Kathryn Noorbakhsh
Completing the Rachel Carson Trail Challenge is an accomplishment for anyone, but completing it 21 times? Well, that is an achievement that only one person can claim. Kathryn “Kathy” Noorbakhsh completed her 21st Rachel this past June making her the person with the most successful completions. But Kathy quickly downplays her achievement, stating that she “isn’t anyone special, just a stubborn old lady!”
Kathy completed her first Rachel in 2003 with her brother, Mark Ungerman, who “had talked her into it.” Since then, the Rachel has been on her list as one of her must do events each year. “I plan my other events and activities around it,” she said. An avid runner, Kathy also participates in the Pittsburgh Marathon and has hiked all over the world including on Mt. Blanc and in Uganda. She also recently completed climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro for the sixth time, this time with her 16-year-old grandson.
Since her early years on the Rachel, Kathy has seen great improvements to the trail. “The trail conditions now are amazing – the blazing is great. I can’t imagine anyone getting lost on it these days,” she said.
Another change in the Challenge is the length, something many long-time participants mention. “When I started, it was 34.2 miles and now it is over 37. And now I’m much older,” the 67-year-old laughed.
The event itself has also evolved since 2003 Kathy said. “There seems to be a much wider net of participants. I feel like when I first started, most people came from within driving distance,” she explained, “Now there are people from all over and many other states.”
Kathy begins her training on January 1st to run the Pittsburgh Marathon each May, then continues hiking until the day of the Rachel. She also does kettlebell training, scuba diving and other activities – such as her Kilimanjaro treks.
Like many participants, Kathy prefers the Harrison Hill to North Park route. “I label them ‘hard’ and ‘harder,” she said, “But I do prefer to finish at North Park.”
In all of her years of participating in the Challenge, Kathy said the “hot year” – 2024, the year of record breaking temperatures – was one when she almost didn’t participate. “But I just felt like I really needed to be there and I thought that I would just do what I could do,” she said. Kathy was one of the 45% who successfully completed the event that year.
Kathy is quick to downplay the fact that she has more successful Rachels than anyone else. “It’s a lot of pressure,” she joked, “Really, it doesn’t matter. It is cool, sure, but it something that I can do and I love doing it.”
Although Kathy’s brother no longer participates in the Rachel, other family members help out - her daughter or daughter in law will drop her off in the early morning for the start and then she will call her husband as she nears the end to meet her at the finish. This year, her son was also there. “I’m truly lucky to have such a supportive family,” she said.
Kathy also credits the volunteers for their support of the event. “The organizers, the trail stewards and the amazing volunteers are the unsung heroes of this event,” she said.
With the 30th anniversary coming up in 2027, of course Kathy plans on being there. “I will do it as long as I can. I love the event and it is just so well run. I just go out there and know that I’m going to have a long day,” she said.