On Monday the 20th, Clay and I set off on the Wild South Coast Way with one goal: take the FKT.
We were quietly confident that a sub-10-hour finish was possible, but we also knew it wouldn't come easy.
The first section went perfectly. We cruised through it and reached the first checkpoint ahead of schedule. Then came a surprise at Tapanappa Lookout—the trail had been rerouted through Deep Creek Cove. The distance was almost identical, but it added around 150 metres of extra climbing. Not exactly what you want when you're chasing the clock.
Once we cleared the first two sections, we knew the hardest terrain was behind us. A few beach runs, the steepest climb on the Heysen Trail, and then it became a race against the watch. Every kilometre we kept asking ourselves the same question: Is sub-10 still on?
After 9 hours of running, we had just 9 km left. There was only one option—lift the pace and empty the tank.
Holding around 4:45/km over the final kilometres, we crossed the finish line in 9:54:08.
Mission accomplished.
A huge thank you to Lily for the incredible support all day. Five aid stations, all 10/10. Having someone there with exactly what you need, exactly when you need it, makes all the difference.