FanPost

Meals With Men

The following is taken from my piece at Viva The Matadors about endurance running, Stuart Scott and inspiration:

It's considered by many to be the Mecca Run. Some train years for the 24 mile journey that descends to the floor of the Grand Canyon, includes a ten mile trek across the base and finishes with the long and difficult ascent to the top. It's called the Rim to Rim, or R2R, and it's a brutal trek.


Crossing the Grand Canyon isn't just a walk in the park. In fact, park officials actively discourage R2R crossings because there's a high potential for heat stroke, dehydration, hypernatremia and rattlesnakes. The range of temperatures during the day can fluctuate by close to 100 degrees. Plenty of advance planning is required to secure your lodging and train for such an extreme event. Start now and you can spend the winter running up and down stairs and daydreaming about your upcoming spring vacation.

(via Men's Fitness)

But for Larry, it was just another adventure to pursue on a whim.

He was passing through Arizona on his way to Utah when he started planning. He bought some trail shoes, a water filter and a few Power Bars. He was at the South Rim and planned to run to the North and stay in one of the lodges on that side of the canyon. He'd park his car near the scenic overlook at the South Rim, run the canyon, spend the night in a lodge and trek back to his car the next morning.

Things were going swimmingly for the runner. He reached the North Rim before dark and felt the sense of accomplishment that always accompanies such a journey. And with a full night's rest he'd be back on his way back across the canyon early the next day. That is, if any lodges had been open.

The full story can be found here.

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