After Jeff set the FKT on this route earlier this month (July 2020), I was inspired to give it a shot. The first half was gorgeous, flowing easily (albeit with a few wrong turns that cost me a few tenths of a mile here and there), and up to the Saratoga Gap in good time. Things started breaking down from there, with another marathon to go and now firmly into the warmest part of the day. Usually enjoying the downhill of the Skyline to the Sea trail, getting to Big Basin took considerably longer than expected (and had more climbing than I remembered. After Big Basin, the temps started coming back down and the trail became less technical, letting gravity do most of the work to take me down the final 10 miles. I finishing just under 11.5 hours of moving time by quite literally throwing myself into the ocean.
Water is very scarce on this route, neither water fountains nor streams you could filter from. Make sure you carry enough, *and* stash enough along the way. I did not, and had to beg a few people for water. Thankfully, I always found a good samaritan and never actually ran out, but it was close.