FKT: Justin Kousky - Paugussett Trail (CT) - 2020-05-31

Athletes
Route variation
end-to-end-to-end (out & back)
Gender category
Male
Style
Unsupported
Finish date
Total time
4h 11m 54s
GPS track(s)
Report

ran unsupported with 2L of tailwind - didn't need to refill anywhere but there were plenty of spots. ran exactly even splits out & back - that's pretty neat, although i was pushing more at the ends of the course vs. the middle, where there's a lot more hills and technical terrain to serve as speed bumps. the conditions were great for this time of year - upper 50s to upper 60s, dry, nice breeze, good cover from foliage, a few mud pits but mostly dried out.

the paugussett has a bit of everything to offer - fast runnable trails, a few rock scrambles, some technical bits, creek crossings, lake views, some road sections, frustrating-to-navigate areas with lots of trails stacked up next to each other, and lots of wildlife (2 deer, 1 rabbit, 1 coyote spotted today).

note on gpx and trail re-routes - i think there have been a few re-routes of the trail recently, future runners should make sure to get an updated gpx from someone who has ran it recently. there was a bike re-route to avoid some rocks (which i accidently took and wouldn't recommend), a mud swamp reroute which feels required at this point (couldn't find the non-reroute trail despite trying), and the area around indian well has definitely changed in the past few years (used to be a straight shot up a steep eroding hill after the falls, now there are friendly switchbacks further south). overall i think the re-routes make the trail more accessible and enjoyable for most folks - for fkt folks they added distance and removed difficulty which mostly nets out