Sprint to the finish yields a new Appalachian Trail record

MILLINOCKET, Maine – A former Boston College cross-country runner has traversed the 2,190-mile (3,524-kilometre) Appalachian Trail in record time after a sleepless, 37-hour sprint to the top of Maine’s Mount Katahdin.

Joe McConaughy, known on the trail as “Stringbean,” reached the mountain summit Thursday, finishing his trek in 45 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes. He averaged about 48 miles (77 kilometres) daily.

The 26-year-old tells the Boston Globe that he loves running, hiking, the outdoors, “and pushing myself.”

His unofficial time beats the previous best by about 10 hours and McConaughy says he did it without outside help. He says he mailed his food and supplies before starting in Georgia.

The Seattle native used global-positioning data and social media time stamps to back his claim. The Appalachian Trail Conference doesn’t keep official records.