This is my second attempt at this route, last year on June 1st I did 8:15:10, 19 minutes short of the FKT. A lot went right that day but since then I have evolved my nutrition and hydration immensely and I have been working with coach Corrine Malcolm since November, trying to train smarter and harder - a year later I wanted to give this loop another go, partially as a pivot away from the Hundred Mile Wilderness FKT attempt for this spring (this is a great complement/prep for HMW!) and just because this beautiful and powerful corner of Maine lives rent-free in my mind. I'm so happy to have had a great day out.
Starting at the southern trailhead at 5:49am I went counterclockwise (same direction as last year), doing the longer side of the loop first. It was a cool morning, staying under 65 degrees for most of the effort but topical cooling was of huge benefit and I got wet in the many streams at least every 1.5hrs. There is more water access on the east side of the loop but for the whole route I was able to do 650ml per hour and easily filter as needed - the driest stretch is up and over Old Speck, with streams on either side. After being greeted by a Spruce Grouse on Puzzle Mountain, I tried to run almost every step of the east side of the loop (last year I hiked too much and I think using poles slowed me down) and my effort/time was looking good, hitting the Bear River Road crossing at the base of Old Speck at 4:09 elapsed (16 minutes ahead of last year). I hit a low as soon as I started climbing Old Speck; thankfully wasn't cramping like last year but my legs just felt heavy and weak and I wasn't able to push as quickly up this climb as I had hoped. This is probably the area with the most room for improvement on time. There were a fair number of blow downs on the descent of Old Speck, which was totally clear last year, thanks to the trail work by current women's record holder Deanna Doane. It was also pretty thick and hard to navigate in places on the east side (this trail needs more love!), all of this cost me a few minutes but otherwise I'm stoked on how my legs felt on flats and descents and I moved super efficiently. I was a bit sluggish on the Sunday River Whitecap climb and apparently lost one of my nutrition sachets somewhere and had a nauseating palate response to my Precision gels; didn't want to risk throwing up so went without calories to the finish - had been averaging 105g CHO/hr for ~6 hours. Could smell the barn at this point and sent it to the finish.
Tried going more minimal with gear this year (worked great), just a Naked belt with two 650ml handhelds, filtering water with a 1L Katadyn - Carbs Fuel, Tailwind High Carb, and Naak Ultra Energy sachets + Precision gels. La Sportiva Prodigio Pros were a nice shoe choice for this. Nearly had a few bad falls; kept telling myself to maximize where I was and stay controlled... this terrain is so hard to move quickly through.
So much respect for Peter Howe's 2020 record, an impromptu super fast time that has been so fun to chase. I hope more people go on this awesome adventure and embrace and appreciate this special place <3
Safe passage through these wild places is a privilege and we have been here for a fraction of the time of the indigenous peoples, like the Arosaguntacook tribe that called the mountains and valleys surrounding the Androscoggin River home. Move with love and respect.