Some friends were doing a group run on this route so I decided to take a shot at the FKT. I kept things unsupported though, not running with anyone or taking water from the drop they left at Jarrard gap.
I paced off of Jack's time, and I gained a few minutes where he stopped for a bathroom break. I knew I would need to book it home to keep the lead. Everything was going well until 12.3 miles in when my left inner thigh cramped badly. I had to stop to stretch it and ease back into running. The rest of the run, I was riding the edge of cramping. I had one more bad cramp at 15.4 miles and I thought I would loose the lead for sure. Once I could run again, the mental math was telling me that I just needed to cruise the last half mile or so. Luckily the trailhead sign appeared just in time and I ducked under Jacks time by a matter of seconds.
I'll blame the cramps on under fueling and pushing the downhills more than I am used to. I used two 16 oz handhelds and 3 packs of gummies but I could have stomached more.