RUNNING THE ZION TRAVERSE, A NEARLY 50MILE ODYSSEY THROUGH THE SAND, SLICKROCK AND CANYONS OF ZION NATIONAL PARK
It’s a cool late-October morning and my buddy Jason Smith and I have been running rhythmically and fast for an hour in the low light of dawn along La Verkin Creek Trail in the remote northeastern corner of Zion National Park.
We’re on a mission to complete the 48.4-mile Zion Traverse before sunset. We have fresh legs and know we have a tall task in front of us, so we haven’t talked much or even taken in the scenery, partially because the trail has been trending downhill for the first five miles or so.
But then, as the sun begins to shine on the upper portion of the massive stone buttes surrounding us, we encounter the magnificent Kolob Arch—a massive redrock structure that looks like a replica of a manmade bridge over a river and the sixth-largest stone arch in the world. Awed by its brilliant beauty, I find it to be a transcendental moment that immediately melts away any lingering notion of self contrived haste and brings forward a feeling of being selflessly present in the moment.
Although Jason and I had talked about running across Zion for years, this epic adventure came together only a few days earlier via a series of texts.
“Let’s run Zion next Tues!” Jason texted on a Thursday morning. “We can drive down Monday, run all day Tues and drive back on Weds.”
“OK, I’m in!” I texted back, barely thinking of the 10-hour drive and other pertinent details, except that I knew I had a flight to catch out of Denver on Thursday. “Let’s make it happen!”
Denne historien er fra July 2018, #129-utgaven av Trail Runner.
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Denne historien er fra July 2018, #129-utgaven av Trail Runner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
You Cannot Erase us
Over the years and through thousands of miles of running, I have thought about the words that marked the beginning of colonialism on the land and the end of Indigenous sovereignty.
Inside The Adaptable Mind
How Courtney Dauwalter uses adaptability to stay cool, calm and collected when the going gets tough.
Take it Easy
How to stay at aerobic pace when you live in the hills
Here Comes the Sun
Where pessimism meets its match
Connecting the Dots
How Laura Cortez uses her passion for trails to build community.
Carbohydrate Confusion
When it comes to food and nutrition, we tend to overcomplicate things. Eat this, not that. Run fasted, restrict sugar. Unfortunately, much of the controversy stems from observations and sensationalized media headlines vs. actual data, leaving the consumer more confused from their Google search than they were before.
This Wild Life
ONE MAN’S 92-MILE RUN OF GRIEF AND SELF-DISCOVERY.
Our Town
Trail running is all about the community it fosters and the beauty and diversity within the community. Here’s a look at seven places, and the faces that call them home.
Fueling for Females
Here’s how female runners can use recent research findings for performance breakthroughs
Lose Weight with a Shake
Being a health and nutrition correspondent means that companies frequently send me their products, and ask for my stamp of approval.
