Many people have asked me over the years where my trailname "Wall" came from. It is customary for Appalachian Trail thru-hikers to assume a trailname. The name I "received" in 1995 was Wall. Why? Probably because I have hit the wall so many times. This expression refers to any of the following:

Fiddlehead and Wall in Phuket after the marathon there in 2006.

• the 20-mile mark in a marathon,
• the 90-mile mark in a century bike ride,
• the 4-mile mark in a 5 mile swim,
• the 80-mile mark in an Ironman,
• the 20-mile mark in a 50 mile run,
• the 20-mile mark in a 100 mile run,
• the 25-mile mark in any day backpacking over 30 miles

The definition of hit the wall contained in the glossary of my book The Fastest Hike reads as follows:

hit the wall A physical breakdown caused by extreme exercise and improper replenishment, and characterized by a total lack of energy, diminishing will-power, and the need to continue to perform vigorous activity.

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