It wasn't my intention to vie for this record when I started out, but I've doing a bit more running this summer and have enjoyed the feeling of getting fitter and moving more fluidly in the mountains, so most days when I go out to explore the mountains I find places where it's fun to push a little bit. It was a smoking hot day and an earlier start would have been wiser, but morning dad duty called and when work was cancelled last minute I decided a lap on the Bells Traverse would be a good way to spend a bonus day. I felt okay getting up to the top of S. Maroon and then enjoyed moving efficiently and safely through the traverse from South to North. I ran into some friends coming down N. Maroon and stopped and chatted with them for about 7-10 minutes. When I got to the climber's trail branching off for Pyramid the weather looked like it was going to hold and I felt like I still had some decent energy, so I started for the third summit. When I was in the Pyramid Amphitheater I figured that if I pushed hard to the top and then hammered the descent I could maybe sneak under Michael's very impressive time he put up September '22. I couldn't remember exactly what he had done but I knew it was somewhere around 5:35ish. I got lucky coming out from Crater Lake because the trail wasn't super busy and I was able to let it rip a bit. I was pretty amazed that after all that it came down to just a few seconds ahead of Michael's time. I just used a filter running flask that I filled up where I could and ate a granola bar half way through. Probably should have brought more food but forgot it in the truck.
Ultimately I hope someone (younger and dumber than myself) comes and crushes this thing with a sub-5 hour effort... I think it's totally doable and it's a great adventure because it encompasses a very dynamic range of terrain and skills needed to complete the loop quickly and safely.