Spending a long weekend in the Harpers Ferry area, so decided to give this route a go! Especially after a DNF at JFK 50 last fall, I knew I needed revenge on the C&O Canal (only kind of kidding).
The first climb up to London Heights was a little muddy from recent rain, but on the higher sections it was mostly dry. Even though this is probably the most technical part of the route, I still felt like I was moving well. Taking the AT through Harpers Ferry is probably my favorite part of the whole route; running by the old church is such a unique experience during an effort like this. In Colin’s (the previous FKT holder) report, he called the Maryland Heights climb a “fitness test” and I think that’s totally right. It’s a straight up fire road that actually kinda reminded me of some of the trails I would run back when I lived in the Bay. This is also probably the best view of the whole route (see photo). Running out to Weverton, I knew that barring disaster (or getting stopped for an egregious amount of time by a train) I probably had the record in the bag. This was also the most familiar section of trail since I had done it during JFK. Up and down, no problems, and then it was just push to get back to the parking lot.
Brought two 20oz bottles of Skratch high-carb, drank the first and maybe a third of the second, so like 130 carbs? Then spent a lovely day hiking and drinking in one of America’s most historic towns. Big ups to John Brown.