For the uninitiated, R2R2R stands for rim-to-rim-to-rim, an adventure spanning the length of the grand canyon in Arozona. This usually involves traveling from the South Rim to the North Rim and back in one day (for runners). This "run" combines all that I love about trail and ultrarunning: vast natural beauty and a grueling course. The run is typically done in mid to late spring or late fall to avoid the intense heat of the Grand Canyon during the summer months while keeping in mind the potential for snow/ice during winter. The route is anywhere from 45-50 miles depending on the route chosen and includes roughly 11,000 ft. of elevation gain over that distance.
One of the standard routes.
It goes without saying this an extremely difficult route to attempt for anyone in the ultrarunning community and the canyon itself is dotted with signs warning hikers of the perils of even attempting to go to the river and back in one day.
Who in their right mind would even attempt this?
But as is always the case, if you put a trail out there someone will imagine up something insane to do on it (e.g., Noland's 14). And so I imagine this is how the first R2R2R was born and how it has subsequently become a "bucket list" for most ultrarunners in the country or even the world. For this reason when Dave reached out to the VHTRC Facebook community for interest I picked up on his post and immediately jumped in, despite living in Colorado at the time. After much negotiating and organization (props to Dave for throwing everything together) we finalized a crew of 5. In addition to Dave and myself we would be joined by Marc, Bernard and Birgit. The date on the Calendar was marked for May 7th, 2015 and the stage was set.
Pre-R2R2R
While my training leading up to R2R2R was somewhat of a concern, I felt pretty confident I would be OK. I lacked a significant amount of endurance-focused long runs since the winter fat-ass season ended, but I was much more consistent in my running than I had been in a long time. I regularly did significant elevation gain (~1000 feet gain/loss/mile on Green Mountain and Sanitas) for medium 10-15 mile runs and incorporated more hard tempo efforts than usual into my training. Despite an IT-band injury setback at the beginning of March, I felt healthy and ready to go. My hope was that if I could conserve energy early and on the "flatter" sections of the route then I would do well on the ups and downs and inevitably make it back to the South Rim in one piece.
On Tuesday, May 5th we all flew into Las Vegas early in the morning. After navigation of the relatively convoluted Las Vegas airport layout, we all met up and headed down the road towards the Grand Canyon where we would be staying at the Maswick Lodge through Friday morning. Fortunately, the change in time zones didn't prevent us from first finding our way to a Chipoltle in The Venetian. After some burritos we took a slight detour to see the Hoover Dam before heading to the Grand Canyon. This drive ended up being more scenic than expected and we finally rolled in around dusk. The highly reccomended Maswick Pizza Pub exceeded our expectations with some fantastic food and drinks before we all turned in early, exhausted after a long day of traveling.
Wednesday was spent exploring the rim trail. Bernard and myself wanted to go for some sort of run despite what lie ahead on Thursday. He has a route planned going down the S. Kaibab trail to Phantom Ranch and back up via the Bright Angel trail. This seemed a bit ambitious to me but I told him I'd run with him for a while. We ran together for the first 4 miles or so down the S. Kaibab trail before I decided to hike back up to conserve the legs for tomorrow. Bernard continued on down to Phantom Ranch and from the stories he told seemed to have a great time. Dave, Marc, and Birgit went on to visit a few places along the rim before we met up in the afternoon and explored the overlooks trails further. The beauty of the Grand Canyon simply can't be described in words, but probably the most striking thing I always notice is its size. You stand there on the edge of the canyon trying to soak in the view and you feel like and ant standing at the edge of an ocean. I can't imagine there are too many places in the world that can invoke such a sublime feeling. Then I was tugged back to reality as you remind yourself that tomorrow you will run all the way to the other side and back. Suddenly things start to get real.
We ended up dining again at the Pizza Pub. I don't eat Pizza very often but it was excellent and I knew I could use the calories for the adventure to come so I happily indulged (I should note the Hawaiian was my favorite). We settled into bed early with the plan being a 4:00am wake up and to be on the trail by 4:45am. Our intended route was to travel down the Bright Angel Trail at the start (due to its proximity to the Maswick Lodge), up and down the N. Kaibab trail and then back via the S. Kaibab Trail where we'd take a bus back to the lodge.
The Run
When we awoke on Thursday the temperature outside was 29 degrees, so we begrudgingly bundled up and headed over to the trail for the obligatory starting photo. Without much deliberation we immediately headed off down the trail to warm up. It was barely dark enough for headlamps and I ended up turning mine off about 10 minutes down the trail. As expected the temperature rose steadily as the sun came up and I shed all my cold layers about 2 miles in. We took the run down into the canyon at a nice leisurely pace, something we would all remark was a wise choice later. Eventually we came to Indian Garden campground. This was one of my favorite sections of the run. For a long time you are descending through a fairly desolate canyon but when you approach Indian Garden campground you are greeted by gigantic (>100 years old) deciduous trees and a whole host of other greenery. It felt like we were briefly in a jungle, something bizarre and beautiful to stumble upon in the grand canyon. There is normally a water pump here but it was so early in the morning none of us needed to stop and a break in the canyon water pipeline the previous day meant it was probably dry anyway so we continued on to the Colorado River.
Once we reached the river we ran a very sandy trail up along a cliff on the south shore for a little over a mile before we finally got to the river crossing. About a half mile after the bridge we reached Phantom Ranch. I'm not sure what I imagined it looking like in my head, but it was certainly more quaint than I anticipated. It took us a few minutes to notice the "Welcome to Phantom Ranch sign"...
There was almost nobody around (it was 6:30am) so we only stopped briefly here to refill our water and then we were on our way. Once you leave Phantom Ranch outbound you enter "The Box", as it is termed on most maps. During this section of the route you run alongside a creek in the heart of the canyon. This section was much more scenic than I had anticipated, and the enclosed nature of the canyon meant it was mostly shaded (at least during this time of day...) so it was excellent running. The entire time you run along a trickling creek with beautiful canyon wall rock formations all around. This time of year turned out to be wildflower season in the canyon so there was no shortage of things to look at while running. This was probably for the best because while this section seems flat it is the very definition of a false flat. It doesn't look uphill and it doesn't feel hard on your legs but you are climbing nevertheless. I usually don't enjoy this type of uphill so it was nice that the group settled into a nice easy run/walk pace with plenty of picture opportunities forced me to not think about the false flat grind.
Eventually we made our way to Cottonwood Campground where we took a brief break under some shade to refuel. We also met a local group of three from Sedona, AZ who were out doing R2R2R. They passed us but we would end up meeting again later. Again, there would have been water here under normal circumstances (no pipeline break) but we were all doing OK on water so we headed out after just a few minutes. After Cottonwood Campground you begin some more serious uphill climbing but the trail rolls along up and down a bit so you don't realize the net gain. It's not until you reach "The Pumphouse" when the climb to the North Rim truely begins and you can see yourself slowly inching up the canyon wall closer to the top. Again, this is normally a water refill location but we were all still doing OK (and had purification devices regardless) so we didn't even bother to stop and began the climb to the North Rim.
From the pumphouse we climbed relentlessly up to the North Rim. The elevation of the North Rim is higher than the South Rim (~8,200 ft. to ~6,800 ft.) so we had more work to do than what we initially came down this morning. This climb is made into an even more brutal affair by the relentless steadily uphill gradient that stretches itself out over around 7 miles with about 4,000 ft. of total gain. This climb would be hard enough by itself but it was around this time that the sun started to rise in the sky and really heat things up. As we climbed in elevation the temperature got cooler but we didn't actually notice until we reached the North Rim and had to put on our jackets. I started to feel really good on this section despite only power hiking the whole time so I decided to test myself a bit by pushing up the climb to catch the guys from Sedona, AZ. I ended up finding them about a half mile from the top but felt pretty strong the entire way up.
The top was somewhat anticlimactic. There are no wide and expansive views at the N. Kaibab trail head (although there are view elsewhere along the N. Rim), but there was a delicious and cool tap with spring water to savor. I put on a jacket to take a break and eat with the group. I started out the day with Tailwind in my two vest water bottles, but that was mostly gone by Cottomwood. I also had a bladder on me as well that I filled halfway with a liter that got me the rest of the way to the North Rim. After I left Cottomwood I almost exclusively started taking VFuel. Not only did the VFuel get me to the North Rim, but it ended up being my main source of calories the rest of the way. Getting to push the limits of Tailwind/VFuel was really encouraging as I look towards the rest of my season, knowing I have a nutrition system down that works really well. Regardless, I did enjoy some pistachos and a granola bar on the North Rim to keep the stomach from getting too grumpy about the lack of real food. The rest of the crew came in shortly thereafter, along with the rest of the Sedona crew. One guy in their group was really struggling with cramps. Hopefully everything ended up OK on his end.
After about 40 minutes of relaxing on the North Rim we set out on the long climb down. Birgit and I were both feeling good so we bombed the long descent. It was nice to stretch the legs out a bit. Once we hit the bottom I was still feeling really good and the day was beginning to get hot so I went on ahead running as hard as I could manage, just wanting to get to Phantom Ranch and out of "The Box" as quickly as possible. In the last mile or two to Phantom Rand inbound my legs started to get pretty tired and the ~95 degree heat began to take it's toll. I was drinking about as much as I could manage but I still seemed to be infinitely thirsty. Whenever I managed to go under a shaded section I found my self forcing a walk break just so I could spend a little less time in the hot sun. Eventually I made it back to Phantom Ranch, grabbed a lemonade, and waited for the rest of the crew to roll through. We all relaxed there for a while, and during this time I made a crucial mistake: I got a second cup of lemonade. The first cup went down like the most delicious lemonade I've ever tasted, and the second was just as good. unfortunately I failed to consider what consequences a second cup might have.
After relaxing for a while we set out up the South Kaibab trail, a final ~7 mile climb. After crossing the Colorado River my climbing legs still felt really great so I wanted to test them a bit and push the climb as much as was reasonable. I quickly started to move well for the first 2 miles or so, and then the lemonade hit me. It was as if the two glasses of lemonade I consumed at Phantom Ranch had formed themselves into a giant ball of sugar in my stomach, and any effort more than a shuffle was next to impossible. Even worse, attempting to drink any water make me want to throw up. Eventually I found a nice shaded spot and collapsed onto a comfortable-looking rock. I told myself I'd wait for Birgit and Marc to pass me, take 3 more minutes, and then head out.
Sure enough they came along and asked if I was OK. I explained my error in nutrition at Phantom Ranch and told them I'd be fine. Over the course of he next 90 minutes or so I slowly shuffled along, not drinking or eating up staircase after staircase towards the South Rim. About 2 hours after leaving Phantom Ranch I could feel my stomach returning to some normalcy, and I was again able to up the pace. I Caught back up to Birgit and Marc, and used my knowledge from the previous day's run on this route in motivating them that we were getting pretty close to the finish despite appearances otherwise. Sure enough, after around 14 hours playing around in the Canyon, we all made it to the North Rim in one piece. I barely consumed any water or calories on the final climb, but those two cups of lemonade seemed to sustain me. I don't think I've ever been so relieved to finish something, and it was certainly echoed by other folks in the group that this was one of the hardest run's they've ever done.
We would head back the following morning (as the South Rim was expecting snow later in the day) and spend that night in Las Vegas before flying out later in the Afternoon on Saturday. All in all doing R2R2R lived up to and exceeded my expectations in every possible way. The natural beauty of the Grand Canton is undeniable, and experiencing it by running R2R2R is probably one of if not the greatest way to appreciate that beauty. For those looking to do R2R2R in the near future, I'd summarize a few things:
- Late April to Early May are probably the best times of year to run. It was fairly mild the day we did it, and it was really hot in "The Box", but it wasn't unbearable and we would have been OK even on a hotter day. I watched the weather in the week before and after our run like a hawk, and it seems like the conditions were usually just about right that time of year. Note that the North Rim does not open until mid to late May, so starting from there can be more challenging in terms of weather although many CO folks I know have done it with great success.
- Try to stay at the Maswick Lodge. The food there is fantastic, and it gives you easy access to the Bright Angel Trailhead at the start (and there is free shuttle access back to Maswick from the S. Kaibab trailhead when you finish). The prices at Maswick were really reasonable and the benefit of a nice hot shower can't be underestimated.
- Start out easy. We cruised down to Phantom Ranch outbound at a leisurely pace, taking plenty of pictures along the way. I can see how it would be really easy to bomb this section but I think that would be unwise. If you feel good coming down from the North Rim then go ahead and bomb that (it's the last downhill you'll see...), but with the long and difficult nature of the R2R2R run I can't stress enough how important it is to not get too excited early.
- Enjoy the run! As I mentioned above, start out easy and take lots of pictures. As the day wears on and you get tired the picture taking will no doubt drop off precipitously, so it'd be a shame if you didn't try to capture some of the natural beauty while you're still alert enough to do so (even though the pictures still won't do it justice).
- Hydration: Be sure to bring water purification, and carry more water than you need. I brought my Sawyer water filter and while I didn't ever have to use it, it was good to have. The pipeline running through the canyon is aging and you should be prepared to rely on yourself for water. As for the amount of water to carry, I had 2 20 oz. handhelds and a 2L bladder. I'd estimate my consumption as:
- 30 oz. Tailwind from Start to Phantom Ranch
- 30 oz. water + 1L from bladder from Phantom outbound Ranch to North Rim
- 30 oz. water + 1L from bladder from North Rim to Phantom Ranch inbound
- >5 oz. water from Phantom Ranch inbound to South Rim (and two lemonades...)
- Nutrition: I consumed 10 VFuel gels over the course of the run, two bottles of Tailwind (2.5 scoops/20 oz. bottle), a handful of pistachios, 2 Cliff Z-bars, and two Phantom Ranch lemonades.
I can understand why this is often on the "bucket list for most ultra runners. Even as people begin to complain about overcrowding in the grand canyon and with all the other popular journey runs out there, R2R2R still holds a special place for all runners and rightfully so.
