“Stop thinking about it and just GO” – me to my brain at
4:15am
I recently turned 40 but instead of buying a Porsche and
dying my hair I decided to run across the Grand Canyon twice. This pointless endeavor is known as the Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim
and is on the bucket list of many ultra-runners.
Pitch black, freezing
cold and a billion stars
Starting on the South rim in the frozen desert night I
turned on my lights and commenced the 5,000 foot descent to the Colorado
River. I chose the shorter, steeper mule
route instead of the hiker friendly tourist trail. Dodging puddles of mule pee for 2 hours made
for a stomach-churning start to my journey.
I made it to the bottom of the Canyon and crossed the river, luckily
avoiding a wile coyote attack half way down.
Where we’re going we
don’t need roads
Running along the canyon floor as the warm sun slowly rose
was amazing. I could finally see the
spectacular terrain and my hands started to thaw. Most floors I know are flat but the Grand
Canyon floor gains significant elevation Northbound. Trying to run on 3 hours of sleep and on a
critical caffeine deficit proved fruitless so I opted instead for a fast hike.
Hammer time for the
hamstrings
Reaching the North wall of the canyon I knew it was going to
hurt but this was only my first major ascent of the day. Luckily living in North Vancouver provides
significant opportunities to climb and descend steep mountain trails. After 2 hours of slogging up canon switchbacks
I reached the North rim. Normal people
celebrate their accomplishment then take the shuttle bus back to the other
side. Instead I ate my lunch in the snow
then dropped back onto the icy trail to retrace my steps.
Run Forest Run
My goals for the day were to avoid critical injury, finish
before dark and have legs to run the second half. This third objective meant being able to run
the 10km switchback descent plus the 10km canyon floor. Surprisingly I had both the energy and
enthusiasm to pull this off, hopping over snakes, chasing deer and splashing
through creeks.
Arizona death march
After 10 hours I crossed the Colorado River and started my
ascent back up the South wall.
My brain:
“I should be able to cover 10km and 5,000 feet of ascent in 2 hours.”
My legs and stomach: “You’re crazy. Now it’s time to punish you for putting us
through this.”
Every step hurt, my water bottles were empty and the
temperature dropped back down to freezing.
My GPS watch tormented me by mocking both my distance to go and my tortoise
pace (25 minute miles!). After 12 hours
and 45 minutes I crested the South rim in the daylight and collapsed at the trail head. Whether this was a
celebration of turning 40 or self-inflicted torture I made it, enjoyed almost
every step and didn’t get eaten by a mountain lion.
