On Monday, June 7th I ran Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim in the North Dakota Badlands. I had been thinking about doing a crossing for a while now, but I was unsure as to the best route to take. I initially wanted to do this on trails, but the rim of the Badlands is less pronounced in the area with more trails. Highway 22 really has the feel of a canyon crossing. The road even has a chain-up area before you enter the canyon. There can’t be many of those in North Dakota!
I started on the south rim at 5:38 am (Mountain Time). The south rim is on Mountain Time and the north rim is on Central. I tracked this run as two different activities in case there was a separate single crossing route. My return trip shows up as starting at 7:42 am (6:42 am Mountain Time). The run itself was beautiful, sunny and in the 60s, but I should have started at first light. Oilfield traffic has increased in the last several years and it would be much better without the early morning rush hour. The shoulders are generally very wide, but it is certainly safer to run when the traffic is lighter (weekends, early mornings, late evenings etc.). The views are much better at sunrise and sunset anyway!
I used the stop signs on 10th St NW and BIA Rd 14 as start and endpoints. I drank 24 ounces of water and ate one Larabar. I got back to the south rim at 7:45 am (Mountain Time). I made a Strava segment and there weren’t any faster times. I ran by myself, unsupported.