🌄 RECAP - Day 23 - 2024 Appalachian Trail - Fastest Known Time Attempt 🏃♂️✨
⏰ Start Time: 4:00am
📏 Distance: 55 miles
⏳ Time on Trail: 16hrs 25mins
🚶♂️ Avg. Speed: 3.4 mph
⛰️ Elevation Gain: 6,800 feet
⬇️ Elevation Loss: 6,105 feet
Falling on the Appalachian Trail is an experience everyone who journeys its entire length will face. It’s not a matter of if—but when. This time, I stumbled and ended up with a small cut, but what truly stung was the feeling of my bone, pressed against the skin, almost as if it had broken. 🌲
In 2023, I broke my right index finger in a fall. This year, Michael Wardian also faced a similar fate, breaking his finger. But falling, in the grand scheme of the Appalachian Trail, is just a part of the journey. It’s the getting back up that matters. 🌿 No matter how long you’re down, you always rise. And there lies the paradox of life—no matter what comes your way, you keep moving forward. Beyond. ⛰️
On day 23, I only took one photo, which tells me how deeply tired I must have been. On other days, I would snap 20 pictures and shoot some videos. But now, looking back, I realize that I missed so much of the beauty around me while I was consumed with my own pain and suffering. So, when I return to the Appalachian Trail this year to attempt the fastest known time, I’ll make sure to take it all in—to notice the small, beautiful moments that often pass unnoticed. 📸✨
As always, if you’re looking for guidance, I have coaching spaces available. With years of experience training in Ethiopia, running with the world’s best, completing over 150 marathons, ultra-marathons, and 100-milers, plus holding the second-fastest northbound time on the Appalachian Trail and setting the southbound record last year, I’d love to help you on your journey. Reach out and let’s make it happen. 🌟
