FKT: Keith Nadeau - Cape Cod Traverse (MA) - 2021-03-13

What a run! I did this fully supported with my friend Ben who rode along with me on his bike with a small one wheel trailer. The trailer was our rolling aid station so all I had to carry was a water bottle! We had tested out the first 34 miles a few weeks prior so we knew that section but the second half we were unfamiliar with. I woke up at 4:30 am and drove to P - town first to meet Ben where we spotted his car. We then took my van back to the sagamore bridge to start the journey. All the driving left us starting late at 10 am. I realized it was unlikely we would finish in the daytime since we started that late so I mentally prepared to finish in the dark. The whole morning had been super windy, but as we got out of the van and ready to start we realized the wind died down, the sun was out, and it felt warm for being in the low 40’s. We made our way to the start and got right to it. For the first 34 mile section to the rail trail I was feeling smooth and relaxed averaging high 7 minute pace with a few in the low 8’s. Somewhere around mile 25 I noticed Ben’s trailer wheel was crooked so he had to stop and do some emergency repair while i went ahead. Our first quick stop was when we got to the trail trail around mile 34 where I drank some coke. I had been fueling with stinger gels and waffles and felt good on nutrition. Also I had some Nuun water tabs that I drank between bottles of water. The rail trail section on this route is one of the best parts for sure. It felt great to be off the road with traffic and chill out a bit. I slowed my pace more to around 8:30 pace for this section and started feeling some fatigue in my legs. We took some time before getting off the rail trail to organize and I drank more coke and had some pringles. Once off the rail trail we got a bit lost trying to follow our GPS and ended up adding some distance going the wrong way. We eventually found our way to Rt 6 and started the next section. I was feeling the miles but mentally strong and in the flow. Embracing the pain and focused on staying in control. This section rolls on for a while before taking a left onto 6A. I knew we were getting close at that point and before long we took a turn to see an surreal sight. All at once we saw the ocean, the sunset, and the tower in P - town that is where we parked. I got psyched and picked it up. My next splits were 7:17, 7:32, 7:31, 7:42 before I realized this was a bit unsustainable for how long I had left. I dialed it back again and focused on staying patient until the end. The tower got closer and closer very slowly and we eventually made it back to Ben’s car. He was feeling tired and decided to pack up his bike and wait for me to finish. I grabbed by pack and took off down Commercial St. on my way to the Pilgrims’ First Landing park. From there it’s 1 mile of rock hoping across the Getty and then 2 miles of soft sand. It was pitch black at this point so I couldn’t see where I was going very well. The rocks were fun and that mile flew by, but the sand was tough! After that many road miles hoping into sand is a real challenge to keep a solid pace. I got into a shuffle and stayed steady. I reached the tower in 9 hrs 20 minutes and 57 seconds which marked the end of the route! I sat down near the light house to block the wind and took some moments to reflect on the day before heading back. The 2 miles of sand and 1 mile of rocks back was straight into a nasty headwind and made for a good challenge. When I got back to land I had some friends waiting for me cheering me on and offering me sodas:) so awesome! A day I will never forget and so many valuable lessons learned from this effort.