A former Boston College cross-country runner has completed the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail in record time. 

I have a fantasy of hiking the Appalachian Trail so those who do fascinate me and this is a cool story.

Joe McConaughy, known on the trail as "Stringbean," reached the mountain summit Thursday, finishing his trek in 45 days, 12 hours, 15 minutes. He averaged about 48 miles a day! Read that again....48 MILES A DAY!  This included a sleepless, 37-hour sprint to the top of Maine's Mount Katahdin according to the Associated Press.

The 26-year-old tells the Boston Globe that he loves running, hiking, the outdoors, "and pushing myself." His unofficial time beats the previous best by about 10 hours and McConaughy says he did it without outside help. He says he mailed his food and supplies before starting in Georgia reported AP.

The Seattle native used global-positioning data and social media time stamps to back his claim. You see...The Appalachian Trail Conference doesn't keep official records.

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