Started about 9am. Later than I had hoped, but I wasn't too worried with Badwater temps only supposed to get into the upper 80s. The run up Hanupah Canyon was a slog. Eventually made it to where the route starts climbing up to the ridge. Going up was steeper than I expected. The trail was very faint too, to the point that it was basically a bushwack. At one point I accidentally stepped on a cactus while navigating, and had to stop to pull a couple needles out of my shoe. Once getting onto the main trail to Telescope Peak, the going became much easier. This section would have been entirely runnable had I not climbed 11,000 feet already. There was some pockets of snow left up high, but it didn't cause any issues. I summited in 4:49, took a couple minutes to enjoy the view and refuel. I figured I needed to average about 12 minute miles on the way down to get the FKT. Given it was all downhill I figured it would be no problem. The run down the main trail was a nice warmup for what was to come on the rest of the descent. The descent was rough. I had forgotten how slow super steep loose descents are. Coming down talus fields I was getting hit in the ankles by rocks that I had knocked loose. Got thorns in my shoe after going through a patch of thorny bushes. I spent at least 5 minutes trying to dig thorns out of my shoe with tweezers and a knife. When I was getting close to Hanupah Canyon I looked at my watch and realized I had less time than I had hoped. Going down had been much slower than I expected plus my stop to pull thorns out of my shoe. I knew I would have to push hard on the dirt road. I stopped briefly at the creek to refill water, then started running hard. Once I got back on the dirt road, I started really pushing hard. Getting a little too excited and going too fast, running about 6 min/mile pace. Which was not at all sustainable. Slowed down a little after about 2.5 miles on the dirt road. Then about 4 miles into road my fast pace caught up with me and I had to stop, supporting myself with my trekking poles to keep from collapsing. After this short break I was somehow still able to keep running at a decent pace, although it was extremely difficult. Finished in 7:39:09 and just laid on the ground in the shade for a little while, totally spent.
I carried 4 liters of fluids, 3 liters water and 1 liter electrolyte mix. I think this was the perfect amount. I ran out shortly before getting to the creek on the way down. At the creek I filtered water, drinking .5 liters and carrying another .5 for the last 9 miles. I probably should have ate more towards the end, but I was worried about getting stomach issues from the hard pace and having been running for 6hrs.
This FKT might have been the hardest thing I have ever done. There were times on the climb when I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it down because my legs were so tired. Coming down the dirt road at the end I pushed harder for longer than I thought I could, wanting to just stop and lay down instead of keeping running. This is a very hard and rewarding route. I think under 7hrs is doable, but I don't know if I would ever want to run this again.