Before traveling to Curacao on vacation, I checked the FKT site for approved routes, and to my surprise, there were none. So, my husband said, "Hey there's a silver lining. You have the unique opportunity to be the first to log an FKT in a country; the island nation of Curacao. We'll just need to submit a route." And thus, the ~12k Christoffel Mountain Loop was submitted along with my FKT submission.
Christoffel Park is actually divided into two sections; the North and South. The Mountain Loop is in the South section. The route is 100% paved, and there are some leg-burning hills to climb. For this flatlander, power hiking was the norm on the steepest climbs. The most convenient start/finish point is from the parking area on the far side of the loop. (The ticket counter person will automatically direct you to this parking area.) The start/finish line is the white painted speed bump.
I should also mention that even though the loop is open to cars visiting the park, I only encountered two during the run.
For the attempt, I wore Hoka Speedgoats and an Ultimate Direction hydration pack, and consumed GU gels, two Saltstick caps, and straight water. Special thanks to my hubby for the support.
Note: The park is open from 6a to 2p, and the parking lot tends to fill early with hikers. I would suggest arriving early enough to allow a start time of ~ 7a to 7:30a. This will slot your run between the early and late traffic.