I spontaneously decided to use the weekend to scout the Ausoniusweg. This trip was planned and executed as a hike due to the hot weather (37-40C).
Trail & timing - I started shortly after noon (12:43) on Saturday at the Porta Nigra in Trier and ended the hike at Burg Klopp in Bingen on Sunday evening. The night was short (mid summer) and bright (full moon, no clouds). I primarily followed the trail markings - some were nicely visible, others very much hidden, and partly signs were missing. I took the GPS track as a backup and followed the GPS when the trail markings failed me. The trail has long sections on forest and field paths that are nicely maintained and easy to walk. The field sections unfortunately don't offer a lot of shade. There are also some longer sections on roads that are less fun to walk and especially at night, fast cars pass you dangerously close. A few sections of the trail were overgrown with thorns and nettles making progress a bit painful.
Supplies & Refills - I took 5.5 liters of water, electrolytes, nuts, cheese, sausages and fish along. I didn't eat much due to the heat and low intensity of the hike. I refilled water about 5 times at public water taps at cemeteries. Not all planned water stops were successful as some water taps only filled wells for watering the plants. I was lucky that the failed water stops mostly happened during the slightly cooler night time, during the day time heat this could have easily ended my unsupported attempt. Happy to share the locations of working water taps for future FKTs. No poles. No music.
Outlook for future attempts - There's ample room to beat this FKT: (1) Less hot days should make progress easier, as I spend a lot of time on the second day just trying to cool down and to not get a heat stroke... (2) Going in spring should reduce the vegetation so that signs are better visible and trails are less overgrown... (3) Running instead of hiking should speed up the whole thing quite a bit as most sections are nicely runnable... happy to share my knowledge if you want to go for it!
Thanks - I'd love to mention the members of the Hunrückverein here - I think it's an incredible effort to provide and maintain such trails. Without them, such adventures would be impossible.