Tiroler Adlerweg FKT. Project Report by Philipp Ausserhofer:
Some projects stay in your head for years before you finally find the courage to take them on. The Tiroler Adlerweg was one of them.
On September 27, 2026, at 11:26, I set off in St. Johann in Tirol to traverse the Adlerweg from east to west, with one clear goal in mind: to cover the 410 km and more than 25,000 vertical metres in less than 100 hours, following the silhouette of an eagle (hence the name).
On October 1, after 97 hours, 50 minutes and 1 second, I reached St. Christoph am Arlberg. Goal achieved. But the numbers only tell part of the story.
Four days and nights in the mountains. Seven major ridges, countless climbs and descents, long hours alone with my headlamp illuminating the trail, and a full moon accompanying me through the nights. Around 43,000 calories consumed, just 5 hours and 30 minutes of sleep, and plenty of moments when things didn't go according to plan.
Somewhere beyond the first 170K, the project became a journey into the unknown. I knew how to race for hours, but moving continuously over several days, managing sleep, nutrition, fatigue and the consequences of every decision was a different challenge altogether.
There were highs when everything seemed to flow and lows when simply putting one foot in front of the other became the task. An impact to my left ankle on loose terrain led to increasing pain and compensation on the other side. During the final kilometres, I had to keep moving and find a way to get to the finish.
And that is perhaps what I will remember most: not just the numbers, but everything that happened along the way.
This project would not have been possible without the people around me. Verena, Chris, Mo, Flo, Paul, Tom, Anna and Manu... Thank you for being part of this adventure. For the hours, the logistics, the support, the patience, the encouragement and for being there when things got difficult. Every person contributed in their own way, and knowing I wasn't entirely on my own made a huge difference.
The Adlerweg reminded me why I love ultrarunning. Being out in the mountains to explore, to improvise, to make decisions under pressure and to discover how much there is to learn about yourself. It takes you away from the familiar and forces you to adapt to whatever the mountains throw at you. One hell of a journey. And one I will carry with me for a long time.
Thank you, team. 🦅