«So I broke the record in the Alps between Germany and Austria»- Corriere.it

The solitude of the mountain for a challenge beyond the limits. On 27 June Ida-Sophie Hegemann became the first woman to cover the full distance of the Karwendel Höhenweg, an alpine course between Germany and Austria of 65.5km with over 5,000 meters of altitude difference of the High-Altitude Trail. The North Face team athlete set a new female FKT (Fastest Known Time) record with a time of 10 hours and 42 minutes by covering the entire distance in one push. «I wanted to try and beat this record from last year. It occurred to me when I was working on my architecture degree and I couldn’t spend much time in the mountains – said Ida al Corriere della Sera -. After I finished, I went to South Tyrol and from there the project was born. But, to be honest, at the time I didn’t realize how difficult the path was».

The Karwendel Höhenweg is normally completed in 3-4 days by experienced hikers, it is an exposed and technically demanding route due to the loose rock. This year there were also many snowfields and some trails were not even passable until a few days before the challenge, making the conditions even more challenging. To add a further difficulty the expected high temperatures. «I had to train a lot on the course and in areas where the terrain is similar – explained Ida -. Five weeks before my FKT attempt I ran another FKT in Italy, from Bressanone to Bolzano, a well-known hiking trail. It was pretty similar in terms of miles, but with mostly flowing trails. Up until that moment I had trained a lot on basic resistance, then I concentrated more on technical training».

The hardest parts for the ultra runner were the technical climb to Frau Hitt — almost at kilometer 21 — due to snow, ice and debris and the subsequent passage to Mount Bettelwurf. “A section where you always run in the same way, back and forth – clarified Ida – and you can’t perceive progress due to the numerous changes of pace”. Moments that have also tested her from her mental point of view. But after 10 hours and 42 minutes Ida-Sophie Hegemann has finally made history. A feat that the athlete of The North Face team managed to fully appreciate only a few days later: «I was very happy, but also very tired, it took me a few days to realize what I had done. This is kind of the problem with FKTs: it’s not a race, no one is cheering and no one is exhausted with you, you feel a bit weird when you run alone against yourself, even at the finish line, no one knows it’s a finish line . In my case the neighbors of the train station (where the finish line in Scharnitz was, ed) they looked at me for a long time as if I were an alien». However, Ida is not new to similar challenges. In recent years you have already won a number of alpine races, including the Transalpine Run, the Mont Blanc Marathon and the Innsbruck Alpine Race.

And this won’t be the last FTK challenge. «This year I will participate in the UTMB, it’s my first time – explained Ida -. In the long term, my goal is to be able to finish on the podium, but this year I’m going to gain experience. As for personal projects, I would like to run as many FKTs as possible in the Alps region, especially around Innsbruck, where I live, but also in South Tyrol. I think it’s a great way to encourage other women to ride the fastest routes and to show that they can do it too”. In fact, for Ida there are no limits, you have to keep pushing your body and believe in yourself, then you can do anything.