No Quit in These Bones...R2R2R

Another EPIC adventure is now in the books and it time to reflect upon the experience to glean lessons learned for future events.  Rim2Rim2Rim was absolutely incredible made more amazing by sharing the fun (really a lot of misery) with close friends.  Yes…another bucket list event is now lined through.

For the record, I did not talk anyone into doing this.  That responsibility rests solely upon Josh’s shoulders.  I reminded him of that several times during the day (and night) and made sure the rest of the crew also didn’t forget it. 

R2R2R for me started almost a year ago with some casual conversation after the JFK 50.   I am always looking for the next big adventure and steadily climbing my way up the ultra distance ladder.  For over 4 years the concentration has been on triathlon and more specifically upon Ironman.  I became a bit burnt out with it all and started to look for something just a little bit different.   I needed something more. For several years I have been struggling with injuries and overall fitness.  I hooked up with Mark Turner from Team MPI and Brooks Pritchett Ford with Legit Nutrition, LLC to try and figure everything out. 

Carried Load-7 Lbs minus water

Trail running is my absolute favorite thing to do and has been for many years.  I find nothing better than being on a trail during a brisk morning run completely present to the world immediately in front of me. Coming down a steep decline having to concentrate on where to put your feet takes your mind away from how hard the run is or how bad you are feeling.  In essence, you are completely focused on right here and now.  If your mind is anywhere else you are apt to bust your face.  (from personal experience)

R2R2R is a self-supported event that takes place in the Grand Canyon.  The typical route is South Kaibab to Bright Angel to North Kaibab and back.  We chose the Bright Angel to North Kaibab option because it was not as steep but the trade off was that it was longer…48 miles total.   The goal for the 5 of us was to complete the event in about 16 hours.  I really thought we could do it in 14.

I am going to back up just a touch to talk quickly about my nutrition and gear set up.   In working with my two coaches we talked about a nutrition plan that balanced whole food, gels, and liquids.  I really wanted to go 100% whole food based but the weight to calorie ratio was just to big, so the decision was made to split things up a bit.   The plan was to graze on pretzels and macadamia nuts and top off with a gel every hour.  I carried Tailwind for when my stomach stopped wanting to digest whole food and also had a couple quick Clif Bars if I needed something heavier.  Total carried calories was 6076/379.76 per hour.   

Getting things together in the hallway

For clothes I wore Solomon shorts for the pockets at the waist band that proved invaluable for storing trash while on the go.  I wore a Patagonia Capilene ultra light short sleeve top and a Capilene long sleeve shirt for when it was cooler.  Team RWB running hat, Patagonia lightweight shell, Yeti Trail Runners Buff, and Hoka Mafate shoes rounded out the rest of my attire.  I also picked up an Ultimate Direction PB 2.0 with two body bottles.  I really like this bag but really wish I could just make my own. There was a ton of storage; it was that the pockets were awkward for what I wanted to use them for. 

There was no convenient way to store my iPhone 6 for quick retrieval to take pictures and my Rudy sunglasses barely fit in the upfront shoulder pouches.  I did like the separation of compartments in the body of the bag.  I used MountainLaurel Designs cubes to store my electronic charging equipment and first aid kit.  Speaking of first aid kit, I highly recommend you make it as robust as you think you need it to be.  I had to do some maintenance on my feet and was really glad I brought what I did.

We (Beth, Caitlin, Josh, Greg, and I) converged upon Las Vegas on 4 October and planned to leave for the Grand Canyon National Park the next day around lunchtime.  The forecasted temperature was dropping so we decided to make a quick stop at REI for a couple odd and ends before heading out.  We arrived at the park just as the sun was setting for a quick recon trip of the trailhead and a general look around to check out the lay of the land.  Josh took charge of the hotel accommodations and all 6 (Caitlin’s husband Kevin was with us too) of us were jammed into a regular size hotel room with an added bunk bed.   This was interesting as two of our group would have to share a queen bed (not I). 

Start Time-0345

The rest of the evening was filled with nervous energy as everyone tore through his or her bags to check for gear and to make sure all was packed and ready to go.  The plan was to be on the trail and moving down by 0400.  This required a 0230 wake up to get some coffee in us, eat a small amount of food and hope for nature to get things quickly moving (poop).   

0230 came quickly and we were up and moving.  Reported temperature was 31 degrees and we all had on base layers with our running shells.  Sunrise was not until 0630 so we also put on our headlamps for the descent.  Kevin drove us to the trailhead; we paused for a quick picture and at 0345 headed down.  We used a ton of caution going down due to it being dark and the cliffs several feet from the trail.  Unsure of how fast we could go the decision was to error on the side of safety.  We all started to shed layers at the 3 mile rest house and it felt like we got there really quick. Once the sun started to come up the pace quickened and the 5 of us spread out a bit. 

Comin' Round the Mountain

As stated earlier, my plan was to graze on food to keep a steady trickle of calories coming in and supplement with diluted Tailwind.  I cannot take Tailwind at the recommended strength because it makes me feel like I cannot drink enough water.  I stopped at every water stop to top off my bottles.  All water stops were reported as being on thus I just ran with the two bottles on the front of my pack.  I brought a 70 oz. bladder just in case but never filled it.   

The group broke off into two and then into 3 separate groups.  Caitlin and Beth kept their steady pace while Josh, Greg and I pushed it up a bit more to try and get back on the timetable we built for ourselves.  Greg eventually pushed even further forward and finished ahead of us.  Crossing the Colorado River and heading into Phantom Ranch was our first major milestone.  The morning sun was now up and you could really appreciate the beauty around us.  My nutrition plan was right on target and we were pushing a steady pace.  All was well until Cottonwood Campground and my wheels started to get wobbly.  I had great coaching leading into this event but I spent a ton of time dealing with existing injuries and wasn’t as fit as I needed to be.  I pulled out the trekking poles and the pace really slowed down.  This is where our timing really got off kilter. 

The slow ascent up to the North Rim was probably the hardest thing I have ever done.  At the Supai Tunnel I was not feeling well and really did not start to feel okay until about 3 miles from the top.  Beth and Caitlin were completely out of sight behind us and Greg was at least 1.5 hours ahead of us.  This is also when Josh started to feel poorly as well.  I switched my food to strictly gel and Tailwind and this made a big difference, as I was able to push hard to get to the North Rim.  We were now well over 1.5-2 hours behind schedule.  The North Rim was a bit of a buzz kill as it was just a parking lot.  I spent about 10 minutes working on my feet.  I had a blister the size of a grape on my left big toe and decided to pop it.  Applied Neosporin, liquid bandage and wrapped it in fabric Band-Aids.  I left the blisters on my right foot alone to keep from having too many problems all at once.

Trail

Once we started heading down Josh and I felt incredible!  No longer pukey and actually able to run.  We ran into Beth and Caitlin and they passed on that they were going to stay at the North Rim and not attempt to head back.  Truth be told it was the best decision and Josh and I should have probably done the same thing.  Jason Green from Yeti Trail Runners advised us to turn back at 1200 no matter where you were on the course.  We obviously didn’t listen and were punished for it. 

We used a run/walk strategy to Cottonwood but by the time we got there the wheels were really wobbly again.  The decision was made to walk the rest because the return upon investment by running was putting us further into the hole.   Our next milestone was to try and get to Phantom Ranch before having to put on headlamps. 

Kevin the Superhero hiked down to Phantom Ranch and was to meet us with Cokes and chocolate covered coffee beans.  We were way behind of schedule and were not sure he was still there.  Along our bath we came upon a couple rocks along the trail and there was some trail magic there.  Two cokes were set up on the trail between “asshole rocks” and there was only one person that could have put them there.  Kevin was voted President of Phantom Ranch at that moment.  Josh and I collected up the Cokes and pushed on.  We had to put on lamps prior to reaching our goal. 

Supai Tunnel

Side note*** asshole rocks were rocks they put perpendicular across the trail to control erosion.  The issue was that they were about 10 inches high and required lifting tired legs over them.  Yes…there were a lot of asshole rocks on this trip.

We got into Phantom ranch and Josh went looking for Kevin.  Beth told us to make sure he got out of the canyon with us.  We were both a bit irritable at that moment.  No Kevin.  We pushed on hoping he had already left.   Of course, we made a wrong turn in the dark and had to backtrack.  It felt like forever to get to the Colorado River and start the long ascent up Bright Angel.  Josh and I were both completely wrecked but still pushing forward.  We were really out of options.  At every rest stop we would take inventory on where we were, how far we had to go, and whether we were safe to keep moving.  One of the required items we all had to carry was an emergency blanket just in case we had to stop and shelter on the trail.  On one stretch of the trail a headlight start moving towards Kevin and us called out, “Well, could it be?”  We both could have kissed him!!!!  He had more Coke in his bag and both of us were a little queasy.  I was sticking with Gels and Tailwind but then started to eat 5 chocolate covered coffee beans every hour.  This made a HUGE difference!!!  Kevin kept the next several hours lively with good conversation that took our minds off of how tired we were. 

The three of us continued our climb and broke the trip up mentally into blocks.  At 4.7 miles out Kevin started to not feel good and this is where the trail gets a little bit treacherous with the cliffs on the sides.  We put Kevin between us (after he dry heaved) and pushed on.  At Indian Garden we made our last gut check and decided to just get it done.  When we were at the last rest stop we had an Air Force PT test (1.5 miles) left and made a hard push to the top.  Of course, a hard push was walk for 20 minutes and sit down for 5.  Cresting the top of the South Rim and seeing Greg there with a warm minivan was an incredible experience.  I truly felt like I had accomplished something really big.  There is no quit in these bones.

There were a ton of lessons learned from this event: 1) Trekking Poles rock!  2) Nutrition is a big factor.  I need to further work on this 3) Practice more by doing long events 4) Squats, Lunges, and Planks…do them 5) Need to work on blister care and 6) Need to rework how I organized my gear.  I felt like I could never find what I was looking for.

Left Over Nutrition

The magic question is would I do this again.  Of course….but differently.  I talked to a lot of people on the trails that were doing a similar trip or just a rim to rim over the course of several days.  I would love to do that.   I am thankful my beautiful wife allows me to do these crazy adventures.  This is one I would like to share with her, just at a slower pace.

***Second side note.  Yes, Beth and Caitlin stayed the night on the North Rim on couches.  They were able to catch a ride (5 hours) back to us the next morning by a fellow Team RWB Eagle.  Never underestimate the power of good people. 

Statistics:  I thought it would take 14 hours and we packed food for 16.  Total distance was 48 miles.  Moving time was 20 hours 2 minutes.  Avg Pace 29:34.  Total time 22 hours 15 min.  Stopped time 2 hours 13 min.  Moving Speed 2.3 Mph.  10370 feet Ascent and 10392 feet Descent.  Data via Gaia GPS