I ran the SRKG in a time of 17:44 on Aug. 1, 2015. The effort was done in honor of Chad Denning, who at the age of 39, tragically passed away just two weeks after we had a blast putting on the MadAthlete Emerald Necklace 3-Day Stage Race which circumvents the 75 miles of the SRKG.
Similar to Nathan Richer who set the original FKT, I started in Newbury Harbor and headed up Mt. Sunapee. This was a supported effort and had trail companions for part of it and family and friends at the Aid Stations I arranged. The start was in the upper 50s but extremely muggy and my HR was well ahead of what it should have been for the conservative pace. I did struggle at times...particularly from Mile 50-58 (Proctor Academy to part of the descent of Kearsarge) before bouncing back. The day temps were in the lower 80s. The only rain was a 15-20 minute downpour just after starting the descent of Kearsarge.
I made a few minor course mishaps...and one big one. I missed one turn that cost me 19 minutes and an additional 1.7 miles of running. I didn't execute as well overall as I think I am capable of, but had no real issues with hydration, nutrition or cramping.
Total mileage covered: 77.29 miles. Total ascent: 13480 ft. Total descent: 13480
connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/852862317
connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/852786856
A recap of the attempt can be found at....
madathleteconnects.com/blog/when-setting-a-fastest-known-time-fkt-isnt-the-really-the-point
[unfortunately the TR link is broken]
Thank you so much ….. to my wife and kids, my parents, Dave, Tony, Jon, Kristen, Brian, Rosanna (and her kids), Andy, Charlie and to Chad who continues to influence and inspire! #exploreforChad.
And unlike the original FKT which last so long...there is a good chance that it will be broken again only 4 weeks later (5 days from when I post this).