This route is relentless. Even the "warmup" on South Branch Mountain Trail has a grinding climb followed by a descent that seems impossibly long for how steep it is. Then it's loose jumbles of jagged boulders for most of the rest, and when the trail does dip below treeline, the vegetation is so thick that you can't see where to put your feet. The easiest part of the route is probably the final climb to North Traveler, which is a much needed respite at that point in the run. Then the trail teases you with a few minutes of fast easy downhill before returning to cliff jumping adventures for the remainder of the descent. It's beautiful up there though.
I felt okay out there today, though my legs were tired after a big week of training on vacation. I smashed my thigh on a stump 90 seconds into the run and felt it the rest of the way. Other than that, there were no issues to speak of.
I think this route could go near or under 3 hours on a great day, though perhaps not by me. Choosing a time of year with less luxuriant undergrowth would help a lot. It would also be useful to take a bunch of practice laps before a more focused attempt, as the navigation isn't always straightforward. I lost a bunch of time searching for the next cairn or taking a bad line through the scree.
The only water is on the short stretch of Pogy Notch Trail between South Branch and Center Ridge. It's worth filling up there even though it comes fairly early in the run. I had 2L of tailwind plus an extra 0.5L from the stream.