After 31 days, 19 hours, and 41 minutes, Belgian Karel Sabbe arrived at the end of the Te Araroa (TA) trail in Bluff, New Zealand, the southernmost point of the South Island, setting a massive new men’s supported fastest known time (FKT) on the 1,898-mile (3,054-kilometer) trail. He reached the famous signpost at Stirling Point just before midnight on February 16, 2025.
The previous men’s supported record was held by George Henderson, who completed the route in 49 days, 14 hours, and 27 minutes in 2020. Sabbe’s effort, which he started at 5 a.m. on January 16, betters the record by more than 17.5 days, his performance averaging out to an incredible 59.6 miles (96 kilometers) per day.
Karl Sabbe running along one of the many rivers on the Te Araroa trail, which runs the length of New Zealand, on the way to setting a new men’s supported FKT. All photos courtesy of Karl Sabbe and his crew.
What Is the Te Araroa?
The TA is the premier long trail in New Zealand, its name translating as “the long pathway” from the Māori language, which is spoken by the Indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. The TA traverses both the North and South Islands on a series of roads, farm tracks, and trails. It’s a logistically challenging trail that involves crossing Cook Strait between the two islands on a boat, as well as countless river and estuary crossings, some of which Sabbe used a packraft to complete safely. It also includes a 71-mile section on the Whanganui River that Sabbe completed in a kayak.
The thru-hiking community considers the TA one of the more rugged long trails, and it often entails overgrown, rooty trails, deep river crossings, mud, incessant sandflies, and slow travel. It has become increasingly popular in recent years, and the Te Araroa Trust nonprofit estimates that about 2,000 people walk the trail in its entirety each year, with about 70% of them coming from overseas. The trail showcases the wide variety of landscapes in the country, from flat plains and farmland to remote and inaccessible mountain ranges. It gains nearly 142,000 feet (43,200 meters) of elevation.
Overgrown trail was all part of the Te Araroa.
Karel Sabbe’s Monster Ultra-Distance Resume
While potentially best known in the trail running and ultrarunning community for becoming the 17th finisher of the Barkley Marathons in 2023, Sabbe is no stranger to long-trail FKT efforts. He’s twice set men’s supported FKT on the U.S.’s Pacific Crest Trail, completing the 2,650-mile route most recently in 2023, in 46 days, 12 hours, and 50 minutes.
In 2018, he set a blisteringly fast men’s supported FKT on the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail in the U.S., in 41 days, 7 hours, and 39 minutes. And, in 2021, he set a new speed record on the 1,550-mile Via Alpina Red route, traversing the European Alps through eight countries in 30 days, 8 hours, and 40 minutes.
The TA was a return to his roots for Sabbe, who said before starting the effort that New Zealand was where his love for ultra-distance travel started. He originally came to the country for six months after graduating from university and spent much of his time hiking and exploring. He returned in 2015 to race in Coast to Coast, the world multisport championships where competitors cycle, run, and kayak widthwise across the country in a single push.
Sabbe takes the opportunity to dry his feet during a crew stop.
The Crew Behind the Te Araroa FKT Effort
For the TA, Sabbe was supported by a five-person crew, including the same three people he had for the Pacific Crest Trail in 2023. Throughout the run, local runners frequently joined him in the various towns and cities he passed through. One such runner who joined Sabbe for a handful of miles on the South Island said that the crew operated with “F1-like efficiency,” ensuring that Sabbe could move as effortlessly as possible.
The crew ran all of the logistics, hiking in camping setups for Sabbe when needed and finding ways to access the more remote sections of trail. Sabbe and his crew received a warm welcome from many in the Kiwi trail running community, getting offers for places to stay on route, trail magic, and route beta along the way.
Sabbe’s three-person crew came well-equipped for everything he needed on trail.
With any effort of this length, Sabbe and his crew ran into their fair share of logistical challenges, including getting attacked by a dog on the North Island and mistiming the tides for a cliff crossing, resulting in a six-hour wait for the water to recede.
With 125 miles (200 kilometers) to go, the crew wrote on their Instagram account, “Our legs are full of bruises and scratches. We have been eaten by sandflies. Logistics are insane. We need a shower and a good long sleep. And no alarm. But the end is in sight, less than 200km to go.”
No doubt, in a supported speed effort, where crew becomes almost as essential to success as the runner’s effort, the crew challenges and fatigue may nearly match too. So, when Sabbe touched the Stirling Point signpost, signaling the finish of this mission, it was likely both Sabbe and his crew who collectively breathed sighs both of relief and celebration. Mission complete!
For more details, check out Karel Sabbe’s Te Araroa trail FKT tracking page.
Karel Sabbe and his crew at the finish of the Te Araroa trail.
