Running the Grand Canyon. The rugged paths and dizzying descents. Your feet pounding on ancient rocks and the air heating up step by step. These trails and Rim to Rim + options are no joke. But staying fueled by adrenaline and thrill. This nature’s playground is an absolute must do, bucket list item, for any trail running junkie out there.

So here we have Dustin Rutter. Dustin ran Track and Field for The University of Olivet. After graduating he moved into obstacle course racing (OCR) and trail running just in the last few years. And in this short period of time Dustin has hit dozens of podiums in trail and OCR. Achieving 11 total Spartan Elite podiums in 2023, tied for 5th most in the world.

Dustin is getting ready to celebrate his 25th birthday on March 30th. He wanted to make it special and go out and do something big. A real challenge. So… R2R2R it is.

Let’s take a quick look at the course and what Dustin is bringing with him to go after this epic challenge.

R2R2R COURSE OVERVIEW

The Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim (R2R2R) is a legendary challenge that trail runners over the years have gone after. Typically starting on the South Rim, running up the North Rim and coming all the way back. We’re looking at about 44 miles on trails that are steep, rocky and full of switchbacks. Plus hitting over 10K ft in elevation gain.

That’s a quick and dirty brief description for now. The course will be discussed more in future posts. Look forward to reading about it over the next couple months as we dive into more details later on.

FUELING

For this effort, Dustin is bringing out over 5,000 calories of fuel. He’s adding Tailwind to 2 of the 3 bottles he’s going into the Canyon with. Then down at the bottom there is an option for water if it’s needed. He’s got 15 servings of GU Roctane – Sea Salt Chocolate. And some extra tasty fueling options he’s packing include Stroopwaffles, pop tarts, granola bars and some baby food pouches.

FOOTWEAR

We’re less than a day away and Dustin is still up in the air on his shoe choice. Bringing two good ones out, he might be making last minute decision on what feels right here. His two options are the VJ XTRM 2’s and the VJ Ultra’s. Dustin has a good bit of experience with both and he said VJ’s are a definite out here, as portions of the North Rim are still covered in snow this time of year. That powerful VJ grip will be necessary.

CLOTHING

Keeping it simple, we’ve got some lightweight pants with Nike 2 in 1 shorts over top. And Brooks lightweight long sleeve on top.

Temperatures this weekend start at about 45degrees Fahrenheit at the top and should get warmer as he goes down.

This is the kickoff to our Grand Canyon Rim Running topic for the next couple months. Continue to check in with us and gain more knowledge on the Grand Canyon and trail running this area.

And keep up with Dustin. Follow along on his journey in trail running, OCR, Hybrid and everything else he’s jumping into on Instagram @drutter88