I began an out-and-back route of the Mickelson trail on August 3, 2026, supported by my husband who was crewing for me. My run began at 6:08am at the southern terminus of the Mickelson trail, in the town of Edgemont. Edgemont is a cool rural town, and they have a small park at the trail head. The trail runs on paved roads for a mile before turning north on the cinder/gravel surface of the trail.
I chose to run south to north first, as the trail climbs deceptively with miles long low-grade ascents. This then became downhill running on the return trip, however it did not seem to be any easier running with the fatigue of the miles on the body!
My husband met me at the 10 major trailheads north and southbound, which was about every 12-16 miles. We had a camper as a crew vehicle, which worked great to resupply and get some sleep stops during the run. My husband was able to buy great food at the towns, including burgers, milkshakes, burritos, fries and sandwiches which tasted so good after trail food in between crew points.
The northern sections of the trail are hillier than the southern sections, with beautiful rocks and very cool tunnels to run through. There are also lots of horse farms and resort areas. It is really pretty and fun to run along the trail.
The northern terminus of the Mickelson trail is in the town of Deadwood which was like being in a different world. The 2026 Surgis bike rally was in action, with the bikes loud and rumbly. There were interesting bars, restaurants and shops as I ran to the Deadwood trailhead, which was impactful on my sleep-deprived brain!
I slept for several hours in Deadwood, before starting the return trip to Edgemont. It was fun to see several folks repeatedly as I returned in the following days, other folks doing shorter biking miles each day.
I reached the southern terminus in Edgemont in 101hrs, 3min, 2 sec., mid-day on Aug. 7. This was a really fun FKT run, and the Mickelson trail is definitely one of my favorite places to run!