We ran/hiked Timberline on Saturday, August 2nd, starting at 6am and finishing at 8:30pm. We started at the Timberline Lodge Overflow Lot and went CCW. The trail was in pristine shape! The water crossings were all very manageable and it wasn't too difficult to keep your feet dry. Additionally, spring water was available every 3-5 miles. We used water flask cap filters, which made it easy to get water and keep moving. The bugs were somewhat bad in sections but were fine if wearing bug spray.
Running this route CCW allows you to get some of the bigger water crossings and more exposed sections done before the heat of the day. You are left with two big climbs at the end going this direction but they were manageable. We opted to do the go around on PCT 2000 in order to avoid the section of Timberline with a lot of blow downs. We met a fellow runner who did this section and it added time so we were happy with that choice.
We ran at a chill pace, hiking all the ups and jogging the downs and flats. We stopped a lot to take in all the beauty. The wildflowers were absolutely stunning! I thought we may be a little too late for them and it was a pleasant surprise. We clocked in a moving time of around 11-12 hours and an elapsed time of 14.5 hours. This is still a very hard route to do in one day despite the trail being very smooth and non-technical. I'd do it again though but I'd also consider meeting folks and setting up camp at one of the campsites that are close to a trailhead/road and splitting it into two days. This would allow you to still run with a vest but have folks bring in a tent/sleeping bag.
Gear that was extra helpful: poles for water crossings, bug spray, gaiters for sand, change of socks, quick water filter option like BeFree cap, downloaded map, and glucose and salt tabs. I carried 3 flasks with 60oz capacity total, probably would have been fine with 2 flasks. I ran in Topo trail running shoes - it really wasn't technical. I had 2500 calories packed and ate about 1800.
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