A few days after hiker Nick Fowler completed the Arizona Trail—the 800-mile trek across deserts, mountains, and yes even the Grand Canyon—he had a pedicure.

　　The nail technician took a pumice stone to Fowlers blisters and calluses, and she dug into exposed nail beds. She rubbed. She massaged. But even after the tender love and care, Fowlers feet still throbbed.

　　Ive never had this much foot pain before—even just standing right now is agony, Fowler told Outside from his home in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Monday, November 25. I could tell that something might be wrong when I was on the trail. The last two days were excruciating.

　　The aching feet are daily reminders of the massive and historic physical effort that Fowler, 36, accomplished while hiking southbound on the Arizona Trail. On November 9, Fowler reached the AZTs terminus on the U.S. Mexico border, 12 days, 17 hours, and 33 minutes after starting from the trails northernmost point.

　　Fowlers time shaved nearly two days off of the trails previous self-supported speed record (hikers can use any infrastructure that is equally available: gas stations, hotels, scheduled re-supply caches, etc.), set by Josh Perry in 2019. But Fowler also broke the fully-supported fastest known time (individuals have teams of helpers cooking food, preparing beds, and yes, even rubbing feet) as well, which ultrarunner Joe Stringbean McConaughey set in 2021 at 13 days, 3 hours, and 21 minutes.

　　Fowler is now the only person to ever break the 13-day barrier on the trail.

　　It feels pretty good that it was was just me and my backpack, Fowler said. By the end I was dealing with complete exhaustion. Zombie status. Fried. Ive never gone this deep before.

　　The tight-knit community of American thru-hikers and ultrarunners has witnessed a handful of eye-popping Fastest Known Time attempts in 2024. In September, Will Sisyphus Peterson broke his own speed record on Vermonts 272-mile Long Trail (3 days, 21 hours, 9 minutes) and over the summer multiple hikers set records on the 500-mile Colorado Trail (the trail has four different routes). Then, in late September, hiker Tara Dower garnered international attention when she completed Appalachian Trail faster than anyone in history.

　　But even among these accolades, certain statistics from Fowlers hike stand out. He covered 460 miles during the first seven days on the trail—a blistering pace for a week on the trail. After adding in miles accrued for resupply and getting lost, Fowler averaged 65 miles per day for the entire journey.

　　And he maintained this pace despite inauspicious preparation and a disastrous start to his adventure. Fowler planned the Arizona Trail hike for late 2024, when temperatures cool across the desert. But his life off the trail got somewhat more complicated.

　　In September, Fowler and his wife, Hannah, welcomed their first child, a son named Canyon. Infants, of course, have a way of disrupting training anThe Oklahoma thru-hiker overcame nausea, sleep deprivation, and crushing foot pain to set the fastest ever time on the 800-mile traild rest, and Fowler struggled with the usual challenges of early parenthood.

　　Lets just say I was already sleep-deprived before I started hiking, Fowler said.

　　Still, Fowler pushed ahead with his Arizona Trail effort, confident that he could at least surpass the self-supported record on the trail. His confidence evaporated 100 miles into his attempt. While descending into the Grand Canyon, Fowler felt a quiver in his stomach and intestines. After crossing the Colorado River and beginning the ascent to the canyons southern rim, Fowler was overcome with nausea.

　　Im puking my guts out just getting passed by hikers in flip flops, Fowler said. I gave up. I was like I just need to get out of the canyon. I was embarrassed.

　　Fowler climbed to the south rim and then hitchhiked to nearby Flagstaff. After a nights sleep and some food, he hitched back to the trails start on the Utah border. He rested for two more days, replenishing his body with fluids and calories. He weighed whether to go home or give the trail another try.

　　I figured if Im spending this much time away from my son, Id better do something epic, he said.

　　Fowler is already a decorated athlete in the world of thru-hiking, and in 2023 he set the speed record for completing the Pacific Crest Trail self-supported from North to South (52 days, 9 hours, 18 minutes). He chronicled that adventure in his debut book, Itch: A Pacific Northwest Trail Story, which was published earlier this year. Memories of the 2,650-mile hike helped motivate him to continue.

　　A lot of people think 800 miles is long—in my mind its pretty short, he said.

　　So Fowler set out again, hiking even faster than he had on his first attempt. He completed 140 miles in the first two days, barely sleeping. After four days he had surpassed 280 miles and committed himself to a masochistic pace and sleep schedule.

　　He slept just three hours a night for the first week. He ate 300 calories an hour—half junk-food, half healthy stuff, he said. The healthy stuff included Red Pack protein shakes. The junk: gas station snacks. His favorite daily treat was a brick-like chocolate chip cookie made by Healthy Body Bakery.

　　I dont know how the hell theyre healthy because they taste so good, Fowler said. They were the heaviest and best-tasting thing I carried so Id eat them first thing in the morning.

　　As the miles ticked by, Fowler softened his focus on pacing and instead soaked in the natural wonders of Arizonas backcountry. He marveled at the sunrises and sunsets, and kept his eyes peeled for desert animals. He spotted a Gila monster, a ring-tailed cat, and two desert tortoises.

　　I had to stop for the tortoises, he said. I got a super close-up video, it was great. Thats the stuff Im out here for.

　　Those highs helped Fowler push through many lows. On the sixth night Fowler was engulfed by a thunderstorm that blew down his tarp and soaked his sleeping quilt. After the eighth day he began to endure painful chafing. After camping atop 9,171-foot Mount Lemmon outside of Tucson, Fowler awoke to below-freezing temperatures.

　　Im up there in short shorts with very little winter gear, he said.

　　As Fowler pushed through the final half of his journey, his body began to surrender. His feet ached with every step and his mind took longer to focus.

　　On day eight I realized that too little sleep becomes detrimental, he said. Even taking three hours off my feet didnt mean I was actually sleeping for that amount of time.

　　Fowler had planned to push through the final night and hike two straight days, but late in the evening he lay down to rest. When he started hiking again, Fowler gave up on snapping photos. He just wanted the effort to be completed. Around midnight, Fowler approached the trails southern terminus, which is marked by a white stone obelisk.

　　A friend had spelled out NICK AZT FKT in candles at the foot of the monument. Fowler reached the point and lay down on the rocks and dirt.

　　I just started bawling, he said. His feet continued to throb, but at that moment he no longer cared.

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