Kristian Morgan aims to beat the current record of 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes
When it comes to long distance trail running challenges, there aren’t many as high profile as attempting to cover the full length of the Appalachian Trail. The route is one of the most popular with thru-hikers, many of whom take between 5 and 7 months to complete it.
The 2,189-mile trail, which covers a total elevation gain equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 16 times, will mean that Kristian needs to tackle terrain ranging from flat farmland to rocky mountaintops over 2,000 metres.
The previous record was set in 2018 by Belgian dentist Karel Sabbe who finished the route in 41 days, 7 hours and 39 minutes, beating records previously set by Scott Jurek and Karl Meltzer.
To successfully hold the Guinness World Record, the 42-year-old aims to run and fast-hike about 55 miles a day, sleep between 5 and 7 hours a night and consume approximately 8,000 calories a day.
Starting on 1 July, Kristian will be running northbound from Georgia to Maine on the Eastern side of the USA and will pass through 14 states. He’ll be supported throughout by his mum and cousin, who will drive ahead and set up overnight camps at scheduled stops.
Kristian, an Inov-8 ambassador who has run over 120 marathon and ultramarathon events said of the attempt,“I decided long ago that I wanted to live a life rich in experiences over possessions, and I can think of no better experience than running the AT. It’s going to be the adventure of a lifetime.
Living out of a camper van in the heart of London for the last eight years and working as a self-employed ultramarathon coach, Kristian has done most of his training in and around England’s capital city, often running over 100 repetitions of a small hill near Crystal Palace.
“Life on the AT will be very different to life in London,” he added, “but I can’t wait to get going. I’ll start running at 4am each day in the dark and push on until reaching the overnight camp. I’m really looking forward to the peace and tranquillity, but less so the prospect of encountering bears and snakes. Meeting a bear in the dark is my biggest fear!”
Kristian will wear the soon-to-be-released inov-8 TRAILROC G 280 shoes and/or the popular ROCLITE G 275.
Follow Kristian’s progress on his AT world record attempt via this live tracker map. There will be updates throughout on inov-8’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
