ALTRA ELITE THRU-HIKER HEATHER ANDERSON JUST
SET A WORLD RECORD AS THE FIRST WOMAN TO
COMPLETE THE TRIPLE CROWN OF HIKING—8,000
MILES—IN A SINGLE CALENDAR YEAR.
The Triple Crown consists of three thru-hikes across the US: the Appalachian Trail, the
Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide Trail. This record also makes her the first
female Triple Triple Crowner, meaning she’s completed each trail three times.
“I can’t begin to describe what this year meant for me,” Anderson said. “It was a
milestone personally, as well as for the history of thru-hiking. I became the first female
Calendar Year Triple Crowner, the first female Triple Triple Crowner and the fastest
female Triple Crowner.”
Anderson, known by her trail name “Anish Hikes” started her journey on March 1, 2018,
hiking the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail northbound from Georgia to Maine. She then
completed the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, and finished on
November 8—8.5 months later—with the 3,100-mile Continental Divide Trail from
Montana to New Mexico
“At this moment, a 15-year-old dream came to fruition,” Anderson said. “Two years of
planning and commitment paid off. Eight months of walking ended. Right now,
everything can be summed up in two important words: I’m done!”
To receive the title of Triple Triple Crowner, Anderson completed the Appalachian Trail in
2003, 2015 and 2018, the Pacific Crest Trail in 2005, 2013 and 2018, and the
Continental Divide Trail in 2006, 2017 and 2018.
To become the fastest female Triple Crowner, Anderson set a new record with a time of
251 days, 20 hours and 10 minutes.
Anderson’s shoe of choice was Altra’s best-selling Lone Peak trail shoe, which is the
most popular shoe on the PCT. She also used the Altra Lone Peak Mid RSM for extra
protection on the snowy, muddy, wet sections and the Altra Paradigm for extra cushion
and comfort on the desert sections.
After hiking nearly 8,000 miles in just 251 days, Anderson’s first order of business was
enjoying a nice Texas BBQ meal with friends. She plans to take the winter off and have
her first real break from hiking in five years, but is sure the mountains will be calling
her back soon.
(Originally published on www.altrarunning.com in 2018)
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