Week's it'd take me months & I'd be walking a good chunk I think, good luck to anybody who can put their body through that, it just shows what we can do with enough determination, respect to all competitors.
It's definitely a tough route, Alan Goldsmith is the route designer and his routes are notoriously tough and often feature some epic Hike a Bike. There are competitors who have ridden it on Gravel bikes and at least one person has won using a single speed bike. I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been, but like you say determination and grit can get you far.
Another aside, it's great to see the amount of female competitors this year, as mentioned some strong riders. In the men's entries, there are also some impressive riders with some epic rides behind them, I look forward to the departure next May.
I'm just aiming to ride the summer route, either next summer or the one after, I'm reasonably confident I can make it round, but we'll see.