On Friday August 18, 2023 at 8:11 am I started from Canal Basin Park in the Cleveland Metroparks to attempt a self-supported FKT on the 90.08 mile Canal & Erie Towpath. I was traveling with a Nathan Vapor Air 7L vest with no bladder. I carried minimal items: Energizer lamp and spare batteries, 1 thermal heat blanket, 2 12 ounce Gatorade bottles, Squirrels Nut Butter, 1 rain poncho, about 3000 calories of bars, gloves, buff, reflector vest, iPhone, and charging cords for phone and watch. Due to the dryness of the trails, and minimal elevation gain, I was able to run in a pair of Hoka Clifton 9s with no worry of a shoe change. I was wearing the Coros Apex, and did not switch to ultra mode. My plan was to use the calories in my vest with no stops for nutrition (note: there is sufficient water on the course from parks at this time of year, especially in Cuyahoga and Summit counties). The weather was a low 62 degrees in the morning, and warmed to a semi-sunny 78-79 degrees during the day, and dropped to low 50s that night. The course is fairly well marked with a couple challenging sections in the Stark Metroparks section of Massillon, Navarre, and then Bolivar. This course could be done as an unsupported FKT, but I elected to eat ice cream at Szlays which is on the course, so the FKT is self-supported. The course is registered as an FKT course from North to South, which has a gradual elevation ascent. I had no issues with traveling solo, and enjoyed the beauty of the course. The Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath is estimated at 90.08 miles. I finished with a total of 92.19 miles. I finished the course at the RT 800 terminus on Saturday August 19, 2023 with total time of 22:11:56.
Athletes
Route variation
point-to-point
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
22h
11m
56s
Verification
Report