Donnie Orr has spent most of his life balancing two worlds that rarely overlap. By trade, he is a chef and performance nutrition specialist based in Fairmont, West Virginia. By obsession, he is an ultra runner who has spent more than two decades pushing himself across some of the hardest terrain in Appalachia. Later this month, those two identities come together in one massive challenge.
On June 24, Orr will attempt the Fastest Known Time on the Allegheny Trail, a 315.3 mile route stretching from the Pennsylvania border to the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. The effort includes more than 45,000 feet of elevation gain across some of the most rugged and remote terrain in West Virginia.
The current record was set in 2008 by Bradley Mangold, who completed an earlier 292 mile version of the trail in four days, thirteen hours, and thirty three minutes. Since then, the trail has been rerouted and expanded, adding roughly twenty three miles to the course. Orr will not only attempt to beat the standing time, but also establish a new benchmark for the trail’s current full length.
Orr is known throughout the endurance community as the “Ultra Chef,” a nickname that fits surprisingly well once you understand his background. He is the owner and Certified Dietary Manager at Nutri Foods WV in Fairmont and serves as Executive Chef for Healthy Kids Inc. and Pivot Meals, a program producing nearly 40,000 school meals this summer across several West Virginia counties. At the same time, he is also a UESCA certified ultra running coach who works with endurance athletes on training, mindset, and nutrition.
That overlap between food and endurance is central to how he approaches an effort of this scale. During the attempt, Orr plans to consume between 60 and 80 grams of carbohydrates per hour using custom fuel blends he developed himself. Some are built from applesauce, rice, and maple syrup. Others use sweet potato and butter. Through Nutri Foods WV, Orr creates custom nutrition plans and performance fuel tailored specifically to athletes and endurance efforts.
Orr has named the effort “Do Not Go Gentle,” inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem. The run is deeply personal and tied directly to mental health awareness and suicide prevention. In 2007, Orr lost his uncle to suicide. Five years later, he lost his father. Running became a way to process both losses and eventually became the foundation for the work he now does with other athletes.
The attempt is partnered with Bigger Than The Trail, an organization focused on improving access to mental health care through the trail running and outdoor community. Orr hopes this project can help expand awareness while also building stronger support systems for athletes and community members struggling with mental health challenges.
This episode of Access Appalachia explores the challenge itself, the mindset required to pursue something this demanding, and the ways endurance sports, community, and movement can intersect with healing.
Access Point: Appalachian Outlaw Trails
This episode’s Access Point is Appalachian Outlaw Trails, a growing off-road trail system located in the Upper Kanawha Valley just east of Charleston. Built on reclaimed mine land near Belle, the project is transforming former industrial property into a large-scale outdoor recreation destination for UTVs, dirt bikes, overlanding, and off-road adventure.
The long term vision includes more than 100,000 acres of trails and recreation opportunities, along with concerts, festivals, and outdoor events designed to bring new energy and tourism into the region. Check out an interview with the team behind the Appalachian Outlaw Trails.
Learn more about: Donnie Orr / Bigger Than the Trail / NutriFit Foods WV / Allegheny Trail / Appalachia Outlaw Trails /
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