Trail conditions were generally very good, as most of the chronic deadfall had recently been cleared. Weather was ideal with high of about 12 and mostly sunny skies. Still a bit of ice and snow in some shady places, and quite wet in low spots given the recent snowpack melt. Slippery rock and frost in the morning perhaps slowed things down by a few minutes. I had the whole trail to myself and didn't run into anyone at all. Lots of grouse on the trail but no animals.
If you are thinking about tackling this trail for the first time, please consider doing some shorter recon missions from the north or south trailheads, hiking it first, or talking to folks who have knowledge of the trail. The distance is deceiving, as it is a very technical trail, often overgrown and wet, and quite remote. There are no access points apart from either end, and rescue is complex and often quite time consuming - bottom line is that if you aren't fully aware that you may need to spend the night on the trail, then you should be considering this!
Huge respect for anyone who runs this trail, regardless of your time to completion. The bar was set high for this one from some of my trail running mentors. Now I am looking forward to seeing someone break the 7 hour mark!