We had an amazing morning on the Panhandle on Sunday November 23, 2025. I was supported by my wife, Sarah, who road the bike and carried fuel, and my Pittsburgh Track Club teammate, Juris Silenieks, who joined me for the first 10ish miles of the route. Wind was pretty brutal driving west to east the entire way, especially at the high points of the race near 11 and 18 miles. Thankfully I knew where these points were along the route and was able to consciously tell myself to just slow down and ride out the slower portions. The valley between 14 and 17 was very smooth, and I knew at that point it was really about getting to 18 miles in good shape before a long steady ride into the finish.
Fueling went as perfectly as it could have and might be my favorite stats from the day. I started the run with 4 gels in the pockets of my shorts, and Sarah carried 3 additional gels in her backpack which I took from her once I finished the one's I carried. I took a gel right before starting and then once every 4 miles (at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24). Additionally, Sarah carried two 32 oz Gatorade bottles filled with Maurten. I top off with a mixture of Gatorade and Water to make it slightly more palatable. Was able to get down liquid around all of my gels and other times I felt my stomach could handle it, and I was happy that I never felt nauseous. Probably finished having taken down 48-50 oz of the 64 we carried. Final tally had ~1,390 calories and ~335g of carbs down which amounts to 552.7 cal/hr and 133.2 g/hr.
One key distinction in the GPX data file is that there was no out and back in the Burgettstown area. Previous route runners (Matt Telarico, Wake Wildman, and Preston Field) ran a self-supported attempt and made a stop at a gas station at mile 16.8 of their route. My GPX file will not show this since I did not leave the trail at any time during my attempt. To the pioneers Matt, Wake, and Preston, your Strava segment was what inspired me to make this attempt my fall mission. It was a blast!
I'm confident that this FKT could fall relatively quickly. With a pack of motivated runners working together this could easily dip to the low 2:20s with no problem, if not lower. Just happy to set the bar and take a crack at something fun this fall. Happy hunting to all who attempt!