Running the length of the Alps
On 4 July, Sophie Woods set off from near Trieste, Italy, with a simple but challenging goal: to run the length of the Alps faster than anyone had done before.
Less than 29 days later, she arrived in Monaco.
Woods crossed eight countries, climbed more than 117,000 metres and covered 2,018 kilometres of some of Europe's most unforgiving terrain, finishing in 28 days, 17 hours and 59 minutes. Her time sets a new fastest known time (FKT) for the Via Alpina, beating both the men's and women's records.
The Via Alpina is a network of trails tracing the length of the Alps, from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean. The route passes through Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, France and finally Monaco.
What were the records?
Before Woods arrived in Monaco, the overall Via Alpina FKT belonged to British ultrarunner Jake Catterall, who completed the route in 35 days, 21 hours and four minutes in 2024.
The women's record, set by Dutch ultrarunner Tessa Caspers in 2025, stood at 38 days, two hours and 54 minutes.
Who is Sophie Woods?
Woods, 42, was already an accomplished ultrarunner before attempting the Via Alpina.
She has completed the Tor des Géants three times, finished third at the 2026 Winter Spine Race and recorded multiple top-10 finishes at major European ultras.
Check out her BBC interview or follow her on Instagram.
Know the numbers
70+ km a day — Woods averaged more than 70 kilometres of the route every day.
117,600m of elevation — Woods' total elevation gain was equivalent to climbing Mount Everest more than 12 times.
7,000 calories a day — Woods estimates that she consumed around 7,000 calories every day, 3.5 times the recommended daily intake for an average woman.
Photography credit: @zoe_salt_photography on Instagram