FKT: Nick Horton - Twin Cities Grand Rounds (MN) - 2024-04-20

Athletes
Route variation
Infiniti Loop
Multi-sport
No
Gender category
Male
Style
Self-supported
Start date
Finish date
Total time
10h 12m 1s
GPS track(s)
Videos
Report

Gear/Utilities: I used a Solomon Active Skin hydration pack with a two liter reservoir. For food I packed 5 Perfect bars and 3 Kind bars. There were around six easily accessible gas stations on the route. I bought Gatorade / caffeine beverages / water from three of the gas stations and used the bathroom of a few others. I also used several porta potties I found along the way. 

Navagation: I used my Garmin to navigate the GPX file I downloaded from the FKT site. However, GPX files used a lot of roads and bike paths that were not always safe so I did use the pedestrian trails when I felt the navigation was too dangerous. I also made at least two wrong turns in the dark that I did my best to back track. My apartment is within walking distance of Peik Hall (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities) which was my starting and ending point.

Pacers: At around mile 59 by change I ran into a friend of mine on her long run and she ran the 5 miles left with me. She did not give me any assistance except company. Im not sure if this disqalifies me from Self-Supported but regardless I also ran the fastest time in any category.

How I Felt: Overall I felt good / ok until around mile 48. I had fallen behind on my nutrition and was hurting pretty bad. I have had a few ultra experiences equivalent to or greater than 64 miles but this was my first time doing it without a support crew. However because I am very framiliary with the route (Lived in the area for 4 years) I thought it would be possible.