November/December 2009

Cover of current issue

Table of Contents

Departments

Editorial

Form and Function

On the Road

The Lydiard Lineage

Race Profile

Cowtown Marathon

A race where the hearty thrive.

Joe’s Journal

Kids These Days

Features

4 Deserts and Some Badwater

Dean Karnazes captures the coveted desert crown and lives (barely).

Connie Gardner

A year in the life of an ultrarunner.

A Different Kind of Unforgettable Marathon

What happens when an obsessive-compulsive marathon runner takes a turn behind the water table.

Mugging the ING

The results don’t always tell the tale.

Continued...

One Mile Deep

Ten miles as the crow flies, 20 miles rim to rim.

Running the Grand Canyon from rim to rim offers runners the opportunity to experience one of the seven natural wonders of the world without ever having to miss a week- end of training. With well-maintained trails, water sources along the way, and food and lodging on both sides, this epic run can be done without having to bring along a support crew. The challenge to make it across draws thousands of runners and hikers every year. While the distance is only 20 to 23 miles from trailhead to trailhead depending on the route you take, the heat, altitude, and lack of shade are so grueling that 250 people are rescued in the canyon every year. Some of them don’t make it.

“This is the best and hardest thing I’ve ever done,” Rebecca Warriner of Wake Forest, North Carolina, said of her first crossing. “Even though it’s only 20 miles, you should train for a 50-miler if you attempt it,” the 34-year-old mother of two said.

“When you hear ’Grand Canyon,’ it’s different than when you actually see it,” rim-to-rim runner Sage Grossi of Tempe, Arizona, said. “It was bigger than what I expected.”

Yet with a lot of training and a little planning, it can be the run of a lifetime. Here is what you need to know to plan a run from the South Rim to the North Rim. Running from the North Rim to the South Rim is fun, too, and actually a little easier. Regardless of which direction you go, remember to bring plenty of extra memory for your camera.

Continued... | Other Editor’s Choices

M&B Bonus Features

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Illinois Marathon Photo Spread. The inaugural Illinois Marathon was a huge success.

Race Review Summary. In every issue, we thoroughly review a marathon. In addition to a full-length feature about every aspect of the race, the event is also scored on 10 key areas of success. Here are the results from all the races we’ve reviewed in Marathon & Beyond since 1997.

Book Reviews. M&B editor Rich Benyo shares his opinions about books likely to be of interest to fans of this magazine.

Subscriber of the Month: Eddie Hahn