Ultra runner Nikki Kimball takes on the 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont

Ultra runner Nikki Kimball takes on the 273-mile Long Trail in Vermont

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The vast majority of people will live out their lives having never run a half-marathon, let alone a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42.195 kilometers). Ultra marathoners, or simply ultra runners, comprise a small percentage of distance running enthusiasts that routinely run races of 50, 100 or even 200 miles in length.

Case in point; Nikki Kimball recently ran 273 miles on the Long Trail through the mountainous woods of Vermont. Put another way, that’s the same as running 10 back-to-back marathons through rocky terrain. Her journey, with all its ups and downs, was captured in the 2015 documentary Finding Traction.

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Kimball completed the Long Trail in 5 days, 7 hours, and 42 minutes, breaking the women’s record by over two full days.

Map of Long Trail, Vermont

[fusion_title size=”4″]MONTANA ULTRA MARATHONER[/fusion_title]

Kimball, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, has amassed an impressive resume in the decade since she first competed in ultra running. She is a three-time winner of the prestigious Western States 100-mile Endurance Run and was aided in her 2007 victory by U.S. Senator Max Baucus who served on her support crew.

Found a GSP who looks just like my first pointer, Dhaby. I think Zoe gave me good vibes for tomorrow!

A photo posted by Nikki Kimball (@vikabirddog) on

Last year, Kimball won the 156-mile (251 km) Marathon Des Sables multi-stage endurance race in Morocco on her first attempt. Along with Bad Water, it has a reputation as one of the toughest foot races on the planet.

2015-08-19T12:04:35+00:00 August 19th, 2015|

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