This route had been percolating in my mind since Mau and Nils put it up a few years ago. Todos Santos is a place where my family and I have spent a lot of time in recent years and this FKT attempt was the perfect excuse to further explore the Sierra La Laguna and surrounding landscapes.
Todos Santos to El Portón
Set out from Punta Lobos a bit after 3am at a relaxed pace for the first 15 miles to El Porton, easing into what I knew would be a long day ahead. Equal parts excitement and disbelief that all of the training, planning, and nervous energy that had filled the recent weeks were behind me and it was finally time to just get to work.
The full moon was bright enough that I was able to run much of that first 15 miles of dirt road without a headlamp.
Sierra La Laguna
Met Nick one final time at El Portón before loading up for the 22 miles through the mountains. Left El Portón with 4L of water/tailwind expecting to find only a couple filterable water sources in the mountains. In hindsight, this was too heavy, given the still cool early morning temps and quicker climbing than anticipated.
Filtered a few flasks of cold water in the Segundo Valle at the top before beginning the descent.
The descent was more technical and encompassed far more uphill than I expected. The landscape was stunning but devoid of landmarks. More than a few times I felt that I was going in circles - a sensation that I would come to experience many more times in the night ahead.
Caught a glimpse of the Sea of Cortez at around mile 30 - the only time I would see it during the daylight.
Rancho San Dionisio to Cabo Pulmo
Coming out of the mountains after 8 hours and 20+ miles of solo, steep, and technical trails onto a wide and flat dirt road and seeing Edgardo at San Dionisio was a massive morale boost.
I was very pleased with how well I had moved and how strong I felt through the mountains and was grateful to have avoided an encounter with a rattle snake or a mountain lion. I thought that the hardest part of the day was behind me. Little did I know…
I went into the day focused on the climbing and descents in the Sierra and was just focused on getting to San Dionisio where I would meet Edgardo. I completely overlooked the challenge of the final 45+ miles of desert during the night - the unrelenting 100-200ft rolling hills, the utterly deserted landscape, the soft sand of dirt roads, and the cold.
I left Santiago around 5:30pm and moved fairly well for the first hour or two through the desert before twilight faded and I was in the utter dark. Boredom set in, I started reaching for the finish, and quickly found myself caught in a vortex of nonstop split math. The temp dropped towards 50F and the cold and fatigue quickly overwhelmed me. I took a 15 minute nap on the side of the road and awoke refreshed.
I moved fairly well for another couple of hours until the fatigue again felt overwhelming and I was left with no choice but to take another quick nap. I woke up after 15 minutes and just could not get moving again. My quads were starting to cramp and lock up and I was shivering uncontrollably. I crawled back into Edgardo’s truck, wrapped myself in a heavy wool blanket, chugged two Pedialytes and slept for a solid hour. Woke up relatively warm and recharged for the last 25 mile push.
Two other changes helped break up the monotony of the night. First, the full moon returned and I could once again see the rugged beauty of the surrounding desert and La Trinidad mountains. Second, I started to get brutal pain in my quads when running downhill which forced a shift in strategy from walking uphills and running downhills to running uphills and gingerly shuffling downhills.
The isolation of this last 35 miles through the desert was both incredible and unnerving. Besides meeting Edgardo every 5 to 10km to refill water and snacks, I passed only two houses and a single vehicle on the entire stretch. The rancher that drove by seemed quite confused to find a gringo running alone in the middle of the night and repeatedly asked if I needed help before driving off. The thought ran through my mind at a couple points that if I somehow lost Edgardo I could die out there in the desert from cold and dehydration many many miles from the nearest human and cell phone reception.
Finished at the beach alone after missing Edgardo at the last turnoff. My plan to celebrate while watching the sun rise over the Sea of Cortez with a beer went unrealized - I was way too cold and crushed to wait another hour for the sun to rise and wanted nothing more than to wrap myself in a blanket and collapse in the truck.
Thank you to Mau and Nils for creating this FKT, connecting me with Edgardo, and giving me advice and encouragement in recent weeks. Huge thanks to Nick for his support in the first few early morning hours and to Edgardo for his support and company during the long night through the desert.
Consumed a total of just over 10,000 calories averaging 390 calories and 90g of carbs per hour.