FKT: Justine Bello - Catawba Triple Crown (VA) - 2021-07-13

Athletes
Route variation
Standard Loop
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Female
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
11h 50m 54s
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I ran the loop clockwise, starting from the McAfee's Knob parking lot at 5:42am. I have not run this route before so was onsighting the effort, and lost a little time to navigation. I'm used to running in the heat/humidity of Washington, DC and felt confident I could manage the temperature.  This was helped by knowing the route would be heavily shaded and I wouldn't be dealing with much exposure to direct sun. 

Fuel was four gels (GU), one Clif Bar, one package of Clif Blocks, one Tailwind, so much Nuun, and 4.5L of water -- 1.5 of which I packed in, and three of which I filtered en route into my Salomon soft flask using my Salomon filter. Things got hairy in the last ~12 miles when two of the water sources I had been counting on were dry (and one I watched a cow poop in, and just couldn't). I got dehydrated, a little dizzy, and caught in a thunderstorm which ultimately proved to be a life-saver -- it cooled me down and I was able to collect some water that was accumulating quickly on rocks and filter/drink that. I'm not sure how busy this gets on weekend but the trails were delightfully deserted most of the day -- I saw fewer than 10 people in the 30+ miles it took me to get to McAfee's knob, then saw maybe a dozen people between that landmark and the parking lot.

I would love to return in the fall and run this supported or self-supported.