I have had my eye on this trail for a while since it's pretty close to where I live, and decided to go for the FKT before it gets covered in snow for the winter! I am training for a much longer FKT later this year, so I thought I'd use this as a workout to prepare. Having never run the route before, I decided to run the whole thing for a warmup beforehand. Glad I did - there are a few tricky spots (or maybe I'm just terrible at following trails :)), and I got lost a handful of times! But after that run-through, I felt confident that I could follow the route. The run itself went smoothly. The trail was muddy and a bit icy in spots, but nothing that slowed me down significantly. I also encountered a few dogs and bikers along the route, but everyone was very friendly and made an effort to step to the side of the trail when I passed. I felt strong the entire time, and tried to really push the pace on the less technical sections (this trail is super winding and it is tough to get in a good rhythm for too long!). However, I'm not the strongest at this type of terrain, nor this distance (I prefer much longer races), so I think there is a ton of room for improvement on my time. I hope to lower it myself, and encourage other Maine ladies to go for it too!! Overall, this is a beautiful route and I had so much fun with it!