New Hampshire runner Lyla “Sugar” Harrod completed the Appalachian Trail yesterday, setting a new women’s overall self-supported record on the iconic trail. In doing so, she becomes the first known trans person to hold an FKT on the AT or any of the “Triple Crown” routes.
Harrod completed the 2,190-mile route headed southbound in an astonishing 52 days, 18 hours, and 37 minutes.
The FKT is pending verification from Fastest Known Time, but it would eclipse the previous record of 54 days, 7 hours, and 48 minutes set by Heather Anderson in 2015.
In addition to the FKT, completing the AT makes Harrod the first transgender woman to complete the thru-hiking “Triple Crown” of the AT, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Coast Trail.
Harrod said she dedicated a full year of her life towards planning, fundraising, and training for her FKT attempt.
“The trail took me to my current physical, mental and emotional limits,” Harrod wrote on Instagram, “and showed me I still have so much to learn, and deeper strength to tap into, if I’m willing to put in the work.”
She said the project was a way to express her love for thru-hiking, the AT, and the community that surrounds it. She also said it was to support trans athletes.
“My effort represents a commitment to not backing down in the face of political and cultural oppression,” said Harrod, “my commitment to visibility, and to showing people that trans athletes deserve to compete with their cisgender peers.”
