My effort started at 5:53 am on Saturday August 29th at Carlo Col trailhead where my mom dropped me off. Since the first few miles were not included in the final time, I took this hike very easy. I got to the ME/NH border, took a selfie with the sign, took a picture of my watch (to remember how long it took to get to the start), and I was off. The initial hike to the border took me 55min 7sec. During this southern Mahoosuc section, I was focused on trying to be conservative with both my pace and my nutrition to maintain a well-functioning stomach. Although I have run longer than this distance during backyards, this felt different. I kept trying to wrap my head around the full distance of this effort, about 160 miles. A hundred hard mountain miles and then 60 more.
I made it to Rattle River trailhead a little ahead of schedule but that was ok since my heart rate was staying low and it wasn’t too hot or humid. Things were feeling smooth. At Rattle River, I ate a few things for lunch and loaded up my vest for the Carter-Moriah traverse. Again, I take the climb up Moriah smooth and steady, and I can feel the day is starting to warm up a little. By the time I reached Carter Dome, I realized that I was almost out of water so I make the quick detour to Carter Notch Hut to refill for the Wildcats. Coming down the last Wildcat, I do notice a mild pain in my lower left quad which I brush off as I figure my legs are still warming up at this point (which wasn’t the case). I make it to Pinkham, once again, a little bit ahead of schedule. I do make sure to take some extra time to prepare for the Presi here since I will spend almost the full night on it.
Setting off for the Presi, I was a little nervous. Checking the higher summits forecast on my phone, it was saying that it would be clear but with winds of 60-70mph possible. Once I got above tree line, it was windy, but the worst of it was on the summits of Madison and Washington which were the least sheltered from the wind. When I started feeling tired, I started to have some caffeinated gels which helped me a lot with my focus on the southern Presidentials and the never-ending Webster Cliffs. This is also when my left leg pain started to come back, especially on the technical descent towards the end of this section. I had to keep lowering myself with my right leg to minimize the pain. I thought to myself there is no way I will be able to finish with how bad it hurts now. I still have over a hundred miles left and already can barely descend. I try to remind myself that “it never always gets worse” (one of my favorite quotes from David Horton). Once I made it to 302, it was very early morning and I decided it is a good time to take a 45 minute nap which helped relax my leg a little.
When I woke up, it was great to see Nate Weizer who joined me for the whole Pemi section from 302 to Liberty Springs. It was very nice to have a lighter vest since he carried most of my nutrition and extra water. This section began with a few miles of flatter running and it was nice to mix up the pace for a little. After a brief stop at Zealand Hut, we continued and Nate gave me a patellar strap to put on which after a few miles, I could feel was helping quite a bit. A few rain showers came through before Lafayette but it wasn’t anything significant. Once we made it on Franconia Ridge, it was very windy but it did not last long. I was so relieved that the strap was working and by the time I was descending Liberty, there was no pain in that spot anymore. I eat some more food at Liberty Springs and pack up for the Kinsmans. Thankfully Kurt was able to join me for the first part of the Kinsmans section, which was very nice since he also was able to carry my nutrition/extra water. Going up the Fishin’ Jimmy climb, I felt like I was moving in slow motion, but I was still steady which was reassuring. Coming down South Kinsman was memorable since it had just started raining and made the descent slick. I put my poles away and went down it using all fours since I was also pretty tired at this point. Austin intersected us about 5 miles from Beaver Brook and joined me for the rest of this section while Kurt descended a different trail to his car. This stretch to Beaver Brook felt very long but it was great to have Austin for company, which made it feel much easier. Once I got to Beaver Brook, I knew that I needed more sleep, so I got another 45 minute nap and was able to charge my tracker and watch.
I set off for Moosilauke alone but was feeling better and more focused after the nap. The climb was steep, but short so it felt like I made it to the summit in no time. The descent was kind of rough since the blisters on my feet were starting to hurt quite a bit at this point. I made it across the river and to my mom’s car where I was able to change into dry shoes. I did not need to take too much nutrition since the next couple of sections were only about 5 miles each. However, it was getting harder to run with my painful feet. Before starting the Cube-Smarts traverse, I drained my blisters which helped to relieve some pain. I also took off the patellar strap since it was starting to cause a painful abrasion on the back of my knee. I took 2 liters of water with me since I knew this section was pretty dry and it would be the hottest part of the day (and I’m glad I did since I went through all of it). Unfortunately, my leg/knee pain was coming back midway through this section which forced me to put the strap back on. It was such a relief to make it down Smarts because I knew that was the last long section of the effort without aid. It also allowed me to empty my vest and carry less water/food. The trails after this point were also much smoother and I was able to figure out how to descend without putting too much pressure on my left leg. During the short section after Smarts, I found a note on the trail from my friend, Zbigniew, which gave me a good boost when I needed it!
The trails on Holts Ledge and Moose Mountain were new to me since I never got around to scouting them out, but I think that it helped me mentally. Once I made it to Etna Rd, I knew I was in the home stretch with less than 9 miles to go. It was a little frustrating that I could not really run well because the trails here were so runnable, but my body felt like one big bruise. The last stretch of trail before making it to Hanover felt so long and it was just beginning to get dark here but thankfully, the sparse trees in this section were very well marked. Having the trail turn into a sidewalk was a welcome change and I was able to start half-jogging the last couple of miles to the end. I met my mom on the bridge at the VT border to finish and I sat on the fence for a few minutes reflecting on where I started a couple of days ago.
I absolutely could not have done this without the support from my mom Ausra at every road crossing and then of course the pacers that joined me: Nate, Kurt, and Austin. Also, thank you to Larsen for establishing this awesome route on FKT and Amber for putting such an incredible effort on it last year!