On June 10th I set out to run the Coastal Trail from Gargantua to Agawa. This was a solo, unsupported, unscouted attempt that required me to stash my bike at Agawa and ride back after completing my run. A grand 105km day, but perfect training for my upcoming race at the ARWC in August. Final run time was 10:47:49
Conditions deteriorated roughly 2hrs into my run. A un-forecasted rain storm blew in making footing treacherous. I fell on multiple occasions and manged to cut up my hand a few times (don't watch the video if you are uncomfortable at the sight of a little blood). My pace was slower than it should have been on this section and I was close to pulling the plug on the attempt. The skies cleared up and the rocks slowly dried out so I continued and upped the pace. I had some low moments on some technical portions towards the end. The sun was frying me and I was getting dehydrated. Coupled with some unforeseen gastro issues, I had a bad time before I rehydrated. Once that was fixed, I upped the pace for the final push. I got in with 3mins to spare before the visitor center closed and I made a mad dash for the ice cream and freezers inside. Spoke with the bewildered park staff, then hoped on my bike and had a leisurely 2hr ride back to my basecamp at Gargantua.
Here's a link to a video from my run: www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_wKpCGq6Io
I used GeoTracker on my phone as I don't own a GPS watch. I find it's not the best app for accurately recording distance as it drops GPS connection every now and then. But it did a pretty good job tracking my run.
I'd love to go back on fully a clear day. I think I can best that time by a bit still, especially now that I know what the trail holds.
GPS Tracks: drive.google.com/a/explorethebackcountry.com/file/d/0B26C7v8HqEvrR1g5cE1oOWw3NVU/view?usp=sharing