Fast and somewhat spontaneous, decalred intention the night before to my coach, Alex Mimlitz, as well as my wife. I took an uber from my home to the starting trailhead and after a quick clandestine bathroom stop, I began at 9:56AM. I ascended the table rock cross in 19:17, praising the vertical journey with other weekend warriors. After a quick descent and a little time on the road, I hit the Military Reserve trail network in 40:25 for 5.1 miles. After some low-grade climbing, I descended to the shadiest (figurative) dirt driveway in the Treasure Valley then began my climb up Freestone Ridge with 1:11:32 elapsed. I took this arguably steepest sustained climb on the route easy, then dodged MTB parties on fat tire traverse and inhaled some dirtbike exhaust on the trail 4 descent and ascent to cross Eighth Street.
I hit what felt like the qualitative halfway and route highpoint on corralls in 2:09:09. From here I had some unremarkable ascents and descents, before a refreshing dip into a gulch before the climb up hardguy. At 2:46:56 I smelled what I thought was the barn while approaching Bogus Basin Road, but was actually a spontaneous aid station in the form of the local food truck World's Best Corndogs. While I blew through it and could not verify, I later learned it was utilized by a fellow traverser a little before me on the same day. All in all, I knew there was really only the climb up the Cartwright Road left, and I just kept moving at ~7 min mile pace till then. I crossed the previously referenced traverser(s) around 2:56:30, Joelle Vaught and David Faught, and was able to secure a ride home from the finish via Joelle. Lifted my spirits, if not my pace.
After passing a bovine audience in the descent into the meadow on peggy's, I began my final 450 foot climb to Cartwright around 3:11:45, feeling the day a bit. Progressing through polecat with the feeling of closure on the route and fantasies of carbonated beverages. my final, 500 foot descent began at 3:33:35, and finished a bit later in 3:44:07.
Notes on gear: two 500ml hydroflasks with a proto Nike Kiger Vest, 3 maurten gels consumed (thought about consuming a protein bar stashed in my vest). Satisfy Rippy Hat, Patagonia Bandito shirt (well vented!), Rabbit FKT 3.0 shorts, and finally Nike Ultrafly 1