On July 1, 2020 I ran the full Rachel Carson Trail in Pittsburgh, PA, self-supported. The route was from the Eastern Terminus in Harrison Hills Park to the Western Terminus in Wexford, PA. The trail has occasional minor reroutes. The latest map from the Rachel Carson Trail Conservancy shows the route as approximately 46 miles. My GPS logged about 47.8, but I did make a few wrong turns and had to pickup food and water caches I had stashed just off course.
I started the run at 4:03 AM in Harrison Hills Park, finishing my run at 5:07 PM for a total time of 13 hours, 4 minutes, and 19 seconds. I had three pre-planned food and water stops setup along the route as I show on my map.
The run did not go entirely as planned, but in the end it was a success. Intense July heat almost sidelined me with heat cramps about mile 19, dispite my best hydration/nutrition efforts. I almost threw in the towel again at Emmerling Park (about 28 miles in). A 20 minute rest break with food and water under a shady pavilion helped me recharge for the final third. Despite the heat issues, several day of dry weather did help alleviate what is normally a very muddy trail is spot. I hit my last water stop at the North Park Harmar Shelter with about 8 miles to go. In my final mile I got clipped from behind by a mountain bike, who sped off after crashing into me. So yeah, things weren't perfect. But I got it done. And after completing the course, I finished things off with a long, slow 2 mile walk to end the day at my house (not included in the log).
A special thanks to my friend, Mark Knapp, for meeting me at 3AM in North Park to drive me out to Harrison Hills and drop me off. Thanks!
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Update: A word of caution to those considering attempting the rough terrain of this route in the summer. To give some perspective on the heat and humidity, I completely drained a entire 3L hydration bladder (filled with Nuun tablets) between each of my main segments. Combined with some coconut water at my food drops, I consumed roughly 12L of fluid by the end of the run. I relied heavily on Crank Sports e-Gels and other natural sources of essential minerals and vitamins. It was quite hazardous, as my report notes severe heat cramps not even halfway through the run. I had to work hard to maintain a proper electrolyte balance, which I couldn't even do successfully despite all my planning and previous experience on the trail.