Our team, consisting of David, Tom and myself, embarked on a plan to tackle the trail as a self-supported group, steadying our pace from before sunrise to after sunset, sleeping in local pensions, and grabbing food at small village supermarkets along the way. We survived entirely out of 12L trail running backpacks, carrying only a second set of clothes, arm warmers, leg warmers, a buff, cap, gloves, a down jacket, waterproof jacket, a headlamp, chargers, and an emergency poncho.
The terrain treated us to a beautiful yet brutal contrast. One moment we were coasting alongside blue waters, weaving through ancient ruins, and navigating mountain passes; the next, we were fighting through ankle-breaking karst and endless kilometers of overgrown, thorny bushes that left our skin itchy and scratched.
Tom had already run 165 kilometers in the opposite direction (from Geyikbayırı to Karaöz) before joining David and me in Fethiye to tackle the route toward Geyikbayırı together. Reaching Karaöz meant he had covered all sections of the route, so he decided to wrap up his run there. Meanwhile, David was dealing with a stomach pain and feeling increasingly weak, making the practical decision to stop in Karaöz as well.
With both of them finished, I decided to keep going on my own. I continued alone for the final three days from Karaöz to complete the trail, setting the female supported FKT on the Lycian Way! 🏆
In summary, almost 9 days on the rugged Lycian Way were a wild, beautiful mix of storms, sunshine, excitement, happiness, exhaustion, peace, fear, fun... Something I will never forget!