Austin Runner Liz Ferguson Tackles the Grand Canyon’s Rim to Rim to Rim
Austin Runner Liz Ferguson Tackles the Grand Canyon’s Rim to Rim to Rim
Austin runner Liz Ferguson is well-known in the running community for her adventurous nature and commitment to the sport. A good example is her running streak — 10 years and going strong. She gets in some serious training- (75–80 miles a week ) and is not afraid to tackle some major distance runs. Think running the Grand Canyon’s South Rim to North Rim and back again, known as the Rim2Rim2Rim — a total of around 48 miles.
To prepare for the trek, Ferguson did repeats on Austin’s infamous “Hill of Life” (a steep rocky hill off the Barton Creek greenbelt in West Austin) and even threw in repeats on parking garage stairs to really get the climbing-specific training.
“My longest run before the Rim2Rim2Rim was 18 miles,” said Ferguson. “So the fitness was there.”
My husband Marshall celebrating his 50th birthday, was along for the trip, but opted for Rim to Rim, not the full round trip. My daughter thought about joining us but wanted to go to Bowie High School homecoming,” said Ferguson.
On October 10, Ferguson hit the Canyon’s South Kaibab trail at 4:00 a.m. in pitch-black darkness.
“It is like no other darkness I have ever experienced,” said Ferguson. “In Austin, you see ambient light, but not in the Grand Canyon. I felt like I was in outer space. If your headlamp wasn’t on, it was pitch black.”
Even with the headlamp, focusing on the trail required a kind of tunnel vision.
“The first three miles of the decent were so hard, because you’re concentrating hard on that one spot where the head lamp light is shining,” said Ferguson, who ran much of the way with Bill Benac, a friend from Durango, Colorado who used to live in Austin. “But you could see tiny lights ahead and behind of other people running, so that was kind of cool.”
In addition to the steep switchbacks, the heat became a significant factor.
“Austin’s hot, but the heat in the Grand Canyon is different. I was wearing a sun shirt and a hat for protection. You have to be aware of your sweat loss — we took salt tablets every hour,” said Ferguson.
“There was an abnormal heat wave happening. When you descend into the Canyon, there’s something called the box. It’s like an oven.”
Ferguson hit the top of the North Rim at about 11 a.m., around seven hours of running and some power-hiking.
Of course she still had to return to the South Rim.
“It went up to 104 degrees on our return back. We got stopped twice by rangers to check on us, making sure we were safe. It took way longer to get back. We stopped and doused in the Colorado River. There’s a store at the bottom called Phantom Ranch — they had the best lemonade. The mental thing kind of got to me in the last part — three miles straight up. It’s not like a race where you can quit. You have to finish that last little climb out.”
But at the finish at the top back on the South Rim, a rare treat awaited.
“We saw the Northern Lights when we were done at the top of Bright Angel,” Ferguson said. “I’d never seen them before and they were amazing!”
Upcoming Races: Saturday, November 23 at 9:00 a.m., the Thankful Turkey 5K at the First Baptist Church on McCarty Lane in San Marcos. Thursday, November 28 at 9:00 a.m., the Buda Turkey Trot 5K at the Sunfield Lazy River Amenity Center in Buda. Sunday, December 8, the Decker Challenge Half Marathon at the Travis County Expo Center. (Check website updates for start time).
Follow the author Brom Hoban on Medium for early access to new posts.