Step by Step Parenting

Before I had the twins in February, and really before I started law school in the fall of 2024, I was a trail and ultra runner.

It feels like a lifetime ago. My husband and I would drive to the mountains on our weekends without the kids, and run anywhere from 15-25 miles. In the year 2023 alone, I raced a 50k, a 50 miler, and a 100k. I didn’t finish the 50 miler and the 100k — I was able to run “only” 35ish miles each time — but that still meant I ran three ultramarathon races that year.

You could say my fitness level was… insane? I can’t think of many other times in my life where I was fit enough that I could roll out of bed and run a half marathon or longer on any given Saturday. Back then, I was able to run for anywhere from two to seven hours. Seven. That’s crazy!

By the spring of 2024, I was slowly tapering off from training as hard. I had raced, and failed to complete, the 100k back in November, and after a year of heavy running, I was turning my attention towards graduating college in May 2024, and hopefully starting law school later that year. I had yet to hear back from any law schools, and was awaiting decisions any day.

I was working as a physical therapy technician at a PT clinic where I used to be a patient. The PT I worked under, and her husband who also worked there, were both avid runners (that’s putting it lightly), and most of the patients were serious runners, as well. My boss made a comment one day about how she’s always wanted to travel out west in the U.S. to see some of the national parks, so. said, “Let’s do it! I’ll plan it!”

The first or second week of April, my boss and her husband, my boss’s sister-in-law, two friends, and my boyfriend and I, all hopped on a flight to Las Vegas. From there, we drove up to Zion National Park for a few days before heading to the Grand Canyon. We were all runners, but my boyfriend and I were the only trail runners, and I was itching for a good, unhinged adventure.

We decided to run 4 miles down into the Grand Canyon, and 4 miles back up. Even though it was only early spring, temperatures at the bottom of the canyon were scorching by late afternoon, and our running vests could only carry so much water. Factoring in our water carrying capacity, the temperatures, the amount of nutrition we were able to carry, as well as our fitness level, we decided that an 8-9 mile run was the most we could handle.

Needless to say, that is… not what happened. I was scrolling through Strava memories the other day when I stumbled across what was supposed to be our easy, 8-mile trail run. Below is what I had written as the Strava description. Side note: who did I think was going to read my 600-word dissertation on Strava?! I figured that one of the most epic adventures I’ve ever been on deserved a more permanent home than buried in a running app.

The Coconino Cowboys are a group of elite trail runners that train in Flagstaff, Arizona, in Coconino County. I had named my run, “Coconino Cowgirl Dropout” as a jest about my slow fade from trail running. Plus, isn’t it just fun to say? Regardless, buckle up and get ready to read about the wildest ride in the wilderness!

“Just four miles out and back, I promise!” turned to Rim to River run, in classic Megan fashion.

The plan originally was to run down South Kaibab and turn around at Tip-off Point, close to 4.4 miles down. “Run” down became relative, because South Kaibab was much more technical than we thought. But the panoramic views were awesome!

As we neared Tip-off, I really started to wish we could go to the river and back, because it was just another two miles past where we were turning around (so an extra four miles total). But, I knew we didn’t have the water for an adventure like that, and we had no water filters, either. There were a few natural water sources in the canyon, but without filters, it wouldn’t be safe to drink. And without water, it wouldn’t be safe to run.

Tip-off Point is named as such because that’s where the canyon “tips off” into what’s known as the Inner Canyon. The Grand Canyon is so, well, grand, that there’s actually a canyon within a canyon. The landscape changes a lot as you near the Inner Canyon. It flattens out a bit, there’s more greenery, and you can even catch glimpses of the Colorado River.

At the rest house at Tip -off, some backpackers informed us that there was actually a drinking water source just past the river, and at this point we were SOLD! We had the food and the time, it had just been the water we were concerned about. Well, that and the heat at the bottom of the canyon, but how bad could that be, right?

Once we departed from Tip-off Point, we ran into some fellow trail runners who ran all the way down to the bridge and across the Colorado River with us (you can see the bridge in the photos below). It was nice to chat and it was absolutely amazing to see the Colorado River, and look up at the Grand Canyon. They told us that if we went up Bright Angel, instead of South Kaibab which we ran down, it would add another two miles but be less steep and have more shade. So we decided to do that, adding yet another two miles. Our nearly 9 mile adventure was now about to be over 15 miles.

After crossing the Colorado River, we had officially made it to the bottom of the Grand Canyon! We had descended 4,860 feet over the course of 7 miles.

However, when we got to the alleged water source that those backpackers had promised was awaiting us just past the river, there was a sign saying it was closed, and the only water source was at Phantom Ranch, which added ANOTHER mile to our run. We passed a ranger who told us there might not even be water there, so at this point, I was STRESSED. But luckily, there was water at Phantom Ranch, and lemonade, snacks, and picnic tables in the shade. We refilled our water, bought some snacks to supplement our stash for the climb out of the canyon, and headed out.

Well, we tried to, at least. On our way out, a ranger stopped us because the trail was closed while three helicopters flew in supplies for the ranch. We ended up being stranded in Phantom Ranch for about an hour, all while it was getting hotter and hotter. Temperatures there at the bottom of the canyon reached 90 degrees. Despite having refilled out hydration vests to max capacity, I was well aware that we would now be climbing out of the canyon at the hottest part of the day.

Once we got the all clear, Kevin and I, and about six other trail runners at this point, started our climb. The other runners had made some comments about how dangerous it was that I was “only” carrying 24 ounces of water on the way up — which I knew wasn’t ideal — so I was stressed until we reached Havasupai Gardens, which was four or five miles up the canyon from Phantom Ranch. By time we reached the gardens, we had run around 12 miles, and still had 4.5 more to go. Once there, we refreshed our supply of water and took a long break before our final push out the canyon. 

It was hot. It was SO hot. The first thing I did when I got cell service again was call my running coach to update him on my run plan (i.e. complain). Him laughing at our expense was somehow the morale boost I needed, and we powered on to the 3 mile rest house.

From this point on, we were familiar with the trail since we had hiked three miles down and back up Bright Angel the day before. That made the last stretch both easier (no surprises) but also harder (knew how close we were). When we finally reached the top, we immediately ate as much food as we could, and soda has never tasted better.

Oh, and happy one-year anniversary to Kevin! If this didn’t scare you off, I don’t know what will!

And there you have it, folks! I had completely forgotten that this crazy run also coincided with our first (dating) anniversary. It was a very, very fitting way for us to celebrate, given that we fell in love running and most of our dates those early months were long runs in the mountains.

I still remember feeling like I was crawling out of that canyon, so tired, so thirsty, and yet, so proud. The first thing I did was text this picture to my dad:

He responded with something like, “So epic!!!” and he’s not wrong. To this day, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life.

That being said, please do not do what we did! The Grand Canyon National Park website specifically says to not attempt a rim-to-river-and-back hike in one day. Luckily, Kevin and I’s fitness made it possible, but even then, it was hard. Those last few miles up the canyon were slow and painful. If you’re going to attempt to do this, be better than us and bring an actual backpack with enough supplies so that you’re not counting down the minutes until the next water source.

All in all, we ran 18.32 miles with almost 4,700 feet of elevation gain. I didn’t know it at the time, but that would end up being my longest run of 2024… and 2025… and now probably 2026. That is to say, I haven’t run that far since! Law school, pregnancy, and twins have made my distance running days seem like a thing of the past, but I’ll know I’ll get back to it again when the time is right.

This post was originally published on my Substack. To receive new articles straight to your inbox, and also to keep this busy mom motivated and caffeinated, consider becoming a paid subscriber here for just $5/month. A few extra McDonald’s Diet Cokes a month can go a long ways!