Name of “Event”: Sebago to the Sea Trail (a 30.2 mile FKT route)
Runner: Chris Manwaring
Race Date: 08/31/2024
Location: Sebago Lake to East End Beach, ME
Result: 7 hours and 10 minutes
Strava link: https://strava.app.link/Py5geYAkzMb
Gear – What did you bring?
Running vest (the Ultimate Direction FKT vest), old trail running shoes, 2 liters water with a water bottle filter, alongside general safety stuff.
Fuel – What did you consume and/or not consume?
My race nutrition consisted of PB&J sandwiches, GoGo squeeZ and Little Debbie Peanut Butter Creme Pies.
Logistics – What kind of planning was involved for both prep and implementation?
Some extra logistics are required since the event was point to point. For me, that meant leaving my car in the beach parking lot and getting a ride over to Sebago. The closest car access point is mile 1.4 on the trail, so I had to backtrack 1.4 miles to the start before officially starting the effort. Beforehand, I downloaded and studied the Sebago to the Sea Trail gpx file from the FKT page.
Find more info on the FKT website and the Sebago to the Sea website.
What went “right” or at least how you expected it to go?
I had a really great time out there on the Sebago to the Sea Trail! I kept a steady pace and moved well throughout. Fortunately, navigation was successful, especially with having the gpx file from the FKT site already downloaded onto my watch.
What went “wrong” or completely unexpected that you had to deal with?
Not necessarily something that went “wrong,” but I didn’t really believe (or fully understand?) the description of section 4 that talked about a 3.5 mile stretch of rugged railroad tracks. While rugged is a term I generally use to describe the trails in the Whites, this section was the most technical on the trail. The gaps between railroad ties did not match my running stride length and the somewhat level, really thin stretch of gravel beside the tracks was so choppy it turned into a power hike patch. (see picture to the left)
Lessons learned for either the next trip or another’s first trip?
I’m definitely glad I had the gpx file handy: the Sebago to the Sea Trail signage is inconsistent since much of this trail route is actually just a long path connecting several different trail systems. Also, apparently there is a healthy population of water snakes that like to hang out in the first two sections, but luckily I didn’t see them! Planning water refills is important: I had my BeFree filter and filtered water out of the Presumpscot River in Westbrook, then out of a feeder stream in the Oat Nuts Park area.
Everything else!
It was lots of fun out there! There is nothing quite like staggering through a nice neighborhood in Portland with over 26 miles on my legs squinting for the trail markers! On a more serious note, it was super cool to connect Sebago Lake with the Atlantic on one continuous footpath. There are some stretches of road miles but the route sticks to trails whenever it can.
Interesting in reading about more FTK runs? Check out “Blue Hills Skyline Trail Double Out and Back FKT Trip Report – Keith Nadeau”