Summary:
My worst nightmare came true... when I went to check on Saturday if the water fountain in Alaunpark was on, nothing came (turns out, it is off all summer due to grafitti :-(). I knew it was going to be a tough day. So I loaded up as much water as I could possibly carry (6.5L) and started out from Pirna. I always had the backup of getting water from somewhere and going for a new "supported" record. As I got to Meissen with roughly 1L left, I knew I could finish (definitely dehydrated by the end though!).
Note: I really checked everywhere along the way... there is no water fountain (or even lake/stream) along the way to get water, currently :-(.
All in all it was an amazing day in Nature. Legs felt "good" until the end, still managing a 10km/h pace for the last downhill to the finish.
Fueling:
- 6.5L Fluids (4.5L Water + 2L Electrolyte Drink)
- 20 Energy Gels (3x with 50mg Caffine)
- 3 Clif Bars
- 1 life-saving banana
Some tips for anyone considering trying this FKT:
- Like I already wrote, there is currently no water sources along the route. Bring all your water for an unsupported FKT.
- Having tried Diesbar-Pirna last year, I can say that the route is much better from Pirna to Diesbar. Somehow the route markings are better this direction and also there are more steep inclines and flatter declines where you can really run fast, which I prefer.
- Definitely download the route to a device with a bigger screen and good map (Mobilephone with Komoot, etc). I got lost so many times last year because it wasn't possible to really find the route on my Garmin watch.
- It was easier to get to Pirna in the early morning by bus/train. I feel it would be easier to get a ride from Diesbar in the afternoon/evening (Bus, Taxi, Friends/Family)
In the end I also have to give huge respect to Jakob Griebenow who opened this route and almost ran it unsupported and in winter... massive effort!
Final Sidenote: my open mouth in some of the photos are my yelling "why am I doing this to myself!?!" :-)