Cat herself was still recovering from bronchitis and had just been diagnosed with celiac disease, but she went for it anyway. In early April 2016, Cat asked if I could help crew her for a Canyon FKT attempt, but I couldn’t go on short notice. 'Even though it’s not a race or a high profile thing, these personal projects are what keep me coming back to the sport' (One lap of Green is six miles with 2,500 feet of vert.) She also ran a ton, tackling stupid hard efforts on her own terms, like adding nine miles of road after three laps of Green Mountain one Saturday. Cat was quiet, but chatty when the subject was ultrarunning. The run is 42 miles, with over 11,000 feet of elevation gain.Ī few months before Cat’s first FKT attempt, in January 2016, I met her at a group run in Boulder. For the double crossing, runners turn around and retrace their steps. (Though Lewis started on the North Rim.) The run starts with 5,000 feet of descent, then crosses the Colorado River, before ascending 6,000 feet to the North Rim. Several women, including elite ultrarunners Darcy Piceu, Anna Mae Flynn, and Cassie Scallon, had tried to break it since.įor most R2R2R FKT attempts, runners start and finish at the South Rim. Considering the pace at which ultrarunning is growing, and how frequently race course records are bested, Lewis’s FKT was stout. Salt Lake City ultrarunner Bethany Lewis had held the women’s FKT (8 hours 15 minutes) since 2011. Upon finishing, she decided that one day she’d go for the FKT. She says she did it “basically off the couch,” and it took over 16 hours. In April of that year, well before Cat had legitimate ultrarunning experience, let alone sponsors, she hiked the double crossing with friends, including ultrarunning legend Louis Escobar. Since 2014, when her quest for the R2R2R FKT began, she’s cared far more about running the Canyon than about winning any race. Even though Cat is best known for her prestigious win at Western States this past June, her new FKT speaks much more to her personality. Last Wednesday, Cat Bradley set a new Grand Canyon rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) Fastest Known Time, breaking the previous record by 23 minutes.
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