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Pt. Isabel Dog Walk

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Lunch Walk

Mt. Tamalpais, most accents in 24 hours, self-supported OKT/FKT.

https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mt-tamalpais-ca

It had been way too long since I did an OKT (only known time)/FKT. I'd had my eye on this one for the past year and a half or so. In fact, I attempted it last year a bit late in the season and got overheated and had to call it @ 4 repeats. The high in Mill Valley was 81°F that day and 96° up on Tam.

This past Saturday, with cooler temps and a bit of rain in the forecast, I finally gave it another go.

I started outside The Depot at precisely 3:15 am on about 3 hrs 45 minutes of sleep. I'd parked my car on route to sleep in before and after, and to use as an aid station just short of the bottom of each descent.

Things went well most of the day. It rained a little in the morning but minimally. I ate a LOT of food and drank a lot of fluids throughout the day. My pit times were a bit longer than they probably could've been at times, but, for the most part, worthwhile.

Ascent #7 was tough. I got a little under-fueled due to concern that I might actually not have enough fuel for on-route nor enough for pitting to pull off as many ascents as I was hoping to. But I got caught up and felt better soon enough.

10 ascents was my A goal. Early on I really doubted that I could pull that off though. I figured one of my various old injuries that'd been saying hello lately would worsen to the point where I might have to either call it or it would at least slow me down a lot.

#8 led me back into the dark. This is when I started getting tired. I knew it was gonna be a grind to make it the full 24 hrs. I just tried to focus on the current ascent or descent - one foot in front of the other. "Just keep moving, Ben. Just keep moving." It was clear at this point that 10 was achievable as long as I could keep a good pace.

#9 brought light at the end of the tunnel as I knew I only had 1 more climb left.

To clarify, the rules of this FKT state that the clock stops when you reach the summit on your last ascent. Therefore, the final descent is not included.

#10 This is where things started getting weird. Haha. My symptoms: brain fog, mild hallucinations, loss of balance, dream-state-hiking, and utter exhaustion. I stopped a few times on the climb and noticed myself swaying forward and backward. I saw what was clearly a monkey tail in the bushes and it curled as I passed (a branch). The final bit of the ascent is very steep and requires a bit of scrambling. Balance was clearly an issue here. Thankfully, I didn't fall.

It was windy as hell on the summit that night. And cold. I had to set my headlamp on the ground and aim it just right for each night time summit selfie (for proof) and the wind kept blowing my headlamp astray. Got the selfies taken. Time to get the hell off of that mountain and I sure as hell wasn't about to take the steep way down another time. My knees had been yelling at me the last couple times I'd down-climbed it. So I took the easy way around and back to Temelpa Trail for the rest of the descent. The road portion specifically (the lower half of the route) was interesting. I felt myself slipping in and out of dream state as I walked. At one point I saw a little girl in a white dress standing on the corner ahead of me. Wait....no....that's a fire hydrant.

Made it to my car. Ate. Drank. Changed. Passed out.

10 ascents, 63 miles, & 25k+ ft of gain in 23:26:04.

I thought this was interesting too: including my final descent, I got 66.6 miles. The FKT page lists the ascent as being 3.33 miles, therefore 6.66 rt. On the PCT I attempted the 24 hr challenge and got 66.6 miles. Upon checking my email on Sunday, I found an email from Strava letting me know that it was time for new shoes. Mileage on my shoes? 666.

Of note: I just happened to plan on doing this at the same time that Michael Li was out there doing his 300 mi OKT attempt. I saw him & his pacers several times out there. I ended up accepting his invite to get some breakfast & a shower Sunday morning at the place they'd been staying in Mill Valley (right on the route). Thanks so much Michael & crew chief Kendal. Much appreciated.

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Ben Mitchell | Skybreaker Racing

Mt. Tam 24hr OKT/FKT (10x)

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Dog, Fog, & Giant Mushies 🍄

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Pt. Isabel Dog Walk

Estero Americano

Lunch Walk

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