1hr 17m 53s up & 37m 47s down  - Strava Link
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Splits: 
9m 55s - Goblin 
14m 10s - bridge 
22m 44s - Treeline 
27m 58s - Jim's Grove 
48m 19s - MLW (crest) 
1hr 7m 31s - Base of Cables 
1hr 9m 2s - Top of Cables (1m 31s scramble) 
1hr 17 53s - Summit 
1hr 21m 50s - Top of Cables 
1hr 23m - Bottom of Cables (1m 9s downclimb) 
1hr 55m 40s - Trailhead (37m 47s descent!) 
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Here is the writeup! Thanks to everyone for all the support. 
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I got some extra rest this week and felt great waking up. Springy and had great energy (and coffee). Not all mornings are like that. Arrived at the TH at 7:50 am and then got in a solid, focused 20min warmup vs. the usual jog up the road from the car to the trailhead. You could tell things are starting to change up high, just a bit of a nip in the air, and things were pretty damp from rain the day prior. It has been super hot up there recently, plus add all the smoke. I was psyched to find the conditions up there were perfect for a hard effort. Cool n calm. No smoke. Tacky ground conditions. Time to focus!

I started at 8:33 am and made quick work through treeline. Right from the start, I knew it would come down to mental toughness. I was ready for this, but was my mind? I accepted that things were going to get uncomfortable and painful, but told myself I would push through this no matter what. Stay on the tempo!

I hit the straightaway on basically the only section of trail I use on the mountain through Goblins Forest. I could tell I was really on my upper limit; I didn't feel amazing. Does one ever feel amazing when you are going for it like that? Either way, I was up on my splits at the bridge crossing. Keep up the tempo! It really helped me to break the mountain down into sections, just focusing on the next bit versus the 4,000ft left or whatever it was I had to do to get to the top—also knowing when I was going to be hiking and when I HAD to be running helped as well. I would tell myself that hiking would be recovery from the running and vise versa — so this kept me up on the pace through each segment.

I hit treeline at 22m 44s and kept the effort up through Jims Grove. Running everything that felt efficient through the meadow there before transitioning to some sidehilling as I aimed my sights towards the slopes of Mt. Lady Washington. I could tell my body was cooperating and moving in unison. My footwork felt dialed as I picked my way through the rocks and dirt as I tried to aim for the more buffed out and smooth sections of the meadow. Up higher on Jims Grove, I nailed my line and started following the grassy bench up MLW. This segment is the crux for me mentally. It's steep and feels long. 750ft of steady marching brings you up to the boulderfield, and you get your first good look at the North Face of Longs Peak. It is pretty easy to get slowed down by massive boulders while heading up this slope. I had spent a bunch of time this summer searching for the best line through here and connected what felt like to be a fast way up…following grass and smaller talus, which is much easier to travel over than the big stuff.

I crested MLW around 48mins into the effort. From here, I transitioned back to running. I hit a gel with some caffeine, hoping this strategy would help fuel me the last 1,000ft up and provide some boost for the descent. This is all I had. No water, just one of those Maurten Gels w/ caffeine. A quick glance down…push the tempo! I was trying to focus on a good running economy. Be efficient, and keep digging!

I kinda felt like I hit a bit of wall right as you near the base of the cables. I got into some bigger boulders and just felt a bit clunky. I tried to not loose any momentum and found the groove again once I started scrambling up the initial easy slabs to get to the cables. It felt great to be using my hands and full body to get up the mountain. I scrambled up the Cables in 90 seconds, which was actually a bit wet from the rain last night. I didn't even hesitate because the cables are mostly like that all summer. I remember Tony telling me the last 1,000ft would hurt, but that it wouldn't last forever. I actually remember yelling out loud to fight off the pain. I was right at that edge. Starting to unravel but just kept at it—Tempo Tempo Tempo. I kept what TK said in my head. It will be over soon. I tagged the summit in 1hr 17m 53s - my previous PR being 1hr 24min.

I hit the top and immediately turned around. Seeing my time at the top, I knew I would have to do something special to break Andy's record. My previous PR for the descent was 44mins….but knew I could go sub 40 with some effort from the very tippy top. So? I fully uncorked it and ran the best way I know how to run. I nailed the descent to the top of the Cables. Noah and Joseph can double-check me, but I don't think I tossed down a single rock. Footwork just felt SOOO dialed. You can avoid most of the loose stuff if you pick the line right. Which means hang descenders right before taking the long traverse back towards the top of the cables.

I downclimbed the cables in a minute. Thanks to Noah and Joseph for stepping aside while I came down. They were both on the section of 5th class scrambling and made it super easy for me to scoot down. Thanks, guys, for the stoke and videos! From here, I aimed for the smaller talus and scree to help slide down the mountain. This means slightly deviating from my line I used on the way up in hopes of a more efficient descent.

Things were going well through the boulderfield. Ankles were holding up. I felt like I was fully striding out and nailing every single footstep. Again, push the tempo! It is easy to get complacent on the descent, but I focused on pushing. Cresting back over MLW…I aimed for the grass for more solid footing, following the bench all the way back down to where I rejoined the Jims Grove trail. This is one of my favorite sections. It's technical, but if you're feeling good, you can really open it. I was hurting, but also having a fucking blast. I was 100% in the zone. Realizing I was doing it for the love and the art of mastery. The flow was insane. As I left the JG trail and picked my way through the meadow back towards the trees, I fell while sidehilling -- doing a full barrel roll, bashing my quad, and popping right back up where I started. Focus. Push the tempo! The section through a few trees there in Jims Grove back down into the meadow is another fun section! Opening up and feeling great! 

As I ducked back into treeline, my footwork seemed only to be improving. I was feeling it! In this section, the trees are so tight, that one misstep could realistically result in many broken bones and injuries. There are so many sharp branches just ready to stab you…but if you do it right….the descent is clean and goes very quickly. The rain from last night made the footing absolutely perfect. Tacky and forgiving. At this point in the writeup, I must give some credit to my shoes. The La Sportiva Mutant has always been my shoe of choice, but hot damn. They just felt so sticky and stable—the perfect shoe in my mind. It's not the lightest shoe, but it's hands down one of the best for this kind of terrain.

I swooped back down onto the Goblin Forest straight away. Cranking it, fully striding out. Laser-sharp precision. There were a lot of hikers on the trail; I tried to give them a big heads up…shouting "HEADS UP"…." RUNNER"…Everyone got out of the way very nicely. I bombed back onto the climber's trail and was pinning it through the trees. I glanced at my watch….AHHH…this is gonna be so close. Flying the trees, dodging branches, ahhhh…I catch a toe and go super-maning…fully stretched out sliding down the loamy dirt. FUCK. I get back up and start hammering again. No time to analyze. TEMPO.I feel like I'm really flying at this point. I hop the creek via the drainage pipes and pump it to the finish. I hit stop and see 1hr 55m 40s. 

I'm in complete disbelief. I lie down in the grass and close my eyes. Near the edge of tears, I try and catch my breath. I can feel my heart pounding out of my chest. I try and do math in my head to calculate my descent time. I can't. I just lie there. Soaking in the moment. Soaking in the moment in such a crazy place. Rain starts to fall from the sky. Hikers start to ask what is up….I just lie there. Not sure what to say. Present in the moment. I relax the tempo. Soft jazz perhaps playing in mind. A beat that I want to last forever. These are the moments when I feel the most alive. 
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Well shit. I did it. I gave it my best effort and tried to work hard and suffer. Sometimes you surprise yourself. As I sit here and type this on August 29th, Saturday, the rain is falling and Boulder sees its first moody day in what feels like a stretch of insane 90-100 degree days. The sound of the rain is so satisfying, mostly because we need the water. It has been so dry and with all the fires, this is what the earth needs right now. I feel like yesterday was the perfect cap off to summer. Potentially one of the last days up in the alpine that feels like TRUE summer. The type of summer weather where you can go up there naked with nothing. Just you…some shorts and shoes. There is nothing more rewarding than knowing you gave it your all. You showed up and just gave it your best shot—no excuses or BS. I had a lot of doubt going into this effort, mostly because I knew that Andy's effort was world-class.

A few weeks ago, I was walking with my buddy Joe from his house towards the San Juans. I started talking about Longs, talking about our love for the mountain, memories, and the record. I randomly told him that I would have to run a 37min descent in order to get the record. I didn't do any math...I just threw out a fast number. It was pretty random. Welp...doesn’t seem so random now.

I honestly didn't think I had what it would take with my current fitness. It took encouragement and motivation from my friends to really BELIEVE. Once I clicked into that mindset, I realized that there is no harm in trying. Go try and see what will happen. Show up and lay it all on the line, and so that is what I did. That is what I'm proud of most. Not the time or record….I’m proud for showing up, being true to myself, and going for it. It's times like these where you truly learn about yourself. When you're riding the edge, you find out what you are made of.

Thanks to everyone for all the support, photos, and videos. It truly means a lot to me. Thanks to all the heroes that have come before me on Longs Peak. Big shoutout to Andy for paving the way and showing everyone what is possible on what I think is one of the greatest mountain stages in the world. A mountain that truly has endless opportunities for a lifetime of adventure. ❤️

-KR