farragutpress

Woody’s 950-mile GSMNP Trail record

Farragut resident, 56, overcomes ‘among some of the hardest trails in the country’ in 33 days, 9 hours

September 3, 2020 by Alan Sloan

For a man who considered running as “punishment” dating from his youth until age 40, Jeff Woody of Farragut has made a name for himself running hundreds of miles in a single event — and most recently setting a record — at age 56.

Though “some of the trails in the Smokies are among the hardest you’ll find in the country,” Woody conquered roughly 950 miles of Great Smoky Mountains trails in Tennessee and North Carolina, breaking the record of completion by almost 10 days. He needed just 33 days and nine hours (from Thursday, July 23, to Tuesday, Aug. 25).

“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Woody added about his accomplishment, which required “from seven to 13 hours” a day, covering anywhere from 18 to 41 miles daily. “This whole thing became bigger than me.”

Marking the ninth time Woody had completed the entire GSMNP chain of trails, ”I love the Smoky Mountains,” he said.

But to chase the record, “Back in 2017 when Benny Braden set the record (then 43 days), I thought it was something I ought to try,” added Woody, a nuclear safety engineer at Oak Ridge Office of Environmental Management.

Starting on the North Carolina side, “I was confident, but I was uncertain about how my body was going to hold up,” he said.

That’s despite having run at least one ultra marathon (more than 26.2 miles) in each of the 50 states — during a roughly three-year span from age 47 through 49 — which included “about 12 or 13” where he ran 100 miles non-stop.

Looking back on his 950-mile record, “Physically it was not harder than I thought,” Woody said, adding his preparation included “some 30- and 40-mile runs.”

However, “Mentally it was harder,” he said. “… Every evening you come off the trail exhausted; and when you’re exhausted you start having some doubts.”

Physically, “The second week of this thing I started having some significant pain in my lower leg,” Woody said. “I had to take two days off and get treatment from a physical therapist.”

In the fourth week, “I had some significant stomach distress,” limiting his calorie intake, the 56-year-old said.

That was critical, because Woody said he was burning “in excess of 3,000 calories a day.”

During this “four-day stretch,” Woody said he didn’t “take any days off, and it was really rough. I didn’t have the energy because I didn’t have the calories.”

Meanwhile, “The creek was just a perfect way to try and reduce some of the inflammation in my legs … let that very cold water do its thing,” he said.

His trek included “10 to 12 creek crossings in thigh-deep in water,” Woody said, also including the challenges of “steep climbs, rocky surfaces, heavy overgrowth and “two stubborn bears who wouldn’t yield the trail.”

Woody’s total amount of climbing was “199,000 vertical feet. That’s a fair number of Empire State Buildings,” he said.

Down the stretch, “I was no longer having soreness in my legs, I was no longer having a whole lot of fatigue,” he added. “That’s what really amazed me.”

Coming down the home stretch at Gatlinburg Trail Aug. 25, Woody was accompanied by his wife, Diana Woody, daughters, Jess Heath and Sarah Johnson — all three women also having done “multiple marathons” according to Woody — and grandchildren, plus “some buddies.”

His daughters also joined him, each on a different day, “to share some miles with me” at points on the trail just prior to the final stretch. “And Diana did a couple of trails with me.”

Moreover, “I would not have been able to do this without my wife,” he added. “… She’s been my crew chief on a lot of my runs. … she knew exactly what to do, re-supplying me with food and gear … and she would bring me things I didn’t know I needed.”

In a show of sportsmanship, former record-holder Braden “did the last trail with me.”

In a light moment, Woody said Braden told him, ‘You know the tradition is you have to carry me across the finish.’”