I had been dreaming of running the Kanc for years prior to this effort. Being a New England local this road has always captivated me in its beauty and reputation. I remember being driven across it on vacation as a child, seeing the NH mountains and being in awe of the scenic views and remote feel. The past few years diving deeper into ultra running and doing similar distance road efforts got me thinking this would be an excellent challenge to take on someday. My friend Ben and I did the Cape Cod traverse in 2021 with him on bike with a single wheel trailer as my support system and it got me thinking this could be a cool way to try the Kanc route. We made plans this September and decided it was a good idea to try! We booked a cabin at the Eastern Slope campground and stayed the night prior. The morning of we got a later than planned start and made our way the 2 miles over to the start of the route. Right around 8 am we set off and it was on! The first chunk from the east side is easy, mostly flat and some nice river side views. Then the road becomes more steep and the climb to the top of the pass is long! Ben fell behind on the climb towing all the load in the trailer, which left me with limited water and no fuel for about 8 miles. I got concerned, but realized the situation early knowing he would catch up until the descent after the pass and I managed my effort accordingly. He caught up on the down and I refueled. Then it’s a long descent before hitting Lincoln that I felt really good on! There were lots of people this day out leaf peeping as well as cyclists and other runners, and the cheers / honks from them got me inspired and motivated. We rolled through Lincoln, hit the turn around, and made our way back. We stopped at a convenience store in Lincoln and got more Vitamin waters and I got a cold can of coke… that hit the spot! The climb back up to the top of the pass was the hardest stretch for me. Some light nausea and feeling some fatigue in the legs I did my best to stay calm and steady. Hitting the top and realizing we had about 22 miles of downhill got my mind back in it and I started rolling in the mid / upper 7 per mile pace again! As we got closer to the finish my mind grew stronger and I was holding pace. With about 10km left I elevated more, and with 5km left I hit a new level of performance for myself. Last 3 miles being sub 7 with mile 70 being my fastest at 6:44 felt incredible. I was locked in and pushing my body to a level I hadn’t achieved before that deep in an effort. We finished and I collapsed to the ground feeling so happy and fulfilled. An incredible journey shared with a good friend! The two miles back to camp took us about an hour as I was moving not so well. Then we picked up some pizza and beer and feasted! A run I will remember forever. I am hoping this sparks some interest in people pushing themselves on this route as I think it is high quality and a worthy objective to put energy into. A New England classic road that you can experience a whole new way on foot rather than zipping through in a car. Awesome!