On Saturday, November 16th, I ran the length of the North/South Trail in the Land Between The Lakes, starting at the North Welcome Station Trailhead and ending at the South Welcome Station Trailhead, 59.46 miles, finishing in 10:36:01. I ran it supported by my wife, 4 kids and my father-in-law who met me at 10 road crossings along the way. Despite being a very accessible trail (the main highway called The Trace runs a couple miles parallel to the trail and can be accessed by several gravel roads), I only saw 6 hikers at mile 25-26, so there was plenty of solitude while on the trail. I mainly ran with a water bottle full of gels and fueled up as I hit my support team. I wore my UltraSpire pack for the 12.5 mile Jenny Ridge section which is definitely the best section of the trail. The southern portion of the trail is less technical, but there's still plenty of single track and had almost the same amount of elevation gain/loss as the northern section, but without the views of the lake. To run it unsupported would require much more planning for water refills along the way as any water is all off-trail. This was my first FKT on an established trail and I hope others will attempt this run. The support logistics make it very doable, but I have to give my family credit for supporting me for 10.5 hours, because without them, I couldn't have done it! Thanks and love especially to my wife Elizabeth who ran the last 8 with me:)
Thanks to Kyle Varel from the Forest Service who answered my questions ahead of time. It should be noted that I attempted to contact Steve Durbin to find out if he had a time on this trail but haven't received a response.
Splits:
Time Miles
Pisgah Point 0:58:19 6.62
Sugar Bay 1:56:04 12.32
Golden Pond 2:20:29 12.93
Cedar Pond 1:44:13 9.00
Iron Mountain Shelter 1:28:52 7.42
South Welcome Station 2:08:04 11.17
Total 10:36:01 59.46