This was my first ever FKT attempt! I am thrilled I was able to snag the FKT (just barely!) after John Clarke set a new FKT on this route just two days ago. This was definitely very ambitious - prior to this the furthest I had ever run before was a half marathon. But I am a local from the area, have been getting more and more into long-distance running and trail running, and after discovering the FKT community a few months ago I was inspired to attempt to set the FKT on this route. John certainly made my job unexpectedly harder!
Today was perfect conditions for an attempt - high 50s and partly to mostly cloudy. The first 9 miles went by like a breeze, but I started to hit a wall around the 12-13 mile mark. Definitely needed a gel or some sort of sugar to keep me going at this point, but neglected to bring one (won't make that mistake again). I only brought 1L of water with me, of which I drank about half. The last 5 miles were a real mental battle. I knew I was right on the cusp of the FKT, so I didn't let myself slow down even though the body was screaming at me to stop. I think that was my first experience with brain fog. Was thrilled to get to the finish line with about a minute to spare.