Hiking the trail in 5 days!

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Stephen Sherwood from Castle Rock, Colorado on 12/14/2011 1:25:19 PM:

I am planning to hike the trail from Clinton & ending in St. Charles this March. I am a ultra runner from Colorado but I used to live in Alton Illinois and this trail has always interest me. My plan is to hike/run the trail in 5 days or less. Can anyone give me advise on weather in March? I will be starting early every morning at around 4 - 5 am. I am one day looking at hiking the Colorado Trail so this will be a great training hike for that. I am also wanting to buy a book of the Katy Trail because my father will be following me on the trail setting up camp every 50 miles or so. Thanks for the info,
Stephen!

Anonymous on 12/14/2011 4:32:51 PM:

From the home page on this site, scroll down for both guidebook and MO weather info. March can be pretty cold and wet.

BikerBoy from Edwardsville, IL on 12/14/2011 7:39:24 PM:

That sounds like an ambitious plan, but it also sounds like you are in shape. Keep in mind that you really can't see beyond "civil twilight", which is about 30 minutes before sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset. Also keep in mind that Daylight Saving Time starts on March 11. So without a flashlight, you can't hike safely before 6 a.m. early in the month, and 7 a.m. after March 12. But once you start, you will have 12 hours of hiking at that time of year. Good luck.

Stephen Sherwood from Castle Rock on 12/15/2011 4:07:19 AM:

Yeah I hike/run a lot during the night with a headlamp to get my training in and still spend time with family! I have run a lot of 100 mile runs but not thru hikes so itd will be a great challenge!

kc from nj on 12/15/2011 9:12:32 AM:

If you go to weather.com, click on monthly, then click on averages, you can get a basic idea of seaonal weather changes for any given area.

Anonymous on 12/15/2011 2:13:21 PM:

Good luck. Remember, though, that the park is only open during daylight hours.

Rick from Independence, MO on 12/15/2011 2:38:00 PM:

I intended to run/hike it in 6 days last May. I had run a few 100 mile weeks in preparation, and was in pretty good shape. The thing I was not prepared for is how flat the Katy Trail is. I went east-west, and in the first 160 miles there was 150 ft of climb, almost a foot a mile! It was the same step over and over with no variance. After 2 days (85 miles) I ended up with severe tibial tendonitis and could hardly take a step. I didn't finish the trail on foot but ended up renting a bicycle and still had a good time.

Stephen Sherwood from Castle Rock on 12/15/2011 6:07:36 PM:

Good advice, im sure the unchange in footing is very rough on ones body. I am doing lots of my training on rock paths similar to Katy Trail! I have done few 50 mile hikes on this this trail and you can for sure feel it. All I can do is train and do what I can. Did you hike or run the trail? I am thinking 15 min miles just a fast hike!

El Toro on 12/15/2011 9:09:32 PM:

Best wishes with your adventure. Keep us posted over the next few months. I am interested in following the story. (As a side note, I am headed to Castle Rock in June for the Elephant Rock Cycling Classic.) Again - best wishes.

Rick from Independence on 12/18/2011 11:25:53 AM:

I did a run/walk, averaging about 12 minute miles for a moving pace. With a couple of hours of break for lunch and exploring the towns along the way, the overall average was about 15:00/mile.

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