This Harvard professor just became the fastest woman to cross the U.S. on foot

"It's something I have dreamed about, crossing this country under my own power, since I was a child. Once I got it in my head, I just couldn't let go. Every single day, every moment that I wasn't actively doing something else, it was there in the background as something that I just knew that I wanted to do. I would be driving, and I would see the open road ahead of me, and I would say, "I could be running this.""

"I learned how friendly Americans are. We had a wonderful woman in Nebraska who gave us a dozen eggs fresh from her chickens. And we had a cement company in Utah who gave me a reflective vest that kept me safe all the way across the country. Just so many generous Americans. And you know, red states, blue states, whatever their yard signs, they were so generous and so kind."

"Hoffman is a physicist and professor at Harvard, and is now also the world record holder for the fastest time a woman has run across the country. Hoffman ran 3,000 miles from San Francisco to New York City in 47 days, 12 hours and 35 minutes, beating the previous record by more than a week. According to Guinness World Records, Sara Villines completed the trek in 2017 with a time of 55 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes."

Hoffman is a Harvard physicist and professor who set the women's transcontinental speed record by running 3,000 miles from San Francisco to New York City in 47 days, 12 hours and 35 minutes. The time surpassed the previous record by more than a week; the earlier record was 55 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes. Hoffman previously attempted the route in 2019 but stopped because of an injury. The run fulfilled a lifelong dream to cross the country under her own power. The journey revealed widespread generosity across states, including fresh eggs in Nebraska and a reflective vest from a Utah cement company.

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