Had the day off of work, so I figured I'd give this a go.
I started the run at 10:10am at the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge, with Jay Humphreys biking with me for moral support and because he was familiar with the route. I carried all my own water, snacks, and extra long-sleeve shirt. I wanted to complete the entire route without having any physical help from Jay. I ran the route in the opposite direction as the other FKTs because this allowed me to cross Dumbarton Bridge first, getting the biggest elevation change out of the way early.
The first 15 miles were nice and I kept up a surprisingly fast pace. For miles 15 to 22, my legs started feeling pretty sore and heavy. Miles 22 to 34 were very rough. I was basically jogging half the time and walking half the time. Took one decent break around mile 31, where Jay and I sat on the side of the highway so I could collect myself for the final miles. Pretty wild how far 5 miles seems when it's at the end of a 36 mile run. By the end I had eaten 3 honey stingers and 1.5 packs of Pro Bar bolt chew things.
I finished up strong for the last 2 miles, back to the wildlife refuge. All in all, the weather was great, the route was super fun, and it was a great way to start my ultra running career! A super fun and local route that I hope gets more attention in the future!
Final time was 6h 9m 35s, and the total distance came out to 36.45 miles.