Meltzer, 48, has an impressive ultrarunning resume that includes 38 100-mile race wins, a world record. He has won the Hardrock 100 five times and also holds the world record for most golf holes played in 12 hours at 230. 
 
 This was Meltzer’s third attempt at setting the Appalachian Trail record. He finished the entire route in 2008, taking 54 days and missing the mark by a week. In 2014, he was forced to drop out after 1,500 miles because of an injury. 
 
 To break the record, Meltzer averaged 47 miles a day through technical, and often hilly terrain. It is recommended that hikers attempting to complete the Appalachian Trail in one shot take at least six months. Melzter took a quarter of that time. 
 
 For his latest and successful trek, he prepared meticulously with his crew. Last September they practiced the first six days of the trail—considered one of the most difficult sections. He also helped crew Jurek last year. Jurek credits Meltzer’s knowledge of the trail for helping him break the record last year. Jurek had broken the previous mark by three hours. 
 
 Jurek returned the favor the past week, crewing Meltzer, along with Jurek’s wife, Jenny, and their four-month-old toddler, Raven. ||||| UPDATE: Meltzer’s website report on 9/18 reads: Karl Meltzer just set a new Appalachian Trail thru-hike speed record! 2,190 miles. 45 days. 22 hours. 38 minutes. redbull.com/atrun 
 
 Look for a complete report on Competitor.com later this week. 
 
 On Sept. 18 at 3:38 a.m., professional ultrarunner and Red Bull athlete Karl “Speedgoat” Meltzer emerged from the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Ga., and set a new Appalachian Trail thru-hike speed record with a time of 45 days 22 hours and 38 minutes. Meltzer started his supported run at 5 a.m. on Aug. 3 from Mt. Katahdin, Maine, and averaged approximately 47 miles per day at a pace of 3.2 miles per hour. Meltzer’s time beats the previous record by more than 10 hours, which was set by Scott Jurek in 2015. 
 
 Today’s accomplishment for Meltzer comes after two previous speed record attempts on the Appalachian Trail in 2008 and 2014. 
 
 “It’s been a long journey,” Meltzer said. “I’ve been trying to get this record for eight years, and I was finally successful. It just took me three tries to do it. It’s a very special time right now, definitely a stamp on my career.” 
 
 The project, in planning for more than two years, was accomplished with a small core crew consisting of Meltzer’s father, Karl Sr., and crew chief Eric Belz. Others joined the crew to support Meltzer for short periods throughout the hike, including Meltzer’s wife and fellow ultrarunners. The crew traveled alongside Meltzer every day, providing him with food, water, medical attention and logistical support. Meals were prepared and taken in a van, which also served as Meltzer and Belz’s sleeping quarters. 
 
 “Eric Belz was the best. Karl Senior was amazing,” Meltzer said of his crew. “For the crew, enduring 46 days of this was probably harder for them than it was for me. Without them it wouldn’t have happened.” 
 
 Meltzer’s time on the trail typically began around 5 a.m. and ended between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. with several big meals during the day consisting of steak, fried chicken, ice cream, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hamburgers, steamed vegetables, pasta, Red Bull and beer (at dinner). Meltzer averaged 60-70 minutes between the time he came off the trail and when he went to sleep; on a few occasions he slept on the trail itself rather than in his support van. 
 
 After completing nearly 46 consecutive days, Meltzer took approximately 4.2 million steps (92,300 avg. per day), burned 345,100 calories (7,500 avg. per day), ran for 678 hours (14.8 avg. per day) and used up 20 pairs of shoes. Meltzer’s crew kept up with him using a satellite-linked SPOT tracker that reported his current location every two-to-three minutes. 
 
 Daily updates from Meltzer’s journey are published on www.redbull.com/atrun to give running enthusiasts and fans an intimate look into the daily struggles and successes Meltzer and his crew faced on the trail from preparation until the finish. A camera crew traveled with Meltzer throughout his record-setting thru-hike, and a documentary film will be released in 2017. 
 
 The Appalachian Trail runs from Maine to Georgia stretching 2,190 miles through 14 states. It is roughly the distance between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as the crow flies. A thru-hiker will experience 464,500 feet of elevation change, or 16 climbs of Mt. Everest. Thousands of people attempt an Appalachian Trail thru-hike every year, yet only one in four hikers finish the journey, and they typically take five to seven months to complete the entire trail, according to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. 
 
 “The highlight of the trail is sitting here (at the end), but it’s also the magic of the place. Just being on the trail is really a highlight,” Meltzer said. 
 
 In recent days, Metzler has enjoyed the support of company of former AT record-holder David Horton, as well as support from Jurek, the current record-holder. 
 
 “His company on the trail has been greatly appreciated; the strong bond among the ultra community is at work here,” reads the Day 44 update on the Red Bull site that’s tracking his progress. “Karl had ups and downs mentally throughout the day, but physically his body is holding up well. He’s consistently knocked out each crew stop on time, and that allowed him to finish the day with 46 miles before sundown. As he reaches the final days, every ounce of energy counts; every step is critical.” 
 
 “It’s crunch time,” the report says. “Whether Karl wants to cut the record close or shatter it is completely in his hands. If his body stays healthy and his crew strong, odds are, Karl will be the next AT record holder. Only the next 48-hours will tell.” 
 
 Follow Meltzer’s progress by visiting redbull.com/atrun 
 
 RELATED: Karl Meltzer Prepared to Go After AT Record Again
– Running through 14 states in 45 days, 22 hours, and 38 minutes may be a long and arduous journey, but as of this week it's also the fastest any person has ever completed a supported thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail. Karl Meltzer, a 48-year-old ultrarunner who also holds a world record for winning 38 100-mile runs, beat the record his friend Scott Jurek, six years his junior, set last year by 10 hours, reports Runner's World. To do this he had to endure a grueling regimen of nearly 50 miles in 15 hours every day, so it's not surprising that he ran through 20 pairs of shoes and, unlike the vegan diet kept by Jurek, indulged in bacon, steak, fried chicken, burgers, ice cream, PB&Js, candy, and at the end of each day, beer, reports Running. "It's been a long journey," he said, quite literally. The Appalachian Trail winds its way 2,190 miles through often rough terrain from Maine to Georgia—which, as the crow flies, is about the distance from Los Angeles to Washington, DC— providing runners with almost 465,000 feet of elevation change (that's like summiting Mt. Everest 16 times, minus the thin air). Of the thousands who attempt the thru-hike each year, one in four makes it and most take six months. Meltzer, who the New York Times reports used to be a ski-resort bartender, endured less than seven hours of sleep a night and, in his final push, covered 83 miles nonstop between Saturday morning and 3:38am Sunday. He celebrated by downing a pepperoni pizza and beer and going straight to sleep. (This woman ran the same stretch in 54 days without a support van.)