Lake Mendota FKT Write-Up

 Hello Everyone! 

This is a short write-up about my FKT attempt and submission around Mendota Lake that took place on April 9th, 2022. This was primarily a dress rehearsal/training run for Strolling Jim coming up on Saturday, May 7th. Strolling Jim is a 40-mile road race in Wartrace, TN put together by Lazarus Lake (the creator of the Barkleys) and Durbin Race Management. My goal is to go under 6 hours and earn a coveted blue shirt. 

I was back in Wisconsin visiting family on my vacation, so training revolved around some unfamiliar areas. I was looking for a 25-mile unsupported time training to simulate the difficult conditions I will face in that race. A dress rehearsal for this difficult race. I love Madison and I've done races around Lake Monona, which is quite beautiful. Lake Mendota is about twice the size and covers Downtown Madison and the Western suburbs. 

Lake Mendota is measured as a 24.5-mile loop which is perfect for the occasion. The FKT Course was set and created by Christopher Luhman with a time of 4 hours 51 minutes and 22 seconds on February 20th, 2022. My goal is to make it on 48oz of fluid with 2 sleeves of Clifbloks and 2 gu gels. I have a little extra space, but ready to go. My best time is 3:15:00, a good time is 3:30:00, and finishing without struggling is the bottom line. 

Today is about gaining valuable experience about what to put in my pack. The weather is 40 degrees and moderate wind, so ideal temperatures. I don't anticipate having a crew at Strolling Jim, so I will be self-supported with limited resources. I make a quick run to the store in the morning to grab some extra hydration beforehand. I arrived at Warner Park, realizing I made the amateur mistake of downloading the course with the programmed start and endpoints at Mendota County Park. So I drive to the other side of town to connect with the formal start point. 

I get my pack assembled quickly and ready to go. I take a quick picture in front of the starting sign and start. The 1st 5 miles are along the highway and I go and a nice consistent pace, locking into a comfortable 8:00 zone. Miles 5-7.5 go through some nice parks and neighborhoods. I have to use the restroom, but no such luck. Very relaxing, but the lake isn't very visible yet. Feeling good right now and holding steady. Miles 7.5-9.0 go around a mental hospital complex with other municipal buildings. I start feeling like I really need a restroom, but the porta-potty I passed by was locked out. Dang! Luckily there were some woods on the next block to take care of business and continue along my way. 

After that, I felt a lot more comfortable and started to open up the pace. Miles 9-13 went pretty smooth as well. I miss a couple subtle turns, but nothing significant. Just 50-100 feet extra at a time lol. I am starting to get some views of the Lake and feel the breeze as the sun comes out. It's so breathtaking to look out into the city. At Mile 14 I reach Filene Park and the Dam. I took a couple pictures as I was running out to the pier and continued on my way.

Miles 14-16 move through downtown Madison along the lake. James Madison Park was full of kids playing 3 on 3 and racing each other on foot. Encourages me to pick up the pace as I enter UW-Madison Campus. I race through the campus to the Nature Preserve knowing there's only 10k to go. I decide to push through the neighborhoods as I've looped around the Southern tip of the lake keeping Mendota on my right side. 

This is a really quiet and rural portion with some light neighborhood sections. It does begin to get a bit hilly here, but I am pushing myself hard to the finish. My mile times are going down as I head through the neighborhoods. I reach mile 22 when I turn on University Ave. and realize that I only have 2.5 miles to go. The FKT time is there, but this is about finishing my training run strong!

I'm full sending it along the sidewalk as I'm on the main highway again. I am trying to maintain a sub 8 minute pace. I've caught up on the clock and mileage, but a couple missed turns and a pit stop might be too much to overcome on live time on the course. With a mile to go, I am facing a giant hill before the finish. I tell myself to push it up the hill. I huff through it and power through to the finish in 3:16:08, which is exactly 8:00 for the 24.5-mile course with a couple misdirections and a pit stop on the elapsed time. 

Overall, this run was filled with amazing views, and well worth it! A great course put together by Christopher Luhman. I learned about a couple things I would like to include in my pack that I didn't have with me.