Rim Hugger

In the past couple of years, we have read multiple books by Mark Batterson including Circle Maker, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day, and All In. We are both totally hooked on his writing, his story, and his mission. We even made it a point to stop by his coffee shop, Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse, in Washington, D.C! One of the stories he told in his book is from the time him and his son hiked through the Grand Canyon. They came up the other side and encountered tons of tourists looking clean, fresh, and happy. This was a stark contrast to their tired, dirty, sweaty selves, but Mark says that he wouldn’t trade with those people for anything. The perspective on the Grand Canyon that they had just earned made the sight just that much more enjoyable and they had something that most of the onlookers couldn’t appreciate. Mark called those people “rim huggers”.

In that spirit, I was inspired to start a project that I call my Rim Hugger List. Anywhere that I can, I will visit sites that people would normally go to for sightseeing and run there. I hope to earn that same perspective and see the beauty in places beyond what exists from just being there. I hope to gain insight to some of the most famous landmarks in America (and beyond!) that most people will never be able to appreciate. Make sure to check back often to track my progress!

Rim Hugger Sites Accomplished as of October 17, 2014

– Run across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, CA (3 times!)
– Run the Magnificent Mile and Millennium Park in Chicago, IL
– Run in Washington, DC around the White House, National Treasury, and Washington Monument
– Run in Central Park in New York City, NY
– Run around Lady Bird Lake in Austin, TX
– Run the Beach Trail in San Clemente, CA (First 10-miler!)
– Run an Olympic Triathlon in Suwanee, GA
– Run through Forsyth Park, multiple squares, and River Street in Savannah, GA
– Run a Spartan Sprint (4.5 miles, 18 obstacles) in Conyers, GA
– Run through Athens, GA (First half marathon!)
– Run across the Hoover Dam bridge and the Railroad Trail in Boulder City, NV
– Run the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, NV
– Run around Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC
– Run from l’Arc de Triomphe, down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France
– Run the beach trail from Malahide to Portmarnock, Ireland
– Run the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland
– Run the beach in Dana Point, CA
– Run a Spartan Sprint at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA
– Run stairs at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Boulder, CO
– Run the Mt. Sanitas Trail in Boulder, CO
– Run a Spartan Sprint (5 miles, 18 obstacles) in Kiln, MS
– Run a snow shoe trail in Pittsburgh, PA

Overall Rim Hugger stats:
Places completed: 22
States represented: 13
Countries represented: 3