I have been eyeing this FKT for some time, and with a rainstorm last week that washed away all our snow in Southern Maine, decided to go for it! There were some sections of the trail that were still slightly icy, but nothing that slowed me down significantly (in fact, since the trail portion is mostly in the first half of the route, it may have helped me pace myself!) The weather conditions were ideal. I began at Bug Lighthouse in South Portland at 4:53am, and started with the goal of running 7:45's for as long as I could. Obviously, that didn't last for as long as I wanted, and I missed by sub-9 hour goal, but I am very happy with the effort, this having been my first run of over 50 miles. The last 20 miles were very tough but I was thrilled to finish with the overall FKT! I will be back next year to challenge the 9-hour barrier. This is a gorgeous route, and I would encourage anyone interested to go for it. Huge shoutout to my crew for keeping me on track and being super supportive throughout the day!