Solo night R2R run. This trail is one of those runs that just freaks you out a little it’s so far away from everything and in such amazing country that it’s almost surreal. You have to stop every now and then and pinch yourself to make sure that you are actually running on one of the coolest trails in the world. I was on a work overnight in Phoenix and had wanted to get in a R2R before the canyon got too hot. In October Rob introduced me to the Grand Canyon with a R2R2R run and it was such a cool experience that I wanted to see if at least one direction could be done on a long overnight. I also wanted to see how it would be to run shorter, with a quicker pace and get an idea of what it would take to make an attempt at the trail record. R2R is one of the most contested FKT in the nation, with the fastest times usually being set by ultra runners who hold national wins on major races. I hoped to see a little bit more of what it takes to run a hard trail like this a bit faster.
After landing in Phoenix in the evening I caught a ride over to Falcon Field to pick up the small plane I was flying to the canyon. I roughly figured I’d land at the Grand Canyon Airport on the South Rim and take the courtesy car to the trailhead and catch the first Rim Shuttle back in the morning. As I was loading gear in the plane one of the instructors asked where I was going and after explaining it all, he was totally into it. So I asked him to come along and drop me off at the North Rim, camp the night, and pick me up at the South Rim. It would be the perfect scenario. I was surprised when he was stoked to do it, as long as he could log the flight hours and if I would buy him breakfast! This changed everything and I went back inside and pulled out the maps and called the NPS for a clearance into the canyons CFR airspace since we would be heading to the North Rim. This can take days, so it was unusual to get everything done in an hour, one more good thing about doing this in the spring. We loaded up and headed for the canyon. We came around the North edge where it looked like there was a great landing spot just a mile or so from the trailhead. I hopped out and within a couple of minutes he was gone and I was standing there alone. It felt a bit sudden and could I say nervous? Pretty dark night and I’ve only done a few night long trail runs, nothing this remote. It actually took some time to convince myself that this was no longer than any other distance run I do any time of the year.
I had decided to go North to South as before because I knew the trail, water locations, could deal with airspace issues, and wouldn’t have to deal with 30 degree temps coming up the North Rim in the morning. Also I could decide at the Colorado River if I wanted to run South Kaibab instead of Bright Angel which is the trail most guys shoot for the record on. It would also give me an idea of water planning since the North water is turned on last in the year. I started down the North Rim pretty quick to bank some time, but after only two miles slowed down when it became obvious that going solo meant you had to be more careful. Sure enough, the first water stop by the cabin was turned off and I began to figure I may not find water until Phantom Ranch. No problem, I had a water bottle and it was a pretty cool night. I kind of got into the groove the next hour or so and came to Cottonwood before I realized it. I had caught up with two R2R runners here who were stopping to rest and when we saw that the water was still not on, they gave me a small water bag which refilled my bottle. Sweet! Then I had to just get going again and was able to pick up the pace for a while. It was just amazing running. So different to be alone. I decided to go up Bright Angel because I knew that there was no water on Kaibab and the water thing had made me a bit nervous. But at Phantom Ranch the water was on and I refilled again even though I hadn’t used that much through the last stretch. Now the climbing was starting and I was already feeling it in my legs. I just wanted to run the whole thing tonight, no power hiking or walking! The time just kind of clicked away and I found myself climbing the last steep sections of the South Rim before long. Just as planned, which never happens for me, I found the courtesy car in the parking lot with Steve asleep in it and we drove the 6 miles to the airport and flew back to Phoenix. I was so freaking tired but couldn’t sleep at all. It was that neat a run.
Oh, and the time? Just over 4 hours and 10 minutes. About 40 minutes slower than the FKT. Those guys are incredible. It's a fact I will never cover trails at any speed close to what Ultra guys can. | 