This FKT attempt on the Wildwood Trail out-and-back (Vietnam Memorial to Newberry Road and back) had been on my radar since I first started running in Forest Park. With 60 miles and roughly 6,000 feet of gain (although hard to know precisely due to poor GPS signal in forest), it’s deceptively tough; beautifully runnable, but relentless. I wanted to race it with intention and push hard from the start. Conditions were hot but clear, splitting the effort into roughly 4x15 mile sections swapping out pacers at Saltzman, Newberry Rd then Saltzman again on the return. I was crewed at these locations plus 53rd and Germantown - allowing me to use plenty of ice and keep fuelling + hydration very high (120g ish carbs/hr) to stay on top of the heat whilst also keeping stops quick.
Executed as a supported effort, I had road crew support at multiple crossings and a rotating team of brilliant pacers: Heather Holt, Jeff Toreson, Jessie Rubin, Adam Edgerton, and Liam Meirow. Huge thanks also to James Healey and Kevin Ward for crewing, and to my partner Morgen Pack for unwavering support.
The attempt went mostly to plan minus a rolled ankle and high temps, I set the second fastest northbound E2E and kept the second E2E smooth and steady, focusing on hydration, fueling and staying cool. The attempt was a community effort, leaning into friends in the local PDX running community.
Full blog to come on my website - https://www.aj-run-coaching.com