These are a few of the photos I took this weekend while in the Grand Canyon. I went down there with six friends to run the Double Crossing from the South Rim to the North Rim and back again, and managed to squeeze out a record in 6:53:38.
The FKT website says Dave Mackey was held up for several minutes during his record run on the way back up the South Rim by a mule train. A similar thing happened to me, except that instead of a mule train I was held up by being astoundingly tired. I ran hard, but never felt like I was approaching my comfort zone until the final climb, when I entered the suffer zone and then fell into the abyss of despair. From the few reports I have read as well as my own two experiences running the Double Crossing, two facts seems to be permanent for all runners: 1.) Nobody goes into it rested. Everybody just runs the Grand Canyon as a training run, or in between races, or when getting back into shape. Nobody trains and tapers specifically for the Grand Canyon. 2.) You're going to blow up on the ascent back to the South Rim. Stop deluding yourself - it's going to happen. You can't avoid it. However, I will stick my neck out and say that a fit and rested runner who finds the Canyon in good condition could significantly lower the time. My prediction is that within five years the men's record will be under six hours. Go ahead - call me out on that. It will happen.
The Grand Canyon is aptly named, and my only disappointment from this weekend was not being able to spend more than a day exploring its labyrinthine complexity. Saturday's run was made even more interesting by the unpredictable weather. We woke up on Saturday morning to about four inches of snow on the South Rim and subsequently encountered several more inches and lots of ensuing mud on the North Rim, but nothing too bad. Mostly we were treated to cool weather and stunning views rendered even more profound by the two thousand feet of crystalline snow descending from the top of the rim. The desert is so unique that anomalies like that just seem to enhance the experience. But this trip was mostly worthwhile not just because of all the canyon running, but because I got to spend so much time with so many cool people. Aaron Marks, Brenden Trimboli, Stephan Young, Brendan Goetz, Brandon Stapanowich and Carson Rickey are all super cool people to share a road trip and a single small hotel room.
Technical Details:
Total time: 6:53:38
South Rim - River: 49:00
River - North Rim: 2:33
North Rim - River: 1:50
River - South Rim: 1:41
Congratulations! Well done.
ReplyDeleteI saw the tweet from iRunfar yesterday. Wow.
ReplyDeleteGreat pics and prediction. Congratulations.
Sweet! Congrats on a great run! I need to get there to do R2R2R someday.
ReplyDeleteGreat job setting the new record! Will you give it another go in the next few years to beat your time?
ReplyDeleteGreat run Dakota! A group of us from Fort Collins went out and ran R2R2R a few weeks ago (quite a bit slower) and had a great time. We're talking about going back next fall. We'll bring Nick and you two can pace each other to that sub 6.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Well done.
ReplyDeletegood fun this weekend dakota :)
ReplyDeletecan't wait to plan another adventure
Nicely done Dakota. I was predicting more of a 10 or 12 hour stagger to the south rim for you after seeing how haggered you looked up on S. Boulder peak last week.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding of course, I anticipated nothing less than hearing of a new record actually.
ReplyDeleteCongrats Dakota! We did it in the spring and had just as much of a crazy time with weather and snow, but really enjoyed it! Well done on the record!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I'm still psyched for you. It was good hanging out with you down there.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a great day! Seems like your legs have responded well after HR. Best wishes for TNF50!
ReplyDeleteWhy would you be tired towards the end of a 40+ mile Grand Canyon crossing? ;) Congratulations, that's fantastic.
ReplyDeleteway to get after it. i guess mackey is old and slow after all.
ReplyDeletedo you think the way you felt coming up the last part of the south rim was an inevitable result of the difficulty of this route and/or not being as fit or rested as you could have been? I ask cause I can't help but wonder about the calories. Bryon's recap indicates that you ate a total of 800 calories in 7 hours. do you think if you had doubled that amount you might have been able to have a lot more spunk coming up the south rim... and then maybe you wouldn't have run such a slow time :)?
Good question on the cals ... but 4800 (?) feet in seven miles is a bitch anytime ... particularly after 35 miles.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is a part that makes that run.
I forget what the FKT from the South rim to the river and back is ... guessing under 2, but that would be pretty fast.
That is flyin' - congrats!
ReplyDeleteCongrats man. I assume you did the 42 mile version starting at the South Kiabab trail head? That seems to be the standard way for those attempting a speed record. I'm just curious for when I try and beat the record - I mean, run it in a shade under 15 hours. ha.
ReplyDeleteamazing --- great job. we had planned to WALK R2R2R on Saturday, but the weather forecast (snow and cold -- we would be just below the rim at 4am and at 1am again) made us bail. Too bad, I would have loved seeing you cruise by on your record run! You are a true inspiration, Matthias
ReplyDeleteAmazing! Great job out there! You freakin rock!
ReplyDeleteExcellent run and writeup. Classic style indeed: on a whim, for the love of the route, and with a good bonk at the end.
ReplyDeleteI was laying under a rock waiting for the sun to go down 20 years ago when an elderly couple took pity and gave me something called "electrolytes", enabling me to scrape myself out of the dirt and continue to the rim.
Agreed. You are living the dream!
ReplyDeleteI wish the folks at the Grand Canyon would hold an annual race for the top 100 trail runners in the world to run the R2R2R. Then we could officially see who can run it the fastest. And it could raise a ton of money. But I think the National Park Service is actually pretty down on the trail running crowd, which is unfortunate. They discouraged me from even trying to hike down to the river and back in a single day. Good grief. And then I went and did it in 5 hours the next morning.
ReplyDeleteAnd check out Dakota hauling up the hill at mile 37 on this video. Wow. http://vimeo.com/32056710
ReplyDeleteI heard you are (or were) a CSU student. If so, I would love to shake your hand, for I live in Fort Collins. I am not a runner, only a hiker, and my R2R2R time is a miserable 28 hours (n. rim to bright angel trailhead and back, midsummer). I thought I had accomplished something, but now see that is only baby steps. To do that four times as fast is inhuman, and you are my hero.
ReplyDelete