Share with us your thoughts What happens when you stop putting a limit on yourself? Four hours' sleep a night, 40 degree heat, wildfires closing the trail in front of her. And somewhere in the middle of it all, the fastest human being, man or woman, ever to cross the Alps on foot. In this episode of the VOOM Performance Podcast, record-breaking ultrarunner and coach Sophie Grant joins Mel Berry to talk through her extraordinary Via Alpina Fastest Known Time: 2,000km, eight countries, and the equivalent of climbing Everest from sea level twelve times, completed in 28 days 17 hours, smashing both the women's and men's previous records. This is a raw, honest conversation about what it actually takes to hold together body and mind over 28 days of near-permanent movement: fuelling on 6-7,000 calories a day, running on three to four hours' sleep, navigating storms, wildfires and a genuinely terrifying lightning strike above the treeline. Sophie talks openly about how she fell back in love with her body after IVF and the grief of infertility, why consistency (not any single big session) is what actually makes an athlete, and why she doesn't want women's achievements measured only against men's. Sophie is a UK Athletics Coach with Centurion Coaching, a GB international trail and mountain runner, and a former hairdresser turned two-decade veteran of ultra running, with results across everything from 5km to the 330km Tor des Géants and the Winter Spine Race. She also stars alongside fellow ultrarunner Stephanie Case in the documentary Off Course, which follows their parallel journeys through infertility and elite sport. Whether you're training for your first ultramarathon, thinking about fuelling and foot care for long days in the mountains, or just want to hear what it really takes to break a record most people wouldn't attempt, this episode has something for you. In this episode you'll learn How Sophie went from a reluctant PE-dodging schoolkid and hairdresser to the fastest person ever across the Alps. Why consistency, not any single big session, is what actually builds a stronger runner. How she and her husband George planned and crewed a 2,000km, 28-day self-supported FKT. The realities of fuelling 6-7,000 calories a day and managing feet, sleep and decision-making on almost no rest. How going through IVF and infertility changed her relationship with her body. Why she resists the narrative that women's performances should be measured against men's records. Why you should listen It's easy to focus on the headline number, fastest ever across the Alps, and miss everything underneath it: the years of consistency, the planning with her husband and crew, the fuelling strategy built through a decade of trial and error, and the very human moments of fear, grief and doubt along the way. Sophie's honesty about IVF, about needing her parents to only say "good things," about nearly being struck by lightning, makes this a conversation about far more than running. If you're interested in ultra running, fastest known times, women in endurance sport, fuelling and foot care for multi-day efforts, or building a training approach that actually lasts, this is an episode you won't want to miss. If you enjoy this episode of the VOOM Performance Podcast, please subscribe, leave us a review and share it with someone who would benefit from hearing Sophie's insights. Resources & Links Learn More About VOOM Nutrition VOOM Nutrition creates science-backed sports nutrition products designed for endurance athletes, helping support energy, hydration, recovery, and performance across training and racing. Explore the full range of products at: https://www.voomnutrition.co.uk/ Whether you're training for your next ultra, marathon, sportive or open water swim, Voom Nutrition helps you fuel smarter so you can perform at your best. About Sophie Grant https://www.instagram.com/sophieamygrant/ Sophie Grant is a New Zealand-born, GB international ultra and mountain runner who set the fastest known time, men's or women's, for the 2,000km Via Alpina route across eight countries, completing it in 28 days 17 hours from Trieste to Monaco. She is a UK Athletics Coach with Centurion Coaching, working with athletes of all abilities, and has raced everything from 5km to the 330km Tor des Géants and the Winter Spine Race, with top-ten finishes at UTMB. A former hairdresser who took up running after moving from New Zealand to London, Sophie has since built a career around endurance, coaching and advocacy for women in the sport, drawing on her own experience of infertility and IVF to push for better support for female athletes. Watch Off Course https://kendalmountainplayer.com/programs/off-course Sophie's documentary with fellow ultrarunner Stephanie Case, following their parallel journeys through infertility, loss and elite ultra running. Coaching with Sophie https://centurioncoaching.co.uk/coaches/sophie-grant/ If you're getting into, or already established in, ultra running and want coaching support, this is where to find Sophie and the Centurion Coaching team. Listen & Subscribe If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to: ⭐ Follow the VOOM Performance Podcast ⭐ Leave us a review ⭐ Share this episode with a training partner or teammate Every review helps us bring more expert conversations to the endurance community. Connect with VOOM Website: https://www.voomnutrition.co.uk/ Instagram: @voomnutrition Facebook: VOOM Nutrition
