Starting at Lake Okeechobee just after sunrise on a very windy and chilly 48 degree morning. I touched the fresh water, got sprayed by high waves, started the Gaia tracking App and then my Garmin the FKT verification. I wasn't going to get my first resupply until mile 31 at JW Corbett South entrance so I had two liters of Tailwind and a few Maurten gels. The first 13 miles were dry and open enough to try to get an early head start on the pace knowing the overall trail was wet and muddy. And it was. Most of Corbett was under water, some places knee to thigh high.
Resupplied at MM31, changed socks and dumped the mud out of my shoes. My right groin/hip flexor was pretty tight from the water but still runnable.
Gained some time back on miles 32-38 through Hungryland Slough West, but ran into even higher water levels and longer distances of deep water through the Loxahatchee Slough. Lot of wild pigs in those areas. Miles 40-44 were tough and made the right leg even tighter. Hell, when you've run 40 plus miles what do you expect?!
Picked up some time lost in the slogging areas through Riverbend park and stopped at my second/final resupply at around MM47. My lone crew and dedicated wife, Jennifer had everything laid out for me to make a quick transition for the final section. Mike Stone was also there to pace me through the final leg.
Those last miles were fairly dry overall with some water crossing and mud patches, but nothing like previous sections. On through the scrubs and dunes of Jonathan Dickinson Park emerging onto US1/A1A, the finish was within reach. Besides waiting for a traffic light, my biggest fear was catching the draw bridge on SE Bridge Road. Luckily we didn't. Picking up the pace the best I could, we crested the bridge, sprinted through the Hobe Sound Beach pavilion (to the cheers of Jennifer and beachgoers she recruited while she waited for our arrival), and down the beach into the Atlantic Ocean.
Cold, wet and achy felt wonderful in the moment.
The help from Jen and Mike were critical on this journey and I can't thank them enough for the support and time. Thanks to the Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association for the upkeep of the trail as well.
Garmin - 9:12:55
Strava - 9:12:56