After 17 days and 15 hours, I successfully finished the 750-mile Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) speed record attempt on Friday, Jul 29, 2016, solo and self-supported.
I averaged 43 miles per day without any rest day in some of the most challenging terrain I ever navigated. Despite the massive planning and training, a lot of things went terribly wrong. The experience broke me in so many more ways than I thought I could be broken. It was a colossal struggle against myself and the often hostile, yet incredibly beautiful environment.
I will post more on this blog soon. Check out the teaser in the meantime and sign up for the e-mail notifications (see right tabs) if you’d like to get updates.
The finish at the Owyhee State Park, just after sunset. Badly beaten up, unshaved, insanely sleep-deprived, dirty, and just about ready to pass out from complete exhaustion.
I did not stand for much longer.
The Trail
The trail is the brainchild of the Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA). Because of its novelty and uniqueness, it was featured in both a National Geographic (“World’s Best Hikes: 20 Dream Trails“) and CNN article (“10 of the world’s most amazing long-distance trails“). Compared to other long-distance trails, the 750-mile ODT is very challenging for a thru-hiker/runner, both physically and logistically. There are few reliable water sources, the trail is extremely remote, 267 miles (36%) are cross-country, and the environment is very unforgiving.
Map of the conceptual trail designed by ONDA. (c) Map by Mapbox. For an interactive version, click here.
Additional ODT Resources and Posts
- 2nd ODT Speed Record Announcement (with movie clip)
- ODT: Gear
- ODT: Maps
- ODT: Trail Surface by Section
- ODT: Silence Map. Want silence? Do the ODT!
- ODT: The slow exception. Long-distance trail daily mileage comparison.
- NW RaceCentre Magazine article on Epic Adventures: https://issuu.com/racecenter/docs/rcnw_junjul16_digitalissue (see page 26-27)
- ONDA blog post: Christof Teuscher Runs for Discovery on the Oregon Desert Trail
- ONDA’s Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) page with everything you need to know to do it yourself.
Leave-no-Trace
The endurance challenge will be completed by following strict leave-no-trace ethics. In order to reduce landfill waste, all trash will be recycled. The buried cache bins will serve as temporary trash bins during the adventure. They will all be retrieved after the adventure, whether I finish successfully or not.