Pushing her own limits: DYNAFIT athlete Clara Carste has taken on a special project for summer 2026. She wants to set multiple Fastest Known Times (FKTs) on technically challenging routes.
For Clara, this means setting ambitious goals, questioning her own limits, and taking on new challenges. At the same time, she wants to increase the visibility of women in mountain sports and show that extraordinary achievements don’t have to be driven by rivalry. Other female athletes are also there to support and motivate her throughout the project. Supporting and empowering each other is an important part of mountain sports for Clara, because you can often achieve more together than on your own.
Part 01: FKT on the Nordkette Traverse
The project kicked off on July 8, 2026, on the Nordkette Traverse right on her doorstep in Innsbruck. This technically challenging route leads over the Innsbruck’s Nordkette peaks and includes exposed ridges and several via ferrata sections.
Clara had set a goal of twelve hours and came in well under that:
- Date: July 08, 2026
- Distance: 32.67 km
- Elevation gain: 4,417 m
- Time: 10:11:23
She set the first documented women’s FKT on the Nordkette Traverse.
Part 02: FKT on the Jubiläumsgrat
On August 14, 2026, Clara took on her next challenge: from Hammersbach through the Höllental to the Zugspitze, across the five-kilometre-long, extremely exposed Jubiläumsgrat to the Alpspitze, and back down to the valley.
The technically demanding route is considered one of the most challenging traverses in the Northern Limestone Alps. A route that normally takes mountaineers 12 to 15 hours. The previous FKT, set by Anna Birzl, stood at 7:50:12 h.
Clara significantly improved the time:
- Date: 14.08.2026
- Distance: 27 km
- Elevation gain: 3,100 m
- Time: 7:16:19 h
Clara Carste – DYNAFIT athlete
Clara is a German trail and mountain runner from Hohenbrunn near Munich who now lives in Innsbruck, right in the heart of her alpine training grounds. She specializes in technically challenging mid-distance trail running and loves moving fast through the mountains. In summer, she runs in trail running shoes; in winter, she’s on touring skis.
Since 2026, she has been part of the DYNAFIT athlete team. Before that, she was a Trailhero for two years.
Her key achievements include:
- Rosengarten Schlern Sky Marathon 2025 (36 km): 2nd
- Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival 2025 (K35): 2nd
- Oberaudorf Trailfestival 2025 – Sudelfeldtrail (42.8 km): 2nd
- Grossglockner UltraTrail 2025 (37 km): 3rd
