Ikons can work, but ask Brent S about having to replace them by Pine
I find that bigger knobs result in less contact pressure between the knobs compared to a semi knobby, and I suspect that with the less pressure fewer thorns have a chance of completely penetrating through the carcass.
A full knobby will be a semi knobby by the end of the 750 anyway
If you use plus tires, you will need a beefy one and you will regret all that extra weight when you have to backpack them.  Anyways, there was only about 500m of trail over the 750 where a plus or full fat would be an advantage
Schell Mone used 29x3.0 Knards or something similar, but compared to my 26x2.35 Nobby Nics his foot print in sand was only about 1/4" wider, so he must have had high pressure to protect his rims, negating the plus advantage

portions of the route I can look forward to riding when I return

Great adventure, but too bad I was not prepared for the altitude

Having trouble at altitude
Ok down low

Camping on medicine mtn (outside sacred area) for some acclimating tonight

how is the air quality?  smoke from wildfires?

My Map gps 60 csx has been having problems connecting to my computer so have been looking for a replacement
Test drove a Garmin Explorer+, Map 64s and Extrex 30x this summer  (thanks to Mountain Equipment Coop/MECca and their generous return policy)

For following a bikepack race gpx track, the 64s (or 60csx) is much more visible/legible than Explorer+ or  Extrex (especially for handlebar mount and vibration while moving)

I asked Garmin how many breadcrumbs could be saved into the Explorer+.  Their reply was "The inReach device does have a recommended limit of 500 waypoints. Any more than that and it can create problems with the device"

It seems to use additional maps or maps obtained from the internet for free with the Explorer+ the maps are displayed on your cell phone (I do not mount a phone on my handle bars and keep the phone safely tucked away while biking)

For some reason I can't transfer free maps to Map 64s using Base Camp but I can with the old Map Source program that came with my 60 csx

Inreach $76/month plus ~$3/month to suspend x taxes = minimum ~$117 for only one month use or ~$195 for two months use per year
Map 64s (free) plus SPOT = ~$168 per year

Map 64s has worst battery life, but uses regular AA batteries.  Also is the heaviest option

Since my number one need is to follow a gpx track while moving, I will go with the Map 64s

^Bummer man!
But probably the right call, otherwise, you may have finished but damaged yourself so much you wouldn't be able to ride properly for a long time, or worse
I think you are setting a good example. By not damaging yourself or requiring an official rescue, you demonstrate how people in these unofficial/unauthorized races are not fools and irresponsible.
By saving yourself you should re-energize quickly and start planning your next adventure

they say please don't race or ITT at least for the first year

but I sure would like to Grand Depart that route next year or the year after

for tracking, it's 10 cents per crumb, so using Trackleaders would require the Unlimited plan for $75/month

can I replace a gpsmap60csx and SPOT with a garmin inreach explorer+?

inreach uses Iridium vs regular GPS satellites which supposedly is better under cover?
regular gps's probably have better base maps?
is subscription cost for inreach cheaper than SPOT? (just need GPS to follow a gpx track, transmit to Trackleaders and ability to send and receive emergency texts when out of cell service range)

yes I also plan to finish on the 20th
fingers crossed, knock on wood etc.

does your Tacoma fit 4 people and 4 bikes? or do I need to leave my bike at Ten Sleep first?

anyone into shuttling cars between Dayton and Ten Sleep on Aug 17?

does the route finish in the town of Buffalo?
looks like only 63 miles on the highway to Ten Sleep for car shuttling/retieval

anyone from BC or Washington want to car pool?
is there a good place to leave a car at the finish?
are there any resupply towns between start and finish?

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Just finished the BC Epic 1000 from Merritt to Fernie BC

Great scenery and wide variety of trails (something for everyone to love or dread)

One of the coolest things was how the finish line was in a cool place to hang out (Town of Fernie).  The majority of people stayed a day or two to greet the following racers at the finish line and party together

Flowers were fantastic and I will try to edit my iphone photos so it does it some justice. Need a real camera with a proper focal length and not a wide angle so the flowers appear closer together as they would appear to the naked eye (plus some Doppler image enhancement to make up for how they appear while moving after pedaling 14 hour days)

Dot stalkers were wondering why my dot was stuck just before the finish for a day (the following racers were expecting to have to cross roadkill), but I did find video evidence of why the penalty.  While waiting for the train to clear the crossing just before the finish I went off course to hot dog in the skills park
https://vimeo.com/223918690