After a summer of recon, I was able to piece this run together. This run was meaningful to me, as a local who has been an involved trail runner for over a decade, but had never ventured to explore this trail until very recently. For most of my life I've known of this trail's existence, although it had been neglected and overgrown until recently. Only about a year ago had I considered running the whole length from the Cranberry Nature Center back to Richwood as a possibility. On 10/29/2023 we made it happen! I've asked around the community to see if anyone has every done this run before and haven't found anybody yet, I hope to hear of somebody else doing it in the past but this FKT will serve as a placeholder until then.
I was kept company on the entire run with fellow runner Andrew Rhodes. My wife, Lauren Beam, provided aid to us with a mobile aid station at Hills Creek and at Bear Run Rd (miles 6.5 and 9.5). From there we packed enough fuel and water to support ourselves the remainder of the run as there were no more access points via vehicle.
The run itself was more challenging than it had to be due to the timing in the year. Recently fallen leaves had most of the trail covered in about 6 inches of fluffy leaves, slowing us down significantly and causing several stumbles and a few falls. I'll do this run again in the future but I'll never again do it during such a period where leaves are a factor/hazard. This FKT will be overcome, hopefully by me again, but for sure by others who attempt it. I'm proud to be the first on the list though.