Eric and  ‘Senior’ are keeping Karl on track. It’s a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows and at times it has looked a little stressful but as I have said all along, Speedgoat has gone into this AT attempt with a complete understanding of what needs to be done… He learned this in 2015 when crewing Scott and he witnessed it in the latter stages when Scott pushed on and on relentlessly. As I write this, Karl is through day 38 with 1761-miles covered and 428-miles to go. Karl would say to me, “I can smell the barn!” And yes, a very feint smell of the barn may well fill Speedgoat’s nostrils but he has got some seriously long and hard days ahead. In the true sprit of the sport, Scott Jurek and Jenny Jurek have now joined Karl on the trail and they will help push through and hopefully all Speedgoat to achieve his dream. We have an epic couple of weeks ahead!

Many thanks to Karl, Eric and Red Bull for the continued support and help.

Day 29 Virginia

This morning Karl and crew woke up amongst white-tailed deer. This 107-mile stretch of trail through Shenandoah truly is beautiful. Karl’s progress is going well and the shin that was bothering him is now taped and feeling much better. Pain free, Karl can pick up the pace and today he logged 50.4 miles. The routine is run/jog/ hike, stop, ice, eat, sleep and repeat. The AT is not easy but today was a good day!

Day 30 Virginia 

Karl exited the Shenandoah National Park today after a little more than two days. Karl’s foot blisters are flaring up a little but he is still pushing. Some new lunch options are helping keep spirits up with Karl trading in his PB&J for pork sliders. tonight the crew planned to stop at 1800 but Karl felt strong and insisted that he kept going… He covered another 11 miles and racked up 60 miles. Yes, 60 miles. Karl is killing it and whether he sets the record or not I personally and blown away by his tenacity. Rest is key but Karl didn’t hit the sack till midnight.

Day 31 Virginia

A busy day on the Blue Ridge Parkway section and Karl was extremely fatigued. Sometimes you need to know when not to push on and those extra 11 miles the previous day may well have been 11 miles too far! He was sluggish but still smiling though. At midday, Karl came off the trail limping. The blister under his foot had filled with fluid and he couldn’t apply any pressure. The crew jumped into action, drained the blister, bandaged Karl up and he continued on at jogging pace. Karl crossed the James River Footbridge which is an iconic and beautiful spot on the Appalachian Trail. Karl ate two steaks for dinner and then went to bed.

Day 32 Virginia

Karl is holding up well considering the fatigue, he also hopes that the bottom of his foot stays dry so the blister can heal. Health is as important as fitness and success on the AT can really come down to the small things. Karl slept on the trail tonight at Scorched Earth Gap. Today Karl did an astonishing 57 miles…

Day 33 Virginia

Bedding down on the trail last night was almost a fatal decision for Karl’s AT attempt. Karl and crew could have pushed on for 4 miles and had the comfort of the van, instead Karl just crashed on the trail… he had a bad night’s sleep. Desperate and drained, Karl stopped mid trail in the morning and sept. His crew found him, face down, sleeping in the dirt. They pushed him on to McAfee Knob where the van had stopped. For three hours Karl slept, it was needed! But Karl woke up and disappeared without saying a word. The crew met him at the next stop and a pint of ice cream worked wonders. Two minutes later, the pint was gone and Karl was off. Karl’s friend Dave, met him on the trail later in the day with some fried chicken and the reassuring words of, ‘you can do this, the question is, do you have the grit?’ – I think we all know the answer. Karl is digging deeper than he ever has with a real understanding of what needs to be done. After two more sections. Karl stopped. He insisted he couldn’t go any further without getting more sleep – everyone agreed! It was a 23-mile day and just goes to show how tough and challenging the AT is. It was a real low day on the AT for Karl.

Day 34 Virginia

Karl woke up rested today from a long night’s sleep/ He started off charging hard. Have no doubts, Karl knows exactly what needs to be done on a daily basis to beat this AT record and he has the blinkers on… In all honesty, he had the blinkers on right from day one. The AT has thrown its ups and downs – what else would one expect from the AT. Karl bounced back today with a 50+ day. Karl was jogging a great deal more today because the terrain is pretty slick. There are hills here but nothing drastic. Karl has a tight gap to beat the AT record and he attributes his motivation to his wife, Cheryl. Karl is optimistic though and he has 12-days to push. Karl pushed on for an additional 16-miles today with Cheryl by his side. When they finished, Eric had pasta waiting. From here on in it’s 50 miles a day for Speedgoat to beat the record… Pretty sure the arrival of Scott and Jenny Jurek will help!

Day 35 Virginia

Karl woke up tired, it was tough to get going but the routine clicked as the morning wore on. Terrain has some rocks and is mountainous but not as severe as Pennsylvania. The miles are beginning to even out and Karl is in good spirits, that is really important as what lies ahead is tough. A variety of food keeps rolling along and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a hit. It was a 49.2-mile day and Speedgoat is on track for the record.

Image ©karlmeltzer

The arrival of Scott Jurek and David Horton no doubt is a super motivation for Karl. Scott (and Jenny) now plan to return the favour Karl gave in 2015 to Scott’s successful record. David has had to return back to work but with this crew and Scott pushing, the chances of getting the record is increasing despite the tough and challenging target of 50 miles a day. Like I said, Karl knows what he has to do!

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