Sophie Grant had reached a point where even the hardest ultramarathons no longer carried the uncertainty they once did, and after years of infertility and IVF, she realized she had also lost some of her joy in running and trust in her own body. The Via Alpina changed that, taking her roughly 2,000 kilometers across the Alps and forcing her to approach each day without knowing exactly what the next one would bring. She and photographer Zoe Salt talk about the physical and logistical realities of nearly a month on the trail, including...
Sophie Grant had reached a point where even the hardest ultramarathons no longer carried the uncertainty they once did, and after years of infertility and IVF, she realized she had also lost some of her joy in running and trust in her own body. The Via Alpina changed that, taking her roughly 2,000 kilometers across the Alps and forcing her to approach each day without knowing exactly what the next one would bring. She and photographer Zoe Salt talk about the physical and logistical realities of nearly a month on the trail, including relentless fueling, strength training, bad patches, storms, forest fires, and the value of an exceptional crew. Sophie shares practical lessons endurance athletes can use immediately, including her belief that “a bad moment does not make a bad day,” the importance of eating before assuming something has gone seriously wrong, and learning to distinguish between not wanting to continue and truly being unable to continue. The deeper story is about something bigger than an FKT: Sophie describes how this adventure helped her appreciate what her body could do after spending years focused on something it couldn't. By the end, her message is wonderfully simple: try something new,
LINKS:
- Sophie Grant's coaching
- Zoe Salt photography
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Timestamps
00:00 – The Via Alpina and an Enormous New Challenge
Sophie and Zoe introduce the roughly 2,000-kilometer route across eight Alpine countries and explain why attempting it was so different from Sophie's previous racing.
05:14 – Why Sophie Needed Something Different
After years of racing at a high level, Sophie realized she was operating on autopilot and needed a challenge that could bring uncertainty, learning, and joy back into running.
12:12 – Infertility, Running and Her Relationship With Her Body
Sophie opens up about infertility, IVF, and how the experience left her angry and disconnected from her body before the Via Alpina helped change that relationship.
20:00 – What 29 Days Really Looked Like
Zoe describes watching Sophie get up and do the work day after day, while Sophie shares the low moments, frustration, pain, and perspective that kept her moving.
25:12 – How Do You Fuel for a Month?
Sophie breaks down the surprisingly broad menu that powered the effort and explains why years of practicing 80 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour made eating almost automatic.
28:41 – “A Bad Moment Does Not Make a Bad Day”
Sophie explains how food, music, distraction, and experience help her escape negative headspaces, plus the crucial difference between can't continue and simply don't want to.
41:51 – When the Plan Falls Apart
Storms, vehicle problems and forest fires force the team to adapt, leading to a broader conversation about trusting your support system and learning to build a different life when the original plan changes.
48:20 – Not Every Problem Needs to Be Fixed
Sophie explains one of the most meaningful lessons from her infertility experience: sometimes people don't need solutions, they simply need someone willing to sit with them and acknowledge how hard things are.
53:15 – The Courage to Try Something That Scares You
Sophie closes with advice for anyone who feels stuck: try something new, choose something that scares you, and focus on having the courage to begin rather than obsessing over the outcome.
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