Rim to Rim to Rim in the Grand Canyon

In this episode, we catch up on Coach Zach and Coach Michelle's recent training and racing!
Then we dive into Coach Lauren's recent trip to run the Grand Canyon, rim to rim to rim!
We cover:
-What the run/route is (and is not)
-What makes it unique among other ultra-adventures
-Training and preparation
-Fueling, hydration, and gear
-Why this run is special to Lauren, but also to anyone who is able to experience it.
*If you're watching on video, there are some photos of the run following our interview, and you can also find a full recap reel on Instagram:
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[@austinado16]

Fantastic job logging two R3's, and hammering this most recent one out in 13 and change with snow on the NR trail. You gals are a couple of machines!
I love running in the Canyon, and am currently training for the 17.5mi Rim2River route (S.Kaibab and in to Phantom, and then back out to the top via Bright Angel). This will be my 5th since '20. I always do that at the end of May. I'll return mid-Aug on my 61st, for an R2 from the NR Lodge. That'll be #13 since 2015, and I'll return the first weekend of Oct. to do it again, but at speed.
My daughter and I started backpacking there when she was 8, and we returned every, in late July/early Aug. She started running with me in 2012, at age 12 and raced Varsity XC and Track in HS, so in 2014 we hatched a plan to run R2R as an XC run (no poles, no walking). That got pushed to 2015 by a fast moving cancer that interrupted my ability to train. So we did our first one on our birthdays (1 day apart) in mid-Aug, in 2015, and she made shirts for us. I turned 53 the day before, and she turned 16 the day of. We did it together 5 years in a row, and she joined me again in mid-Aug '22. We have a year decal ironed on the shirt sleeves, for each year we do one. Great daddy-daughter adventure. Great way to celebrate our birthdays. And I walked out of the chemo lab for the final time in 2014, 2 days after my birthday, so each R2R is me giving the finger to cancer.
A little tip for going down the S. Kaibab. If you're moving, don't take water. There's water about 200m after you come off the Black Bridge, on the left, at the Boat Beach where all the rafts park. It's a big water spigot station. So especially running in the dark and the cool temps, you can probably make it the 1hr and 15 or 1hr and 30 that it takes to get the 6.5mi to the bridge tunnel, and then 400m to the water. Not having water in the pack on the S.Kaibab is a leg saver, big time, especially after the Tip Off. If you haven't tried dropping a B Complex 100 vitamin pill into your first water flask of the day, that's a nice add. So is a couple of magnesium lysinate pills (Doctor's Best on Ama Z0n) broken in half, for every fill up. We use Liquid I.V. in several flavors, but use the "Energy Multiplier" flavor for the stages where we know we're gonna be the most wrecked...or prior to that stage. GU Roctane, with and without caffeine, roughly every 50min-ish, peeled tangerines (usually about 10 for an R2R) and a little 5hr Energy Drink bottle as a backup plan. We're only going 1 direction, so we use the Naked Running Band, and have just on 21oz Camelbak soft flask in the back. We will usually carry another 17oz flask, holstered, but flat and empty. It's a backup incase the main flask gets a hole, or if the water is out somewhere and we need to fill both, before hitting the next stage, or, if something happens and we need extra water to drink, or wet hair and shirts, etc. We don't carry any food or anything else, and we try to carry just enough, so that we're empty by 1.5mi house. Few things are worse than getting out of the Canyon and still be carrying stuff that didn't get used. Vids on the channel.

[@moremilesruncoaching]

Thanks for sharing, what an awesome story!! I hope you and your daughter continue sharing this adventure for many many more years to come - it's always a privilege!