Chris Hartwell, an endurance athlete from Landenberg PA/Boulder, CO will set out on June 17th, 1998 to break the Long Trail endurance record. He is seeking to raise awareness for Climbing For Life, a non-profit organization for youth-at-risk in Boulder, CO.

His crew support will be his dad, Ed Hartwell and girlfriend, Brooke Bissell.      The Appalachian Long Trail is a rugged hiking path that covers the entire length of Vermont-275 miles south to north, the direction that Hartwell plans to follow.

The current record for the Long Trail is 6 days, 6 hours, and 50 minutes--Hartwell's goal is to go under 4 days."Last year taught me a lot about pushing past physical and mental limits. It taught me that you can go beyond what you think are your limits to achieve your goals."  Hartwell learned this when he made an attempt at the Long Trail last year, missing the record by only a few hours. He attributes missing the record last year to poor strategy and a knee injury. To compensate, he has developed a new strategy and has trained to increase both his strength and endurance. He is confident he can correct the past errors to go far beyond the record in this attempt.

     Some of Chris's latest accomplishments include:

1998- Avid Ultramarathon racer, having raced an average of one ultra per month, placing in the top 3 in every race.

1997- Walked the Long Trail--275 miles --6 days, 9 hours, 40 mins.

1997- 24 hour/84 mile hike from Boulder, CO to various surrounding points in an effort to raise awareness for Climbing for Life. He also biked from Boulder, CO to Landenberg PA in 9 days unsupported.

Setting goals, commitment and facing fears are essential parts of Climbing For Life. Hartwell will have to follow a similar model to break the Long Trail record.