November 5, 2023, 7:51 a.m. ET
November 5, 2023, 7:51 a.m. ET
Days before the New York City Marathon, Harvard physics professor Jenny Hoffman ran more than 3,000 miles from San Francisco to New York.
Hoffman, 45, set out in September to break the women’s Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of America on foot. The current record, set by Sandra Villines in 2017, is 55 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes. On Thursday, Hoffman arrived at New York City Hall in 47 days, 12 hours and 35 minutes. She still needs to submit her documentation and have it ratified by Guinness World Records before the record is official.
“I still have work to do,” Hoffman said as she headed to Coney Island Beach Friday to see the Atlantic Ocean, her children in tow. “There are parts that still seem out of the body, like ‘Who is this person who did this thing?’ Is it me?’ »
Hoffman said she was always intrigued by crossing the country and was inspired by Villines and Pete Kostelnick, who holds the men’s record. She made the trip on foot rather than by bike due to her running experience.
Hoffman has been a competitive runner for over 20 years. Although she has run many marathons, she excels at ultrarunning, which involves longer distances than the marathon. She has won the US National 24 Hour Track and Field Championship three times – in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Crossing the United States on foot seemed like the next challenge. She actually attempted to cross the country in 2019, but had to stop 400 miles from her goal after tearing the meniscus on her right side.
Hoffman said a friend’s serious car accident led her to try again. She said she told herself, “If I’m healthy and fit now and this is a life goal, I should do it when I can.” »
So she and her team left San Francisco on September 16 and ran at least 60 miles every day to break the record. She has crossed deserts, mountains, prairies, highways and other terrains. She ran mostly in silence, except for a 169-mile stretch of a desert road in Nevada, during which she listened to Des Linden’s memoir “Choosing to Run.” Linden is the only American woman to win the Boston Marathon this century.
“People are so friendly, red state, blue state, whatever their yard signs are, people have been so nice to me all over the country,” Hoffman said.
Zephyr Larson, her 14-year-old son, said he followed his mother’s tracker while she ran. “It’s super cool to have a mom who inspires me and teaches me that I can do anything I want to do,” he said.
Hoffman must now gather all the documentation on his breed and submit it to Guinness; she said it could take a year for it to be ratified. Until then, she will swim and train in preparation for her next race.
In December, she will compete in the International Ultrarunners Association 24-Hour World Championship in Taiwan. His personal best for this race is 145.4 miles.
“I probably won’t be able to match that because I’ve just done a lot of work with this body,” she said with a laugh.
gn EN headline
