FKT: Joachim Cassel - Backbone Trail (CA) - 2023-01-26

Athletes
Route variation
one way
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
14h 41m 18s
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What a treat. Moved to LA about 18 months ago and it's taken me most of that time to scout the entire trail. Felt it was time to do it in one big go!!

Packed 3 litres of water (2l bladder + 2x500ml bottles). Skipped the spigot at Trippet, refilled 2l at Malibu Creek, refilled 3l at Encinal, then made it all the way to the end from there (don't know why but I don't trust the Danielson spigot). 7 litres drank in total.

Packed 16 gels and 6 packets of gummies. Finished all the gels and 4 packets of gummies.

Wanted to run this faster, but there was a lot going against this one. Savage winds throughout the course. Trails still wrecked from the storms this Winter. The small pockets of heat took a real toll. Poor planning that meant I finished after sunset. Falling in one of the many creeks near Danielson and getting super wet & cold. Nothing that derailed the attempt, but it was worth sticking to an easy steady rather than pushing to the max!

Had some low moments from Hondo Canyon through to Zuma ridge, but beyond that my body came back to life and allowed me to keep pushing through to the end. Would've hit that final descent harder if the winds didn't make that singletrack a little too sketchy.

All in all though, so happy to have tackled this beast and come out the other side with some dignity. Unbelievable that this is in our backyard in LA. We are incredibly spoiled here!

Huge thanks to Kenny Rasamny who helped me plan everything out, and Shelby Farrell for constant support, and driving my car to Ray Miller, plus countless others. It truly takes a village.