I wanted to do this FKT to leave my mark on the Palos trail system before I move away from Chicago next month. I’ve spent countless hours on these trails and they hold a special place in my heart. It was also an opportunity to do a quality long run and iron out some details for an upcoming 100k. Plus this FKT has been on my mind since I accompanied Becca Menke on part of her original effort to establish it back in 2021. (Becca provided encouragement and valuable advice for this attempt - thanks, Becca!)
I ran solo and got an early start to beat the heat: 5:40am, as soon as the Forest Preserve truck came by to open up the parking lot. Running was smooth throughout, with the exception of the north trail on the canal connector, which is the most rocky/technical segment in Palos and requires attention and caution. I tried out my new Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultras, and they were the perfect speedy trail shoes for most of this route but somewhat less stable than desired along the canal.
I considered doing this FKT unsupported, but ultimately decided that with the heat and humidity, and no water along the way, it was safer to stash some liquids, which I did around miles 14.5 and 20. I carried 2L of water and 2 x 500mL of Tailwind in my pack from the start. It turns out this would have been enough for the whole run, but I did pick up two bottles of Tailwind (which I barely drank) and dumped some ice water on myself from one of the caches, so I’m submitting this effort as self-supported. My fuel consisted of three SiS betafuel gels, two Precision 100mg caffeinated gels, and two regular Precision gels, plus 1L of Dauwaltermelon Tailwind mixed with an extra 1,000mg of sodium from LMNT. See attached photo of the post-run carnage from my pack.
All in all, this was a really fun day and the perfect way to say goodbye the Palos trail system.