It probably never occurred to Sara Rauch, lead for the Santa Cruz Little Bellas, that crossing the Grand Canyon not once but twice at one go was outside of her limits. There was never an “if” she could do it but rather a “when” could she make this crossing happen. The “Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim,” or R3, is an ultra-distance endeavor that many runners write in their calendars with permanent ink — in other words, it must be done. For Sara, the lead for the Santa Cruz Little Bellas and a self-described slow runner, it was an acute case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) that compelled her to recruit five other women to run and hike the 45 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to the North Rim, and then back again.
And who wouldn’t dare oneself to do something with no other incentive than just to do it?
There were no podiums, medals, or cash prizes at the finish, but the rewards were far greater. For starters, the setting is one of the world’s most awe-inspiring places: the magnificent Grand Canyon. But more than that, training for a 45-mile run/hike with 11,000 feet of climbing is — to say the least — character-building. It’s also a lesson for the rest of us in disrupting social norms. From the hours spent training and recovering, while someone else took charge of childcare, food shopping, and meal prep, to the awkward remarks about “a group of women” crossing the canyon as they passed by (did the group of 56 men doing the one-way, rim-to-rim route at the same time get similar remarks?), the group of six that Sara inspired to do the R3 are no strangers to breaking down stereotypes. That was never the goal, but they succeeded in achieving it all the same. They are among the small and the mighty, who lead by example and prove that — if you want to do something, no matter what it is, you just have to start.
Meet all six women who completed the R3 on the weekend of Oct. 5-6 in 23 hours:
Sara Rauch – when her husband and his friends decided to do the R3, she thought they were crazy. Then her friend, Erica Tunis, committed to doing the R3 and, upon returning, told Sara all about it. Sara was so inspired by Erica's toughness and grit that she got to thinking that maybe she could do it too. And then she thought, what if she got a whole group of ladies to do it?
Erica Tunis – this was her second R3 in 2024. After deciding in February that she would run/hike the R3 with five guys, she trained in two months, researched nutrition, training, gear, and studied the maps. They finished in around 19 hours. She has two daughters, works full time in a demanding job in the tech industry, and said “yes” to doing the R3 again the week following her first one.
Anya Machulskaya – Anya emigrated to the US at age 19 from Belarus. She learned how to speak English by working in restaurants and hotels. She ended up going to college at the University of California at Santa Cruz, where she studied geology. She is strong yet humble about her skill and strength, yet she was tough and consistent throughout training and in the Grand Canyon. For instance, she jumped right into a 9-mile trail run a few weeks after the group started training together. She used to tell people the craziest thing she ever did was emigrating to the US, but now she tells people that the R3 is the craziest thing she’s ever done.
Mandy Draper – Mandy has two daughters and works with her husband in their family-owned real estate agency. About two years ago, Mandy decided she wanted to get into triathlons, but she’d never done open water swims. She found that she loved swimming in the ocean and quickly started placing first in her age group. During training for the R3, Mandy was only able to run with the group a few times because she was focused on training for the USAT Olympic Distance Nationals, which were held three weeks before the R3. She placed 25th in her age group.
Erica Barnum – Erica is a single mom to her son, as well as an ER nurse, a personal trainer, and a CrossFit coach. Erica is strong, fast, and has a long history of competing in a wide variety of sports, yet what’s most impressive about Erica is that she will work out with anyone. She just loves to get out there and be active and help others get out there too. For someone who is so accomplished, she is patient and encouraging and will break things down to help you get your form just right, or help you dial in your nutrition, or explain why your body reacts the way it does to certain stimuli based on her extensive knowledge as a nurse.
Ellie Hamner – Ellie has three children and is a personal trainer and CrossFit coach. She works hard at everything she does; she is incredibly strong and has been putting serious time and energy into weightlifting and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts, scoring PR’s again and again. At last check, and at 5 ft 1 in, Ellie was able to deadlift 300 lbs, but by now, she may have already broken that record! In the past, Ellie has suffered some issues with her feet, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to train for the Grand Canyon by running long distances. This didn’t affect her ability to crush the R3, despite gnarly blisters and pain with every step toward the end.
If you could do something extraordinary, ask yourself, who do I want to inspire? If not you, without a doubt, there's someone who will be inspired by you.
