You’re slow.” And it was pretty much right then and there when I decided to go for it. He had even been teasing me, saying, “You can’t do that, kid. He couldn't fathom how fast people could run the Canyon. During the run, he was telling me about how people would go out and set records for this trail. I first ran the trail with Luis and a group of people - it took us 16 hours to complete it. When did you realize that you wanted to tackle the rim-to-rim-to-rim run? I fell in love with the sport, the community, being outside - it put all the things that I love into one little package. He convinced me that I could pursue trail running. After graduation, I met Luis Escobar, who is one of the oldest members of the trail-running community, and he took me under his wing. It was grueling and horrible, but also rewarding and wonderful.Īfter 115 days on the trail, I went back to school but had been taking a break from running. I had never really camped or anything before. That’s where I fell in love with the outdoors. I ran in high school and a little bit in college, but in 2011, I took a break from college and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail on a whim.

What got you started down the path of trail running in the first place? It took Bradley a few tries to complete the 42-mile run, from the South Rim to the North Rim and back, in record time, but we caught up with her to find out exactly how she did it.

Bradley's time was 23 minutes faster than the previous record, set by Bethany Lewis in 2011. The 25-year-old Colorado ultrarunner achieved a new women's fastest known time for a rim-to-rim-to-rim run in the Canyon, finishing the trek in 7 hours, 52 minutes on Nov. Cat Bradley didn't spend much time taking in the scenery last month at the Grand Canyon.

Cat bradley trail runner magazine