From MBA To FKTs

UNCERTAINTY, DISCOMFORT AND SOLITUDE DRIVE SUNNY STROEER’S RECORD-BREAKING RUNS

- Emma Murray

Within the first 24 hours of her 136-mile Annapurna Circuit mission, Suzanne “Sunny” Stroeer had to go to the well. She’d only started the Himalayan mountain loop 48 hours after the thought of running it first crossed her mind. To have a shot at the women’s Fastest-Known Time (FKT—the standing record was 4 days 14 hours 43 minutes), Stroeer knew she needed to cover more than 40 miles of the bone-chilling, quad-burning, high-altitude terrain by the end of her second day.

With more than 30,000 feet of elevation gain and its highest point nearing 18,000 feet, the Annapurna Circuit takes visitors between 17 and 21 days, passing through varied terrain, from the entry point’s jungle, to the sea of choppy 20,000-foot peaks.

At midnight on November 15, 2017, she pried herself up from a nap to continue on. But she struggled.

“By the time dawn rolled around, I felt like I was making no progress,” she says. “The idea of being able to set an FKT on the circuit seemed ludicrous, and I was ready to throw in the towel at the first tea house settlement.”

This was Stroeer’s first attempt at a multi-day speed mission, and she was attempting it alone, without any prior scouting.

But, these sorts of high-mountain logistical puzzles found outside marked courses are what energizes Stroeer as an athlete—and largely serve as an analogy for her life.

Chasing the Unknown