FKT: Liam Tryon - Toronto DIY Ultramarathon (ON, Canada) - 2020-11-14

Thank you to Michael Meusel for creating the loop, really hits all the major trails in the city. With races cancelled this fall, I wanted to use my training block for an 80-100k effort, but still stay in the city to allow me to do the run unsupported or self-supported. I had originally planned to run unsupported, but all public city water sources are closed at this time of year, so I settled for a self-supported attempt.

I started at 5am on the nose at an intersection near my parents house, the headed northbound to complete one loop of the course counterclockwise. Lots of wildlife on the loop, including numerous rabbits (mostly before dawn), a whitetail deer and numerous cardinals and blue jays. I carried all my own nutrition (6 servings of Tailwind, some tortialls with various sugary spreads - peanut butter, nutella etc.) and some savory snacks (salted mashed sweet potato on a bun). All water in my two soft flasks. Pulled water from a bathroom on the Martin Goodman Trail, and resupplied with ginger ale, salted vinegar chips, water and coke at gas stations along the route (Bathurst/Fleet Street area for the first two, and just north of the Mount Pleasant cemetery before entering the Beltine trail). Nutrition was on point with no GI issues thankfully, but ended up sustaining a foot injury on my right foot about halfway through (perhaps leftover from the training block but exacerbated during the run) which hampered me during the second half of the course. I had planned to incorporate planned walking breaks in the second half regardless, but this ensured it. Very busy trails today because of the brilliant weather. 

Here were my approximate splits for anyone who attempts this moving forward:

Roding/Calvington to Murray Ross Parkway/Steeles - 44:50

Murray Ross Parkway to Humber River Trail - 1:19:30 total time (34:40 elapsed from Murray Ross)

Humber River Trail to Martin Goodman Trail - 4:05:07 total time (2:45:37 elapsed from entering trail)

Martin Goodman Trail to base of the Don River Trail - 5:42:12 total time (1:37:05 elapsed from starting on MG trail)

Don River Trail to Brickworks Parking Lot - 6:53:34 total time (1:11:22 elapsed from starting on Don River Trail northbound)

Brickworks Parking Lot to Casa Loma - 8:41:38 total time (1:48:04 elapsed from leaving the Brickworks parking lot)

Casa Lome to Roding/Calvington - 10:38:36 total time (1:56:58 elapsed from the stairs next to Casa Loma)