I ran the Eastern segment of the American Discovery Trail (ADT), which is just over 1,000 miles, in 32 days. That means I averaged 32 miles a day with a total of 65,368 ft in accumulated elevation gain. The American Discovery Trail is a mix of state highways, farm and country roads, small town exploration, rails to trails, and forest trail. It's a true mix of terrain.
I ran solo for the majority of the run, although some days I was joined by my husband, Andrew Brydon. Nearly every day I carried all of my food and water and only met my crew at the end of the day. However, a handful of days brought an ability to refuel at coffee shops, gas stations, or water fountains. The recorded times submitted are exported from Strava.
The trek was challenging due to the terrain. The ADT was mapped in the early 1990s, which means some of the route has changed in terms of terrain condition, traffic usage, etc. I attempted to follow the gps coordinates on the downloadable ADT route as closely as possible. There were some minor variations due to changes in property ownership, trail reroutes, and/or environmental conditions (eg, mudslide areas, hunting seasons). Additionally, annual weather challenges impact reroutes due to blowdowns, construction, etc. During 3-4 continuous days on the Buckeye Trail, I faced near-constant precipitation while navigating that overgrown forest trail and logging roads...a definite challenge booster.
I also wanted to ensure I had time each week to do a few community motivational talks at running clubs, schools, and businesses to inspire and motivate others to reach for big, audacious goals. Splitting the miles over the 32 days allowed for that while maintaining the extensive daily mile challenge.
The American Discovery Trail is underused and offers a lot of challenge. It's a great way to get to know rural America intimately. You can see daily video posts on my YouTube channel (@SuzanBrydon), at Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/suzan.brydon), and deeper dives on my website: brydonrunning.net.