This is the second installment in a series from Mary Arnold documenting her attempt to tackle one of the most difficult athletic endeavors on the planet…Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim. Over the coming months, we will follow along as she prepares for one of the most intimidating challenges of her running career. You can find all her entries here.

Pick a path and get going.

It is time to make plans, to figure out what adventures we can cram into our work-a-day lives. For some, it’s time for their first 5k or marathon. Others will take on their first triathlon or even an Ironman.

Been there. Done that. Got the tattoo.

It’s time to dream big. Really big. This year, we are going to attempt a Rim 2 Rim 2 Rim crossing of the Grand Canyon.

On April 11, our team will be heading from the South Rim to the North Rim and back: all in one day. This 46 mile trek is not an official race, there will no be t-shirts or big shiny medals at the finish. We are doing this for the sheer joy of looking out at the Big Ditch and knowing we made it across…on foot.

We are not superstar athletes, just a group of everyday folks with a passion for endurance sports and healthy senses of humor. The next four months of training and preparing for this ultimate running road trip will be chronicled here and we invite you to come along for the ride. Who exactly is “We”? Well, it’s time you meet the team:

Brian Gatens

What motivates you to take this adventure on?
Here’s the way I see it. I consider myself lucky enough to have the opportunity to do some pretty cool things. I also have the physical ability to train for and tolerate long adventures. I don’t think that my ability to do so makes me any better or worse than other people, but rather it’s part of what I can do. As a result of that I almost feel an obligation to push myself into doing things like an R2R2R. What’s the use of having a solid and dependable car if all you do is leave it in the garage. Also, I love it when I get the chance to dangle myself out there a bit and our run, with its leaving behind of water stops, support vehicles and major support, touches that part of me that loves that kind of risk. In the famous words of Leeroy Jenkins, “Thumbs up! Let’s Do This!”

What is the toughest race/adventure you have taken on so far?
I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff: There was the time that I ran the Chicago Marathon after I had separated my shoulder a week earlier during a bike crash in American Zofingen. I remember running the Lean Horse Ultramarathon 50 miler; it was 104 degrees at the 25 mile turnaround but what really hurt was losing 3rd place in my age group by 17 minutes, which in ultras is like 3 seconds. Actually I think the summer of ’99 when my preemie twins came from the hospital and my wife and I spent months and months doing around the clock feedings. Now that was tough.

Dave Decker

What motivates you to take this adventure on?
I hear it’s a pretty place to run. No…really, if we’re going to go for a run on a Wednesday, it might as well be somewhere pretty. Seriously though, I don’t need more “things” in life. I’ve got enough things to last me the rest of my life. I want are quality experiences that I can share with my family and my friends. Real, genuine quality time that when I look back on it 40 years from now I can say to myself, “now that was a nice way to spend the day.”

What is the toughest race/adventure you have taken on so far?
In March of 2010 I finished my first 100 mile race. 28 hours 51 minutes.

Mary Arnold

What motivates you to take on an adventure like this?
An overwhelming desire to see as much of the country on foot as possible. Sightseeing while getting really good long run in sounds awesome to me.

What is the toughest race/adventure you have ever taken on prior to this?
The toughest race for me was Boston in 2003. I believed that I needed to take in a whole bottle of water at each stop and I ended up in the medical tent with hyponatremia. My vision went black and white and I could not see for most of the last 3 miles. I felt like death for two days after, but on the third day after, I signed up for another marathon.

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