No matter how much you like to run, 1,147 miles is a hard distance to race against the clock.
On June 1, trail runner Coree Woltering laced up at St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin, to run the Ice Age Trail and set a new record. The trail weaves a massive 1,147 miles through the bays, streets, and forests of the Badger State. Over the weekend, Woltering finally completed his FKT attempt, running the distance in 21 days, 13 hours, and 35 minutes.
The 29-year-old beat the previous overall record set by runner Annie Weiss in 2018 by approximately 5 hours, as well as the previous men’s record set by Jason Dorgan by approximately 17 hours. Woltering’s feat is impressive considering some roadblocks along the way. On Day 10 of running, Woltering and his crew recorded that he had a “baseball sized ankle.”
Despite that, he ran and walked 42.5 miles the following day.
He also made sure to document his monster accomplishment on Instagram. On day 16, Woltering wrote, “Still here. Still within striking distance of the FKT if the body will hold up. Mornings are slow, afternoons pick up, and nights seem to fly by. Here we go!”
Three days away from setting the record, Woltering ran an insane 79.7 miles in 25 hours. His entire feat was documented on Strava and on the Fastest Known Time website.
Even though he was shooting for an FKT, Woltering made sure to make his run a success in other ways. He donated funds raised from his website back to the Ice Age Trail volunteer association and set up a fundraiser for Feeding America.
Trail Running Accomplishments
Growing up in Illinois, Woltering ran track, picking up triathlons in college. In 2012, he qualified for the World Championships and then went on to become a professional athlete and race at Worlds.
He then discovered ultras and trail running, racking up trophies in races like the Dunes 100, Marquette Trail 50, Leadville Trail Marathon, and The North Face Endurance Challenge 50K.
Woltering has said he “likes to run any distance on any surface.” His sponsors include big brands like The North Face, inov-8, and Darn Tough.
