body is now in recovery mode. “Overall, I’m just super stoked and really happy.”

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The Appalachian Trail (AT) speed record now stands at 41 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes. Karel Sabbe crossed the trailhead at Mt. Katahdin on August 28, 2018, completing the 2,189-mile AT faster than anyone before him.

The previous record of 45 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes, set by Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy in 2017, still stands as the self-supported AT record.

And this isn’t the first time the 28-year-old Sabbe has topped a major thru-hike record. In fact, it’s not the first time he’s bested McConaughy. Sabbe also beat McConaughy’s supported record on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in 2016 — a record that still stands.

And with his performance on the AT, Sabbe is now the only person to hold both AT and PCT FKTs at the same time. Heather “Anish” Anderson holds both records for women on the AT and PCT.

Sabbe began his AT attempt on July 18, heading north from Springer Mountain in Georgia. He claimed his intent on FastestKnownTime.com and used a tracker to mark his progress. He also updated his Strava data as cell service allowed to verify the record.

For the FKT, Sabbe averaged a blistering pace — roughly 53 miles per day for more than 41 days straight.

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