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It was about the adventure, says fastest runner to cross the Alps

Sophie Woods ran the Via Alpina through storms, heat of up to 37C and dodged floods and wildfires across eight countries.

Published August 2, 2026, 10:59 AM
Updated August 2, 2026, 11:40 AM604
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It was about the adventure, says fastest runner to cross the Alps

Runner Sophie Woods has become the fastest person to complete a 2,000km (1242 miles) ultramarathon across the Alps.

Woods ran the Via Alpina through storms, heat of up to 37C and dodged floods and wildfires across eight countries.

"Through the whole thing, I was only ever thinking about the day, the hour, the sort of minute that I was in", the runner told BBC Breakfast.

The previous record was 35 days and Woods did it in just 29, crediting ice cream slushies for helping her power through.

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