KUS NEWS
The sole mission of our society is to organize, sponsor, staff and
support ultrarunning events/competition in Kansas and the surrounding region.
Our vision is to create an atmosphere that fosters not only the enlightenment
of the novice ultrarunner, but nurtures the needs of the veteran ultrarunner as
well.
Volume 1, Issue 2 June 2000
In
This Issue
Flat Rock from The
President's Column
By Tom Lasater
Relentless Forward
Progress
Turning Back the Clock
on Athletic Performance
By Scott Demaree
The KUS 12/24 Track Run
By Ron Jansen
The Heartland 100
KUSipes
The Grand Canyon Double
Crossing
By Marc Friesen
Briefing from the
Crew
By Stacy Sheridan
KUS President
In 1922, while on a
three month speaking tour of the United States, George Leigh Mallory was asked
the unanswerable question, "why do you want to climb Everest?" to
which he responded with the phrase he would become most remembered for,
"because it is there." Obviously this question did not come from
another mountain climber, as another climber wouldn't have needed to ask.
When someone asks what
Phil's last race was or where we've been travelling, very often the next
equally unanswerable question is "why does Phil do that?" As I cannot
explain what this sport means to anyone outside of it, my usual flip answer,
only partly serious, is "he's crazy", and I could add, but don't,
"and proud of it". For some it may be spiritual, being alone with
one's higher power in His beautiful garden. For another it may be the challenge
of defining limits and going beyond them. It may be stress relief from the
rigors of the workplace. It may be as simple as feeling great and being with
friends. Very possibly, it is some combination of all of those and more. No,
Phil is not crazy, he is an ultrarunner, like all of you, people with
self-discipline, mental toughness, endurance of body and soul, and a thirst for
self knowledge. This cannot be explained, but it can be seen, as some of my
volunteers at Rockin K have told me, it's an awesome sight to see these people
go out runners and come back winners, for just finishing the course is their
victory.
I would ask each of you
to read the KUS mission statement on the top of this newsletter, help us turn
our vision into reality, volunteer to give back to your fellow ultrarunners by
taking the time to work a race, clear trail, put a race on, or just by being
supportive of the KUS family. We can all enlighten and nurture other
ultrarunners, so let's all make the effort to do it!
The KUS web page has a
new address. We have maxed out the available space and I still have numerous
pictures to put up, so Eric has moved it to his web site where we will have the
space to put up more information and pictures. The new address is http://www.ultrarunners.info .
In your service,
Stacy
Flat Rock from The President's Column
By Thomas J. Lasater
The brilliant colors of
autumn grow near, as does the last Saturday in September, the designated date
for the annual Flat Rock 50 Trail Run. This is a 50 kilometer trail run, not 50
miles. It is affectionately known as the Flat Rock 50, or just "Flat
Rock", by the small close-knit group of ultra-runners that have the
courage and metal to face its daunting trail. There have been five Flat Rocks.
I have done four. Each race has been different, but many things remain
constant: the fatigue, the pain, the soreness, the agony of de feet, the rocks,
the stickers, the limestone bluffs, and the finishers' award. You see, for
Clydesdales (anyone of 200 pounds) like me, to finish this race in less than 10 hours and qualify for the
coveted finishers' award (the" Rock") is the same as winning. The
Rock is a 4" x 2" limestone rock engraved with "FLAT ROCK
50" and a gold plate bearing the date and the race. People say I'm crazy
and wonder why I do it.
The race is on the Elk
River Hiking Trail at the Elk City Reservoir near Independence, Kansas. The
course is out and back, so you cover the same ground twice. The race flyer
describes the course as an "accurately measured forest trail winding
through unique limestone bluffs, rock formation and picturesque vistas........very
rocky, no long hills." Although this description is adequate, it is an
understatement say that the course is "very rocky." The rocks are everywhere,
and they are not flat. They become stumbling blocks as the race wears on and
seem larger and rougher on the way back than on the way out. The trail is
marked with blue dots painted on rocks and trees.
This year, the start of
the race was moved back from 8:00 a.m. to a near dark 7:00 a.m. in deference to
the 90-plus degree afternoon heat of last year's race. As you can imagine, most
of us were still on the course well into the afternoon. The temperature was in
the low 60's and a soft drizzle was falling as the race started.
When I say
"race", I don't mean "race" in the typical way in which it
is used to describe a 5K, 10K or other running event; for me, the race is a
solitary war against the clock to survive the trail and its many mental and
physical battles along the way. I start the race in the middle of the pack of
42 runners. This is also where I finish. I always start the race running. In
fact, my goal is to run all the way to the turnaround. The term "run"
also has a specific meaning when used in connection with the Flat Rock. It
means any movement faster than walking. The early morning drizzle has make the
racks in the trail as slick as the algae-covered rocks at the edge of the lake.
As the drizzle continues, mud begins to cover my shoes and they become heavy.
My pace is slow but steady. Running in this trail means a 10 to 14 minute pace
for me as I approach the turnaround.
My strategy at the start
is to follow other runners. I let the fast runners clear out the spider webs
criss-crossing the trail. I try to follow someone going my pace so I don't have
to follow the trail. You see, this is not an easy trail to follow. I have been
off the trail on many occasions and had to stop and retrace my steps to find
the blue dots.
The race is as
exhausting mentally as it is physically. You must concentrate on the placement
of every step. If you don't concentrate on the trail and where you step, you
will pay a price. I fell three times. I nearly fell two dozen or more times.
These near-crashes are almost always the result of inattention or physical
laziness, and always take more energy than falling. After a near-fall, you
curse yourself for not paying better attention, but no one is there to hear
you.
It doesn't take long for
the 40 runners to spread out over the 16 miles of trail to the turnaround. You
are all alone on this course for the better part of the day. Your only
companion is the voice in your head that tells you, "keep moving." On
occasion that voice takes the form of a song you just heard on the radio. That
top 40 smash hit "Mambo No. 5" played over and over in my head. I was
finally rescued by Bob Dylan's "Idiot Wind" and other classics from
"Blood on the Tracks."
There are 10 aid station
with food and water over the course of the race. The aid stations serve as an
easy way to break down the 31 miles into smaller, manageable distances. Your
immediate goal is simply to make it to the next aid station to fill your water
bottle and eat some M&M's and pretzels.
It its about 2:30 in the
afternoon when I cross the finish line. I am dirty, exhausted and relieved.
Another Flat Rock under my belt and I ask myself why? Only six more consecutive
finishes and they waive the entry fee.
The Flat Rock 50 is an
opportunity to push yourself beyond normal limits. Arthur Clark said, "The
only way to define your limits is to go beyond them." You don't have to do
the Flat Rock 50 to define your limits, but I encourage you to do something
that challenges you physically, mentally, or both. It will make you a better
person, which will make you a better lawyer.
I am not the only WBA
member to finish the Flat Rock. Jordan Clay, Bob Nugent and John Reals have all
completed the race and have the "Rock" to prove it. This year, Andy
Fletcher and Art Davis completed the companion 25K.
In keeping with the
"why do you do that" theme of this month's column, the quotes of the
month are "They can because they think they can" (Virgil); and
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot
do" (Walter Baghot). 
The above story comes
to us from Tom Lasater. Tom is President of the Wichita Bar Association and he
wrote this for his column in their newsletter. Thanks Tom.
RELENTLESS FORWARD PROGRESS
WHERE KUS MEMBERS PLAN
TO RUN AND RACE
Jim & Nancy Davis
6/17/00 Big Horn Mountain 50 Mile Trail, Dayton WY
7/15/00 Elkhorn Mountain 50 Mile Trail Run, Montana City
MT
Hiking and mountain climbing near Allen's Park CO
9/2/00 Flat Rock Trail clean up weekend, Independence KS
9/30/00 Flat Rock 50 K, Independence, KS
Volunteer at The Heartland 100, Cassoday, KS
9/14/00 Wichita Marathon, Wichita, KS
12/02/00 Kentucky 50 Mile, Louisville KY
Scott Demaree
11/24/00 Ultracentric 48 Hour, Dallas TX
Eric Steele
7/27/00 BADWATER!! 135 Miles, Badwater CA
Phil Sheridan
8/19/00 Leadville 100, Leadville CO
9/9/00 Wasatch 100, Kaysville, UT
Dave Noltensmeyer
5/27/00 Berryman 50 Mile, Berryman, MO
8/19/00 Leadville 100, Leadville CO
Bill Smith
7/29/00 Mount Rushmore 50 Mile
9/30/00 Flatrock 50 K, Independence KS
10/14/00 The Heartland 100 Mile, Cassoday KS (my first)
11/10/00 Grand Canyon Rim to Rim double, fun run
Duane Frichtl
7/?/00 Duathalon 5K run, 20K bike, 5K run, Danville IL
Some short stuff leading up to:
9/30/00 Flatrock 50K, Independence KS
Owen-Putnam *
Huff *
Chicago Marathon *
Marc Friesen
7/2-3/00 Kettle Moraine 100 Mile, Eagle WI
8/20/00 Pikes Peak Marathon, Colorado Springs CO
9/16/00 Horsethief Canyon Trail Run, Kanopolis State
Lake, KS
10/7/00 Edmond Fitzgerald 100K, Duluth MN *
Don Mrozek
High altitude mountaineering second half of May and first
half of June-Denali, Alasaka
8/20/00 Pikes Peak Marathon, Colorado Springs CO
9/30/00 Flatrock 50K, Independence KS
Eric Sharpe
6/10/00
Sunburst 2000, South Bend Indiana
Wes Monteith
Whiskey Row Marathon, Arizona
7/7/00 Crewing Hardrock, Silverton, CO *
9/30/00 Flatrock 50K, Independence KS
10/7/00 Arkansas Traveller, Perryville AR *
10/14/00 The Heartland 100, Cassoday, KS *
12/00 The" must do" Texas Trails
Leo Rutten
8/19/00 Leadville 100, Leadville CO
Grand Canyon Rim to Rim double
* Tentative plans
We need your help for
an upcoming equipment review article. Marc Friesen is putting together some
information on Hydration systems and trail shoes. Please send Marc information
on your favorites at:
Marc Friesen
PO Box 50
North Newton KS 67117
Or email him at: friesen@hayfor.com
Turning
Back the Clock on Athletic Performance
By Scott R. Demaree
When I was about 12
years old, I discovered that libraries were not just musty old buildings full
of boring books, where people talked in hushed voices. No indeed, the library
in my little home town had a stack of books dedicated to exhilarating tales of
strange places, unusual people and extraordinary events. My discovery of the
mind-expanding worlds of science fiction was a major milestone in my life, as
it eventually led me to curiosity about what other books contained.
I am telling you all
this to bring up one SF concept that recurred in many of the stories I read.
I'm talking about one of the ancient impossible dreams of humanity:
immortality. The idea that some day science would find a method to allow human
beings to live forever (or at least for a lot longer than they do now) in
perfect health was one example of the type of progress taking place in the far
future. The biological sciences of the pre-1956 era were not even developed enough
to produce a plausible theory of aging, much less give any insight as to how
the extension of life-span might be done, so most stories merely described it
as a mysterious "rejuvenation" process.
Now, there are not only
many theories of aging, but many ideas of how we might change the natural
course of aging in order to live longer, healthier lives. My early and
continuing favorite theory (with modifications) is called the "free
radical theory of aging". This theory was born when scientists noted how
similar the symptoms of radiation exposure were to those of premature aging,
and then discovered that these effects were associated with substances called
free radicals created by radiation. The idea gained strength when it was
learned that our cells naturally produce free radicals as they use oxygen to
produce energy.
I like the theory
because it hands us a weapon against these free radicals. It turns out that
just as there are many chemicals that increase free radicals and can poison our
bodies, there are other compounds called antioxidants that can detoxify the
free radicals and protect us. These include many of the vitamins, minerals, and
herbs as well as some man-made chemicals. In other words, we can improve our
level of protection from free radicals by changing the way we eat, and taking
in plenty of the known antioxidants. However, it has been difficult to prove
that supplementing animals with any of these antioxidants allows the animals to
live a longer life span (longest-lived individuals). It is important to note
that most antioxidants do make experimental animals live longer on average.
One problem with the
theory is that many of the antioxidants can't get into the mitochondria, where
most of the free radicals are formed. The mitochondria are tiny compartments in
our cells, where fat and carbohydrates are processed with oxygen to produce the
vast majority of the energy. This led to the "mitochondrial theory of
aging", which is simply the free radical theory altered to say that aging
is caused mostly by damage to the mitochondria. And it is well known that
mitochondrial function (and energy production) falls off with age.
Let me get to my point
(finally!). I have run across some very interesting research that revealed a
very practical way to "rejuvenate" the liver mitochondria of old rats
(and this only 40 years into that "far future"). Old rats were
supplemented with acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) for one month, and comparisons were
made to old and young unsupplemented animals. The old animals without ALC
showed the typical decline in mitochondrial energy measurements (off 27-60%),
and actual movement (off 67% - old animals just don't move around as much). In
the animals fed ALC these quantities were restored to the same level as young
animals!
While this work was very
credibly done, there were two problems. Most importantly, the old animals fed
ALC showed 30% higher levels of free radical activity than old animals without
ALC. To address this issue another study was conducted, identical to the one
above, except that the ALC-fed rats were also given lipoic acid. In this case
all the results were the same, except that free radical activity was reduced to
normal levels in rats taking ALC and lipoic acid. So be sure and take your
lipoic acid with your ALC.
The other potential
problem was that the rats were fed large quantities of ALC. The rats withstood
this very well (not one complained). But if one just makes a straight
calculation based on body weight, a 155-LB person would have to take 37 grams
of ALC per day! Sup-plementation levels don't always follow such straight line
figuring, so the effective dose for humans remains to be worked out.
You may have heard of
carnitine as something that is supposed to improve exercise performance by
causing the muscle to burn more fat. Those experiments used another form of
carnitine called L-carnitine. In addition, there were just as many studies
showing no effects as there were indicating it was ergogenic. About the only
convincing research I've seen on L carnitine showed that it may be helpful in
preventing delayed onset muscle soreness (a subject near and dear to our
hearts!). The subjects took 3 grams per day of L-carnitine for three weeks
before exercising heavily enough to cause delayed soreness. I have not
personally tried L-carnitine for that purpose.
While there has not yet
been any research on direct ergogenic effects of ALC, it is tempting to
speculate on its benefits for aging athletes. The possibility of reversing much
of the age-related drop off in athletic performance would depend mainly on two
things. One would be any indication that the "rejuvenation" described
above for liver cells also apply to muscle tissue. If so, the other
consideration would be finding what dose is required for human athletes, and whether
that amount of ALC is tolerated well by the body (not to mention by the
pocketbook!).
In the meantime,
moderate intake of ALC (1-2 grams per day) has been shown to improve memory and
cognitive function, so many of us may find it useful. ALC has also been used for
a number of medical conditions, mainly involving the nervous system.
Significant beneficial effects have been found against stroke, cerebral
ischemia, nerve regeneration after injury, diabetic neuropathy, fetal alcohol
syndrome and Alzheimers's disease.
References
Brass, E.P., and W.R.
Hiatt. The role of carnitine and carnitine supplementation during exercise in
man and in individuals with special needs. Journal of the American College
of Nutrition. 17(3):207-215, 1998.
Giamberardino, M.A., L.
Dragani, R. Valente, F. Di Lisa, R. Saggini, and L. Vecchiet. Effect of
prolonged L-carnitine administration on delayed muscle pain and CK release
after eccentric effort. International Journal of Sports Medicine.
17:320-324, 1996.
Hagen, T.M., R.T.
Ingersoll, C.M. Wehr, J. Lykkesfeldt, V. Vinarsky, J.C. Bartholomew, M. Song,
and B.N. Ames. Acetyl-L-carnitine fed to old rats partially restores
mitochondrial function and ambulatory activity. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences of the USA. 95:9562-9566, 1998.
Heinonen, O.J. Carnitine
and physical exercise. Sports Medicine 22:109-132, 1996.
Marconi, C., G. Sassi,
A. Carpinelli, and P. Cerretelli. Effects of L-carnitine loading on the aerobic
and anaerobic performances of endurance athletes. European Journal of
Applied Physiology 54:131-135, 1985.
The KUS 12/24 Track Run, April 29,
2000, Hesston, KS
By Ron Jansen
The Kansas Ultrarunners Society (KUS)
12/24 was held last weekend in Hesston, KS, about 30 miles N of Wichita. This
was a very special event for me for several reasons. First, it was my first 24
hour effort, and also my first on a track. Second, this one was in memory of my
son Eric, who died a little over a year ago. All in all, I was able to raise
nearly $1,000 in pledges for our local children's hospital.
The race started at 8AM Saturday, with mild temperatures and a gentle breeze
(for this part of the country - more on that later). My goal was 100 miles if
the stars were in alignment, 85 for a more realistic day, and 60 if everything
fell apart. I started out walking, in fact I didn't run a step for about the
first 3 hours. Mistake #1 - more on that later.
By 10AM, temperatures were still mild, but the wind had picked up. Still nice
running conditions, but I had to make several quick stops to re-secure the
ropes holding down my shade canopy near the track. After about 3 stops to work
on the stupid thing, I finally took it down and got back to the track. I could
feel several hot spots by this time, one under the ball of each foot, and one
on the inside of each heel, but I was still on schedule for a 100 mile day and
kept thinking "just a couple more laps, then I'll work on the feet".
Mistake #2.
By the time I stopped at about 11AM, it was too late - the hot spots were
blisters. From that time on, the event was an exercise in blister management.
Compeed didn't work 'cause I didn't take the time to clean/dry my feet well
enough before applying it. Taping didn't work 'cause I never took the time to
really do it right. Vaseline worked pretty well, but needed to be re-applied
every hour or so. Finally, I went back to the Compeed, but took the time to do
it right. The Compeed held up for the rest of the event, but I was very
cautious until the last hour to not move too fast and risk tearing it loose. I
had some metatarsal problems too - still searching for the perfect shoes or
pads, but haven't found them yet. The blisters were the big problem, though.
Funny....one of my main goals was to spend as little time as possible in the
dreaded chair, and here I was wasting time, again and again, working on my
feet, sitting on my rear.
There were several times through the night when I couldn't tell whether the
discomfort was from the time on my feet or if new problems were developing, so
I took a "voluntary" extended break, just to put my feet up. More
time lost, but much as I wanted mileage, I didn't want to tear myself up. The
breaks helped, and no new problems ever did develop. I got up from the last
break at about 5AM (I think - things were a little fuzzy by this point) and was
on the track for most of the remaining time working toward a few more miles. I
finished at 8AM with a total of 52 miles.
Lessons Learned:
-I should've run more from the start. Seems that walking caused friction in
places where I'm not used to it. I do walk in training, but obviously not
enough for this.
-One of the more experienced runners (thanks, Dave) thought that the track may
have contributed to the problems too. Shoes really "stuck" to the
rubberized surface. I knew what type of surface we'd be on, but never took the
time to train on a track.
-And the most important lesson learned......Compeed (or tape, or Vaseline) work
MUCH better as preventative maintenance than first aid. I should've stopped
sooner and fixed the problem before it got so bad. I'll know better the next
time.
Here's what I did right:
-One S! every 2 hours at the start, then every hour through mid-day and warmer
temps, then back to every 2 hours at night. Also, Conquest during the day and
Succeed Amino at night. OK, I did have some coffee, well actually espresso, at
night too - I'm a java addict. No problems with dehydration, no cramps.
-Normal food. Sandwiches, pizza, mixed nuts. No problems with nausea.
-I was VERY happy to be able to get back on the track, even after extended
breaks (1hr+) late in the event. I'd walk a lap or two very slow, then a little
faster, then run. Yeah, my feet were sore, but my legs felt great for the whole
event.
-Recovery time has been shorter than for my last all-out half marathon. Today
(Thursday), I went for about a 4 miler. No problems, in fact I was really
tempted to run since Tuesday, but decided to wait just a little longer.
-Even though I had problems with blisters early on, I finally got 'em under
control.
-KUS used the Champion Chip scoring system to count laps. It's the slickest
thing I've seen for this type of event. Simple, reliable, and really makes lap
counting a lot easier.
I hope I didn't make this sound like a death march. Really, the
blisters were the only real problems I faced. I had a blast and gained a wealth
of experience that'll be put to good use for next year's event. Thanks to my
family Elaine, Samantha and my parents, for being so gracious through the whole
experience. Loads of thanks to RD Eric Steele and all of the tireless
volunteers who made this a first-class event.
Heartland 100-Spirit of the Prairie
Very soon the word will
be out, Kansas has some of the best running opportunities, some rugged trails
and beautiful pastureland to run in. The Heartland 100 race director, Randy
Albrecht needs our help with this race, he will need aid station captains and volunteers.
Please make the commitment and let him know if you can work this race. We can
all help him market the race by taking entry forms to any of the races you run
in, please email or call him so he can send you some entries to take with you.
Let's help Randy make this race a great one!
KUS-ipes
The following recipe is
a wonderful summer dish, cool, crisp, tangy, and low fat! The amount of each
ingredient can all be adjusted, using more or less, to suit your tastes, the
amounts given are the ones I use. This salsa is not hot, just tangy. I usually
make it and serve it on grilled chicken breasts with tortilla chips on the
side.
Pepper Salsa
1 each green, red, and
yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 bunch green onions
(about 8-10)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tomato, chopped
Chopped fresh cilantro
to taste
Juice of 2 limes
Mix all ingredients just
before serving. This only keeps for a day or so in the refrigerator.
100 Mile Race Cookies
2/3 cup butter or
margarine, softened
2/3 cup packed brown
sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 (12 oz) package white
chocolate chips
1-1/2 cups coarsely
chopped salted cashews
Preheat oven to 325
degrees. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Stir in egg and vanilla; mix
until well blended. Stir in flour and soda. Add white chocolate chips and
cashews; mix well. Shape dough into 2 inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on
ungreased cookie sheet; flatten slightly. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden
brown. Cool 10 minutes; remove to wire cooling racks. Cool completely.
*These cookies have the
texture of chunky peanut butter cookies. They aren't as sweet as some cookies,
but have lots of calories, Phil has dubbed them the 100 mile race cookie.
Send me your favorite
recipes for the next column.
The Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim
On the first weekend of
May some KUS members traveled to the Grand Canyon to do rim to rim to rim. The
weather was beautiful on the top and the bottom of the canyon was unrelentingly
HOT! Marc Friesen, Marilyn Lamm, Randy Albrecht, Eric Steele, Warren & David
Bushey, Eric Sharpe, Tom Lasater and Jordan Clay all started down the Bright
Angel trail on the south rim around 4:00 on Saturday morning. Phil Sheridan,
ever the solitary runner, started on the South Kaibab trail around 3:00 AM.
Phil met up with Marc Friesen near Bright Angel creek on the North Kaibab trail
and they continued on to the north rim. While they were on the north rim, they
met up with Jordan Clay and Eric Steele. Jordan was doing the south rim to the
north and then taking off for the airport. As Phil, Marc and Eric were headed
down from the north rim they met Tom Lasater on his way up.
Randy Albrecht and
Marilyn Lamm made it to Roaring Springs on the north trail before deciding they
had had enough fun in the heat and turned back.
Warren and David Bushey
and Eric Sharpe hiked down Bright Angel trail and then waited for Eric Steele
at Phantom Ranch, before turning around for the climb out.
While everyone had a
great adventure in an awesome place, the gutsy finishers award goes to Tom
Lasater for finishing around 11:30 PM about 19.5 hours after he started. We are
proud of you Tom!
How do you want to
receive your newsletter?
Please email or call
me and let me know your choice.
Snail mail
Email, word or plain text
format
View it on the web page
My phone number is 785-472-5454 and my email is sheridan@grapevine.net
The Grand Canyon Double Crossing
By Marc Friesen
The double crossing of
the Grand Canyon didn't start at the south rim for most of us It started by
picking up the rental car, and driving a mere 17 hours. This trip was not just
an ultra running experience, but an ultra driving experience. Our small group
(Marilyn Lamm, Randy Albrecht and myself) left Thursday evening from Wichita.
After a brief stint of driving (17 hours) which included some food poisoning,
we arrived at Tusayan. (You can pick your own pronunciation on that one.)
We decided to learn a
little more of the Canyon before running it the next day. We saw the IMAX film,
and then took another trip, this time through the air. We took an air tour of
the Canyon. And despite the windy and turbulent conditions no one from our
group took use of the spew bags. Back safely on the ground, we decided to see
the Canyon from a safer altitude. We got back in our Ford, which had become our
second home and proceeded to the South Rim. Once to the rim we looked out over
the rim like any other tourist. We looked at the Canyon from a different
perspective though. We knew that we would be going down then up the other side,
and the whole thing back again.
After the traditional
spaghetti supper, we got a nap and woke up the next morning at 2:00 a.m., so we
could start around 3:00 am. The alarm clock went off, we went through our
preparations, and headed off to the rim. The rest of the KUS members had
already started their descent into the canyon taking the Bright Angel Trail.
Marilyn and Randy decided to stick together for the duration of the double
crossing. I took off trying to catch with Phil hopefully meeting him at the
Colorado. Phil had decided to take the South Kaibab down, a much steeper, but
shorter trailer. Phil justified his choice by stating, "it's only a 10km
down to the bottom". I made it took the bottom in about two hours, slowing
down occasionally to stop and run with other KUS runners along the way.
I passed through Phantom
Ranch, about at sunrise. This provided some of the most spectacular views that
the Canyon had to offer. I snapped a few pictures, and proceeded on my way in
search of the mysterious Phil. About mile out of Phantom Ranch I caught Phil.
Phil and I ran quite easily, passing through Cottonwood Campground, and Roaring
Springs. After taking a lemonade break, we went on our way. We only had 4 miles
to go, but about 4000 feet vertical. This in my opinion was the most difficult
part of the Canyon. The section was sprinkled with running and a lot of
walking.
Six hours since we left
the bottom we made it to the North Rim. Phil went off to the campground to get
his water bottles refilled, while I lounged around. Soon other KUS members
joined us, first Eric, the Jordan. Phil got back from his side trip ready to
go, then Eric got back from his trip to the convenience store fuelled up and
ready to go.
The three of us, Jordan
having pre-decided on a one way trip, took off. We met Tom Lasater, making his
way to the North Rim. We stopped and chatted a bit, then proceed on our way. We
ran down the steep slopes, with our quads pounding away at the trail. We
stopped for a refuel Cottonwood campground, as the day was heating quite
quickly. Phil and I ran together from there, while Eric was on a mission for a
quick double crossing. Later on down the trail, we ran into Marilyn and Randy.
They had made it to Roaring Springs, and decided to turn back. We exchanged our
tails of the trail, and then parted.
Finally we made it back
to Phantom Ranch. We decided on a break, and went inside to refuel for the climb
out the Canyon. After topping off our tanks we head out. We walked most of the
way out. After 16 hours of motion of one sort or another we were back at the
South Rim. Phil and I headed back to the hotel to get quick showers and so we
could come back to the Rim, to wait for Marilyn and Randy to finish. They did
of course. We headed back to the hotel regaling each other with our stories.
Needless-to-say we all got a good nights sleep, for we had another ultra in the
morning, that of the 1100 mile drive back home.
This story is just of
course one person's perspective. They Canyon offered something different to
each person. This run across the Grand Canyon and back, was probably one of the
first times that I hadn't cared what my time was, at the Canyon the seconds, minutes,
and hours seem to stand still.