If you’re reading this, I’ve already set back out on the Appalachian Trail. This time I’ll be headed south from Katahdin, running home. If you’re wondering, “why on earth would he do that?!” then read on. If you’re just here for the links, here they are:
It’s been a while (after the 2025 Barkley Marathons) since I posted anything here. It wasn’t intentional, or that I didn’t want to. It just seemed overwhelming, and I wanted to be able to move on. Also, I wasn’t going to miss time with family by writing a post about how I had just missed time with family.
But I owe it to my family and to everyone involved in this adventure, this year or last, to more clearly gather some of my thoughts. To start, I’ll share the notes that I sent my team when I decided to go for it again. If you might like to join that team for any stretch along the way, fill out this short form and you should get an email with the relevant info.
A Different Attempt
This isn’t just a repeat AT attempt, this one will be a bit different. Sure, different date and direction, but also different mindset. I want to maintain greater joy and appreciation throughout this, for it to be a better experience not only for me but for everyone who comes out for any part of it. I’m looking at this not as, “I have to try again” but as, “I have the opportunity to redo it the right way.”
Just the idea of making this attempt is absolutely terrifying like nothing I’ve ever done – the thought that I might slip into the same mental dark place that I was in, that my leg might not hold up, that the whole thing might fall apart. One failure can feel like bad luck, two feels much more personal. I’ve been incredibly hesitant to commit to it, but I know (and have been reminded by those who know me best) that I’ll always regret it if I don’t give it another go. The only certainty in waiting is that I’ll continue to get older.
Do It With Joy
Honestly my biggest regret from last year’s attempt is not fully enjoying it, even more than not finishing. Even worse, I know that my misery affected others and how I interacted with people out there with me. I was pretty consistently miserable starting around day 4 when I got in a big hole on sleep from chasing a ferry schedule, and my feet were absolutely wrecked from the daily storms. I slipped into a big mental hole and never fully clawed my way out of it – staying there for 4 weeks. It was misery with moments of joy rather than vice versa. Continuing seemed more like an obligation than an opportunity.
There will of course always be low points, and times when I feel miserable, and times when I go quiet and don’t want to talk (I write too much, talk not enough). There also still needs to be an immense focus on moving forward quickly – it’s not just some casual fun run. But being out on that trail is an unbelievable privilege that should be celebrated. That needs to be the main theme. If I start to forget that, anyone who is out there with me has written permission, and encouragement, to slap me out of it (figuratively… but if the figurative slap doesn’t work then anything goes).
I know I was probably a bit grumpy at times too, and I’m sorry for that. I do hope that I managed to remain polite, but I know that grumpy + polite doesn’t magically equal pleasant or fun. I’ve always tried to approach these things as true team events, rather than a supported individual, and to be appreciative of everyone out there. Even when I’m successful at that in every way possible I still feel it’s insufficient. But at times last year I sank to depths I had never imagined and pretty much every part of my brain shut down except the part moving my legs forward.
It does seem that most people had a great experience last year, which to me was one of the best outcomes and has been a tremendous source of solace for me. But I have heard a few accounts of people who did not. My sincere apologies to anyone who had a negative experience. We’ve tried to incorporate as much feedback from last year as possible, to improve everyone’s time out there.
Finish It
The other obvious goal: finish the thing.
My main concern is of course the leg injury that stopped me just short last year. It remained a thorn in my side, just lingering – not getting worse, allowing me to do most things but not quite at full strength and just constantly reminding me that it’s still there. That’s one reason the decision to make another attempt came so late. I hoped that Western States would be a big confidence boosting springboard for this. Unfortunately the race didn’t really go to plan.
But fortunately, I got some recommendations there that finally led me to a doctor who was able to diagnose what’s going on. I have / had a compressed peroneal nerve caused by a bit of scar tissue left from a minor peroneal muscle tear (I’m thinking it was when I caught my toe on a root and hyper extended that ankle). I had a nerve hydrodissection, which flushed out the scar tissue and restored space around that nerve (confirmed by imaging). After some PT things are actually starting to feel fairly normal for the first time since last year’s attempt. No weird feelings of weakness or deadness, no hesitation on that leg on descents, actually pushing off that foot on climbs instead of dragging it behind me… there are of course no guarantees, but I’m pretty optimistic about this.
Western Youth Network Fundraiser
The most successful part of last year’s effort was the much-needed funding and awareness brought to continued Hurricane Helene relief efforts. About $70K was raised, which combined with an immediate fundraiser after Helene brought the total to over $100K. I cannot begin to thank the community enough for that, and to be honest is the biggest actual, tangible thing that I think has ever come from my silly little adventures through the mountains.
This year I’ll be raising funds for Western Youth Network, a local charity with mission “to transform our High Country community by nurturing and empowering our children so that they live healthy, engaged and fulfilled lives.” I view this as a continuation of the Helene fundraisers: immediate response (with emergency supplies) -> continual recovery (with continued rebuilding) -> and now future growth (by supporting so many of the kids who were affected). If you in any way get any value or entertainment from my efforts out there or the content from it, please consider a donation.
WYN is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and all donations go directly to WYN, so it is tax deductible (for US tax payers) and there are no 3rd party overhead fees. I’m also putting my money where my mouth is, matching 10% of up to $50K of donations. Or I guess putting my money where my legs are. Or my legs where my money is. One of those.
There’s also a small number of “prizes” available for the largest fundraisers. Some of them seem ridiculous to me. 😂 But I would be absolutely thrilled if they do provide some value to someone and help WYN at the same time. To prevent this from just being a matter of who can donate the most, anyone can become a fundraiser and get your own unique link that people can use to donate, which will go towards each fundraiser’s totals for the prizes. If you have an idea for something else to include, please reach out to my team and maybe we can add it.
A Full Analysis of the 2025 Attempt
Nope, haven’t done it. Probably won’t do it. Usually after one of these adventures I go into data scientist mode and do a thorough breakdown of everything – my pace, my sleep, my nutrition, terrain and weather effects, every minute gained or lost to anything. Partially, again, I just haven’t had the time. And partially, I didn’t want to. I focused my reflections on the intangibles and the lessons learned.
When I’m back out there, I want neither the stress or the comfort of trying to hit splits on a spreadsheet. There are so many variables I can’t account for. Someone on the team, an extremely good data scientist, did create a model from all my splits last year. I’m sure it’s great, and it could be really useful to the team in trying to figure out when I’ll hit road crossings, but I told him I don’t want to see it until afterwards. I’m going to go out each day, and move the best that I can given the terrain, the conditions, and my own body.
Below are the only two charts I made after last year’s attempt, to quickly satiate my own curiosity.
Which Direction
Regarding the whole northbound / southbound thing – for an FKT attempt that’s largely dependent on the time window. Last year my available time window was early in the season, when you have to go north (in May the White Mountains are probably still, well, white). This year my available time window is late in the season, when you (almost) have to go south. No one trying to move fast wants to be doing it in Georgia in August.
I do think that overall, the expected time in either direction is roughly the same (you do lose about 1.5K feet in elevation going south, but in the context of nearly 500K feet total elevation gain that’s not a big factor). Northbound, though, with the White Mountains towards the end, carries much more uncertainty and risk. If I made a probability distribution of my expected time in both directions, they would have about the same average but the northbound one would have a much bigger tail of possible outcomes where things go disastrously wrong.
All that said, there is a strong psychological benefit in running towards home. I found this back when I was living in the UK, and did the Pennine Way in both directions. Last year I remember very clearly looking from the Grayson Highlands back towards my home mountains, knowing I was venturing into the unknown, farther from family and familiar terrain. This time the elastic pull of home will be drawing me in rather than pulling me back. The whole TN / NC border feels like my backyard, and I know most of it by heart.
Between Two Attempts
Despite the issue with my leg, I’ve had some pretty great adventures in the past year. That’s one thing where the decision to stop has largely been validated – had I continued there’s a good chance that my peroneal nerve would have been crushed entirely and killed. Instead of just feeling “off” and weak over the last year, I would have been outright debilitated, possibly permanently.
What has seemed like one stumbling block after another in the past year has actually been a complex path that has led me to the spot I’m in now. Tor Des Geants finish -> Western States entry -> knowledge that led to figuring out my leg injury. Spine and Barkley failures -> motivation to start training properly to be in a better spot once my leg injury was addressed. Garda Trentino Trail, a “short” FKT, and Ridge to Rails Half Marathon -> reminders that I am actually still capable of running fast and attacking downhills.
Tor Des Geants
I went out to do the 200+ mile loop around the Aosta Valley just 10 weeks after the Appalachian Trail. I could tell I wasn’t at full strength, but I was so happy and thrilled to be out there. Halfway in, I was actually still in a pretty good spot. Then I got some sort of stomach virus, and things got ugly in a way that I won’t detail here. But I finished, and I was so proud of making it around that loop even if well below my goals. It gave me confidence that I hadn’t just quit on the AT. That finish is also what earned me another entry in the Western States lottery, where my name was finally drawn after a decade of waiting.
The Spine Race
A beautiful wintry start melted away to icy, treacherous conditions. I had a number of falls, and on one of them hit my knee so hard on a rock that I’m still carrying a scar. I continued on for quite a while, but eventually it got so bad that it was physically impossible. Knowing what I know now, I wonder if my lingering AT issue is a reason I had such a hard time keeping my balance.
The Barkley Marathons
I took an absolutely disastrous wrong turn on loop 1, absent-mindedly following an old version of the course and then ending up at a doppelganger of the place I was actually supposed to be. I finished my 2nd loop over the time limit, so only 1 loop counted – my worst Barkley ever.
For as much as it seems like the Spine and Barkley were complete losses, they motivated me to finally try to take my training to the next level, actually adding strength and mobility, upping my running and my cross training, doing more heat exposure, taking my diet more seriously, etc. At 41, maybe it’s too late for me to realize the best I could have ever possibly been, but that’s fine. I made that tradeoff with other things I prioritized in life. If improving my training can even keep me at the same level for longer, or enable me to complete the AT, then long-term my Spine and Barkley results were positive.
Garda Trentino 60K and Ridge to Rails Half Marathon
Two “short” races, two opportunities to see the improved training pay off. They both went really well, and gave me the shot of confidence I needed going into Western States. In between those I even had a 40 mile FKT on the stretch of the AT leading into Damascus, one of my toughest spots last year. All of these reminded me that I do still have a bit of speed, and Garda Trentino Trail in particular had a huge finishing downhill that I was able to attack and enjoy in a way I haven’t for years, since a spate of sprained ankles in 2023 left me hesitant to go hard on technical descents.
Western States
The big event, a decade in the making, definitely did not go as planned. Things were spot-on perfect for the first half of the race, and then climbing out of the canyons I started to struggle. I now believe this was partially due to only having the one fully functioning leg, pushing harder with the other one to try to compensate. Eventually my stomach turned and I had a slow death march to the finish, tripping on countless rocks with that bad foot. After the race the muscles in my good leg were far more sore.
But again, the overall long-term outcome of Western States might be positive. Rachel Entrekin told me about nerve hydrodissection, Tonya Olson gave me some great tips on some of my AT blister issues, and I made connections with Sidas which I believe will help address some of my other AT foot issues. And honestly, if Western States had gone to plan, I might have left thinking, “meh, I probably don’t need to bother with most of that stuff.”
Back to the AT
Western States was not the confidence boosting launch back towards the AT I hoped it could be. Then when we got home, we found a tree down in the yard and nearly everything on our outside circuits was fried from a nearby lightning strike (at least adding surge protection devices to our panels earlier in the year quickly paid off by saving all our inside circuits). In the following weeks we had a medical scare with our dog, I got in a fender bender with my planned main AT support vehicle (which still isn’t repaired), and our five year old broke her arm. None of these adventures happen in a vacuum. We all have lives that continue on, with all their ups and downs.
But in the past month I have had support that has been even more overwhelming than the fear of heading back out on the Appalachian Trail. My family has been unbelievably supportive and amazing, as always. Jessi, the kids, and I have had some great time together in the past few weeks , that I do truly believe has been of much higher quality due to the knowledge that we’re going to have some lost quantity.
Having the opportunity to attempt this once, much less twice, is an unbelievable gift. To have the support, to have built up the resources and the time, to have the physical ability to even dream of doing it, for the trail to even be there to do in the first place… no matter the final outcome just getting to step back out there is something I will fully appreciate – and actually even more due to my injury last time.
My team from last year has helped prepare for this in a way that I could not have done on my own. Brittany Koether is returning as my main road crew, Ped Watt is once again master of logistics, Aleck Wong has been helping continuously to repair my body over the last year, and Bill Tidd is once again the sage (and incredibly strong runner) of the White Mountains. I even have Charmian Heaton, my crew chief from the Wainwrights Round, joining for this one. People who I hadn’t even met until last year’s attempt, like Lisa Denardo, Bryan Flynn, Ross Petrone, and David “Iceman” Martin, are returning in major roles.
I’m now at over 8 years with the incredible support of my coach David Roche, and this year I’ve also been working with Sarah Scozzaro for strength and Meredith Terranova for ironing out the details of my nutrition. The continued support of La Sportiva and my teammates there has been a huge boost in a year where I’ve fallen short of many of my goals. In the past month I’ve had incredible, expedient work from Dr. Welch at BucSports Medicine in Johnson City to finally get a clear imaging diagnosis and successful procedure on my leg, followed by PT work with Liz Cook and Hannah Chatterton. They’ve even made themselves available as emergency contacts while I’m out on the trail.
Social Media Plans
There’s a reason this post went up the day that I started. My focus has been, and will be, on the trail. But there will be content. Real Boone Studios will be providing some short-form professional content again, and I did actually enjoy doing the short videos last year. This year the plan is for two daily posts:
- A short video that’s purely a status update (where we are, conditions, how I feel, etc.). This year, this will be done by a team member(s) rather than me. It’s very difficult to truly capture how much this is a team effort, and I think this small change will help a lot. I’m hoping those teammates can also share a bit about themselves. There are a lot of incredible people out there who have amazing stories – I look forward to hearing more of them.
- A short video of me answering a question or discussing something chosen by a team member. Last year I talked about whatever I wanted. This year I’ll try to talk as much as possible about what the team wants (but don’t worry, I’ll still answer how I want 😂). We have a list of questions for people to choose from, starting with ones leftover from last year. Feel free to add a new question as a comment on a post, and it will be added to the list. Just think of it as a 2,200 mile Reddit AMA.
For the Tara Fans
Isn’t this everyone? Yes that includes me. No one has more respect for what Tara did (and continues to do). Very few other people can directly relate to what she pushed through and achieved, and I will say now the exact same thing I said when she first set the overall speed record on the AT – it might be the greatest FKT ever. Few people in our sport can push themselves the way that she does, and she has my utmost respect and admiration, and is an inspiration for me to continue to seek the best out of myself.
And that is exactly what I am going out there to do – to seek my best. I am not going out there to beat Tara; I am not going out there to do what she did but a bit better; I am just going out there to do something I’ve long dreamed about in the way that makes sense for me and my team. Whether that result is faster or slower – great. In the context of my own attempt, what her amazing performance provides is a reference point that proves the boundaries of what is possible is far beyond what I otherwise would have imagined. Records are not made to be broken. They’re made to be built upon, and all of them will remain a part of that foundation forever.
For the Hikers
The hiking community is incredibly supportive, and it was a joy to see everyone out on the trail last year enjoying the wilderness. I know there are a small number of individuals who frown upon anyone running on a trail, in not stopping to savor every peak, creek, flower, and tree. For what it’s worth, I have long considered myself a time-constrained hiker more than a trail runner. There’s a large part of me that wants to do this self-supported in secret. But I do believe public efforts like this help show the value of our wild places so that we can continue to protect and preserve them.
I’m sorry, though, I will probably never be able to convince those people of the value in how I choose to enjoy the trail. If you are one of those people, just know that I make every effort to approach these challenges in the most respectful way, following trail rules and etiquette, and without disturbing anyone’s time out there. If you have any suggestions on how to do that better, please reach out to me or my team. We are no more important than anyone else on the trail, and I hope nothing from me or anyone with me ever gives that impression. We’re just hiking our own hike, at what most would consider an unreasonable pace.
Also, if you do see my team at a road crossing, we plan to always have some trail magic available this year. Enjoy!
For Grandma
Earlier this year, my grandma passed away shortly after turning 100. She lived a good, full life. I do believe she had her sights set on 100 – one last big goal, one last thing to push towards. She made it, and then she was ready to go. One of the things that really struck me in my reflections after that, was not how much she had endured in her life – I had always known and thought about that. It was how she endured all of that with joy, with a smile and kindness for everyone she came across regardless of what she was dealing with.
I don’t think it was fake, or forced. She genuinely experienced joy, not even despite the hardships but through them – through the opportunity to face them and her strength to push through them. She viewed every moment of simply existing as a gift, and anything she could do in those moments was a bonus on top of that. If she did that for 100 years through actual suffering and adversity, then surely I can do that through a bit of voluntary pain and artificial adversity while exploring beautiful mountains.
Lets go do this, once more with (positive) feeling.
Let’s gooooooo!! 🤩