Running the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Run

“You want to run across the Grand Canyon, twice?”

This one question launched a massive goal in April of 2023 — complete a double traverse of the Grand Canyon, known as the Rim to Rim to Rim run, with two close friends.

It’s 48 miles, has a descent of 12,000 feet and an ascent of 12,000 feet … 24,000 total feet of elevation change. We wanted to do it in 1 day.

From April to October, the 3 of us read and watched everything we could find about running in the Grand Canyon. We shared stories, fears, and lots of questions over hundreds of texts. We planned our route, water and food needs, compared equipment plans, and talked about how we would celebrate.

YouTube is full of excellent videos that provide an idea of the terrain you can expect. Living in Middle Georgia, I was very interested in the Grand Canyon’s landscape and how I should train in our mostly flat state that sits at an elevation of 500 feet.

Arriving in Arizona

We arrived in Phoenix on Thursday and made the drive up to Grand Canyon National Park that afternoon. We spent 2 days visiting the Grand Canyon and acclimating to the altitude, though two days is not a real help with this. There are a few touristy trails along the Rim, plus some great museums and gift shops. While in the gift shop, I bought a copy of The Emerald Mile, which tells the incredible story of the fastest ever boat ride through the Grand Canyon and shares a wonderful history of the Grand Canyon itself. It’s worth grabbing.

We stayed inside the Grand Canyon at the Yavapai Lodge, which I highly recommend. It was a great place to stay. It’s walking distance to a grocery store as well as a few on-premise restaurants: Yavapai Tavern, Yavapai Café, and Yavapai Dining Hall. We ate well while we were there. They had a great gluten free pizza and a very good breakfast buffet.

After walking around the Grand Canyon on Thursday and Friday and seeing it from the top, we were excited to start our trek into the middle of it. We did our best to go to bed early Friday night because we had an early start ahead of us.

Running the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim

On Saturday morning, we woke up at 2:30am and caught a shuttle to the trailhead. There were 6 other people riding with us, each of them attempting to run Rim to Rim to Rim. From all our research, 3am is a very popular start time. It’s the best time to try and avoid the donkeys transporting various goods into the canyon floor. Within 5 minutes of the shuttle dropping us, we were off, descending South Kaibab Trail in the pitch-black night, on the edge of 7,000 foot ridgeline drops.

There are a few different routes you can take when planning your Rim to Rim to Rim run, but pretty much everyone begins at the South Rim. The most popular route is South Kaibab to North Rim and then finishing your run and final exit of the Canyon on Bright Angel Trail, which is the route we took. The biggest difference here is mileage versus climbing grade, with South Kaibab being 7 miles and Bright Angle being 10 miles.

Taking South Kaibab down is around 7 miles and Bright Angel is 10 miles, both with a total descent of 4,780 feet. It’s a steep descent/ascent, so some people choose to spread that over the longer Bright Angel Trail. We chose to take South Kaibab down and Bright Angel out, mostly so that we could see both trails. If you take this route, it is worth noting that you’ll need to plan for a shuttle or taxi to get you back to either your hotel or to your parked car at South Kaibab. There is a great shuttle and taxi system within the park, and we had a ride within minutes. Otherwise, I think it’s about 2 miles to get back to South Kaibab.

On the descent via South Kaibab, you’ll pass Cedar Ridge and Skeleton Point as you make your way to Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Campground. On our ascent out of the Canyon via Bright Angel, we passed the Indian Garden Campground, 3-Mile Resthouse, and the 1.5 Mile Resthouse.

The terrain was different than I expected – very fine rock dust covered the trail, making it slippery in spots. It was constant switch backs, with the trail thin on some edges and lacking rock borders. The steep drop-offs were a little unnerving in the pitch-black dark.

As we made our way down South Kaibab, the sun began to rise, and we could see the beautiful waters of the Colorado River. We passed through Phantom Ranch before it opened, so we took a quick break and kept going.

There was plenty of water available to us in October. You can find more detailed run logs that list when water is turned on or off based on the season, so definitely make sure you study the water availability.

For the next 8 miles or so, we enjoyed beautiful, flat trail inside the Canyon. It was remarkable to see the walls surrounding you and their diversity in shape, color, and size.

The slow, gradual climb began as we faced the North Rim climb, the steepest of the two rims. At this point, one of my buddies started experiencing slight dehydration and altitude sickness. The final climb to North Rim was very challenging as his available oxygen was depleted and we took breaks every 5 minutes of climbing. Once you reach the North Rim, you have two choices: return to the South Rim to complete the Rim to Rim to Rim run or call a taxi to drive you back, which surprisingly is about a 4 hour drive.

One of the people we shuttled in with that morning was making the call as we walked by – his quads were completely wrecked, and he couldn’t make the 23-mile return. It was the first time I had cell coverage, and I made a quick check-in call with my wife. I told her it was the most challenging thing I’d ever done, and then we laughed at the fact I now had to return to where I started 9 hours earlier.

After descending North Rim Trail, we returned to the flatter terrain and detoured to see Ribbon Falls, which is well worth the extra miles and time; it’s about an extra 1.5 miles in total, including our bushwacking to find it. We had a nice long stop at Phantom Ranch and had a proper meal and caught up with some people we’d seen earlier in the day. As we prepared to make the final ascent, the sun was setting and we’d finish the rest of the run in the dark, including the final crossing of the Colorado River over the bridge.

The climb up Bright Angel Trail, while dark, was beautiful. We walked alongside streams for almost the entire climb. I’d love to return and hike this trail in the daylight. A great return run would be the south rims loop, descending South Kaibab Trail, ascending Bright Angel, and making the short run back to your starting point.

During one of our final breaks, at around 11pm, we sat down and cut our headlamps off. It’s the deepest darkness I’ve ever experienced. It was honestly a bit overwhelming and some of the emotion of what we are about to complete snuck in. I couldn’t see my hand just an inch from my face and it felt like we were the only 3 people in the 1,218,375 acres of the Grand Canyon, looking up to a stunning, star-studded sky. It was a special moment as we prepared for the last mile.

We exited Bright Angel Trail at 11:30pm, concluding our 20-hour adventure. Here’s a link to my Strava run.

Packing List for the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim Run

Altra Timp 4 trail shoes
Balega Hidden Comfort socks (2 pair)
Altra shoe gators
Black Diamond trekking poles (these are a huge help in both climbing and descending; unfortunately, I lost mine on a river crossing on our way to Ribbon Falls, leaving me without poles for the ascent of Bright Angel Trail. We did find 1 kid’s pole for me to use, which was comical.)
Ultimate Direction running vest
First aid kit that included Ibuprofen, ace bandage, duct tape, needle, tums, and Imodium
Salt tablets
Water purifier (didn’t use)
Sunscreen (didn’t use)
Layered clothing – shorts, short sleeve shirt, fleece pullover (took off after 5 minutes)
Hat (didn’t use)
Ear fleece cover (took off after 5 minutes)
Gels
PB&J
Kettle cooked plain chips
Banana
Tailwind electrolyte powder mix

Two Pieces of Grand Canyon Running Advice

First, I overdressed. At the top of the canyon, it was in the low 40s, but as soon as we descended into the canyon, the walls trapped all the heat, and the temps rose to 70+. Within an hour, I stripped away all my top layers, and I never put them back on, which left me more to carry in my vest.

Second, I left out an important piece of training. If you’re not accustomed to this amount of climbing and descending, I strongly recommend you work in 1-2 days of lower body strength training. I did not do this, and I paid the price. Within 2 months of returning, I couldn’t run 5 miles without extreme pain in my knees, which ended up being patella tendinitis.

My physical therapist said it was primarily due to the pounding of the descent and my hamstrings, glutes, and hips were not strong enough to sustain the impact, placing all the stress on my knees. So, take my advice and build in some strength training.

Speaking of training, here’s a look at my log.

My Training Log for the Rim to Rim to Rim Run

For nearly six months, we ran 30-60 miles per week, all for 1 epic day of adventure.

I had recently completed a 50-mile trail race in Georgia in early April and after about 6 weeks of lazy running efforts, I re-started the training plan I used for my 50-miler, but with a few adjustments to prepare for the ascending and descending, mostly through hill climbs and descents while wearing a weighted vest.

One thing I have learned in training for races is to be realistic. I have a high-stress job, a wife, and 3 very active teenagers. I am also involved in my church and volunteer as a coach.

I have to fit runs in when I can, which means I don’t always run the exact mileage or on the exact day the plan recommends. It also means only about 20% of my training runs are on trails. If I want to run on a trail, it adds another 30-40 minutes of travel time, so it’s more practical for me to walk out the front door and go.

Here is the 50-mile running plan I used.

Short Runs

Throughout the plan, these ranged from 4-7 miles, two to three days a week. At least once a week, I would complete the entire run on a large, .25 mile hill in my neighborhood. Up and down I went for an hour or so, to the point several neighbors asked what I was up to. I also swapped some of my shorter runs with a power hike wearing a 20-pound weighted vest.

Long Runs

These varied from 10 to 30 miles, with the goal of staying in my zone 2 heart rate. I tried to run most of my long runs on trails. I also signed up for several local trail races when they aligned with my mileage for the week. This made them much more enjoyable.

Cross Training

Throughout my training block, I worked in cross-training to provide some relief from my knees and some variety in the schedule, although I would much rather run that bike. I used my indoor NordicTrack with built-in iFit for my rides. Their program also has a full-suite of off-bike exercises, and I took advantage of several – yoga, stretching, HIIT, and meditation. I also swam on a few occasions.

Total Mileage by Month

Here is a look at my total mileage, time, and number of activities for each month leading up to my run in the Grand Canyon. These totals align closely with my training plan. I work best under structure, so I kept a printout of the training plan on top of my desk at home and marked off each day as I completed what was required.

January:

Long runs of 18 and 26
Totals: 164 miles, 20 runs and 1 ride, 28 hours
Ran the Huff n Puff Marathon Trail Race in Jackson, GA

February:

Long runs of 21, 22, 22, and 23 miles
Totals:176 miles, 16 runs, 31 hours

March:

Long runs of 10, 13, 15, and 27 miles
Totals:119 miles, 16 runs, 22 hours

April:

Long run of 52.5 miles (got lost on my 50-mile race)
Totals:149 miles, 8 runs and 5 rides, 25 hours
Ran the Bootlegger 50-mile Trail Race in Jackson, GA

May:

Active recovery from 50-mile race
Totals: 46 miles, 15 runs, 9 hours

June:

Long runs of 8 and 10 miles
Totals:137 miles, 17 runs and 4 rides, 17 hours

July:

Long runs of 10, 13, and 15 miles
Totals: 134 miles, 17 runs, 22 hours

August:

Long runs of 18, 18, and 20 miles
Totals:150 miles, 20 runs, 28 hours

September:

Long runs of 18, 20, 20, and 30 miles
Totals: 182 miles, 25 runs, 35 hours
Ran the Georgia Jewel 18-mile Trail Race in North Georgia

October:

Totals: 116 miles, 13 workouts, 28 hours
Ran the Rim to Rim to Rim run in the Grand Canyon

My training was a mixture of running alone in my neighborhood, running alone on trails, running with friends on trails, and running local races.

Should You Do It?

If you are reading this, you are likely in the planning phases of either a Rim to Rim run or a Rim to Rim to Rim run. I started running in 2020 during COVID and I am very amateur; I train as much as I can, but I don’t beat myself up if I miss a day. I truly believe if I can do it, anyone can do it, as long as you have proper determination and discipline.

It was the most challenging physical day of my life, but the reward was immense.

The training and the run created a new reference point in my mind, and it’ll be there until the day I leave this earth. When I face challenging situations, I’ll return to this day, and I’ll be reminded that I can do more than I think I can.

Oh, and I’ll always remember how important it is to do epic things with great friends.

As you continue your planning stage, be sure to visit Halfway Anywhere’s comprehensive blog article, “Rim to Rim to Rim in a Day Guide.” It was the most helpful article I read in my planning phase.

Good luck out there!