Photos on Strava!
I've never been one to want to free solo sustained 5th class terrain, but I've always been a bit enamored by the run-climb-run routes. Jason and I happened to be in Smith, so we decided it would be fun to run/climb this route as a team.
To be honest, I didn't expect this to turn into an FKT. I went out with the goal of rehearsing the route in order to do the FKT the next day. I was even wearing a cotton shirt and brought an extra layer in case I got cold. I started at an easy jog and I walked most of the uphill to the base of the climb. Jason started leading the climb as I changed into my climbing shoes and tied into the rope. Once he climbed to the end of the rope, I started climbing. Simul-climbing with Jason went smoothly and I took my time. The rock is well featured and solid.
When I got to the summit and looked at my watch, we both decided to hustle out the rest because everything was going so smoothly. I swapped back into my running shoes at the summit - a process that took way too long - and we downclimbed as fast as we could. I was so full of adrenaline at that point that my legs felt shaky as I was descending the scree back to the trail. Once on the trail, it was game on back to the gate.
I had so much fun on this FKT! I can definitely see why Jason has been drawn to the run-climb-run style, although, I will not likely be free-soloing anything any time soon ;)