The summer was slipping by and I needed to hurt myself, so I started looking for a local trail that I could get in something in the 50-mile range. I've long loved the Boone Fork Trail for all its swimming holes and technical running. I'm not in top shape and I expect someone will slip in under this FKT by 4+ hours within the first few months of posting, but I wanted to get it out there because it is a perfect Tuesday-morning ultra - easy to support and fun to run.
July 2nd: I woke up early and drove out to Julian Price Park to try to get in a few laps before the heat of the day. My buddy Andy joined me for the start and we hit the trail a little after 6:30am. We started going in the clockwise and on each subsequent lap I switched directions. We took the first lap gently to warm up and finished in around 1:05. Andy discovered he had a nail in his tire and family obligations later in the day, so he did the one lap and then took off, leaving me to scoot round the loop on my own for a bit.
Laps got progressively faster over the next 20 miles as I got familiar with the footings on the creek crossings and knowing when to duck so as to not get skulled by a low-hanging branch on a blind turn. 1:00, 59 minutes, 58 minutes... Things were comfortable and the heat of the day wasn't there yet. For perspective, I think my fastest loop ever on this trail (not as a part of this effort) was in the 45 minute range. The trail started to get a little more crowded toward the midday, but there are only a few places on the trail where passing can be difficult, so it wasn't a major hindrance. My impression overall was that running anti-clockwise is a little harder, and a little faster (when your legs are fresh). This is because there is just one long, extended climb up Bee Tree creek going this direction. The rest is runnable and flat or downhill. Later in the day (on tired legs), the climb became a much bigger time-suck and those laps ends up being slower. After each lap, I refilled water at the fountain in the parking lot and grabbed some of the exquisite watermelon that Andy had left for me in my car (Perhaps the only advantage of doing this run the first week of July).
I was in great spirits up until about halfway through lap 7 when I toed a particularly unkind tree staub and peeled back my big toe nail. I cussed my way around the rest of the loop feeling desperately sorry for myself and how unfair it all was. Much to my joy, my buddy Dennis had shown up at the parking area to join me for a little while. He picked me up when things were getting dark and we cruised lap 8 together. Andy came back out and joined us for laps 9 and 10, giving both he and Dennis 15 miles total for the day. At the start of lap 9, my legs were cramping and Dennis gave me some S-caps and Andy gave me an old Nuun wafer to chew on. That's why this record is "supported" as opposed to "self-supported". Those salty bits are also precisely why I was able to fight off the cramps, so... thanks guys :]
Laps 9 and 10 were slow, but the wheels didn't completely fall off. Upon finishing, I noticed we were at 49.64 miles or some such number. If you look close at the GPX file there is a tail where we ran a loop in the parking lot to get 50 miles. This is not a required part of the route, I just wanted to get 50 miles - you know... for the kudos from my 16 Strava followers. I then sat in the creek with Andy and drank a Jarritos. It was heaven.
July 3rd: I ate waffles.
I am hopeful others will take up this challenge; I look forward to seeing how fast it can go. It will likely be quickest when it is dry and in the shoulder seasons. But honestly, anytime is a good time to get out on the Boone Fork Trail.