Man vs. Machine: Race the Grand Canyon Train
It’s an epic race that last took place 25 years ago, and now it has returned to take on a new group of challengers. Man (or woman) vs. Machine. Steam vs. Muscle. On Saturday, September 26, 2015the Grand Canyon Railway, in partnership with Grand Canyon Racing, will fire up its venerable steam engine #4960 – a 310-ton behemoth built in 1923 – to take on hundreds of intrepid bicyclists on a 54-mile course that will climb 2,023 feet starting at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to iconic Williams, Ariz.
Last held in October 1991, the race has become the stuff of legend.
The race will begin on Highway 64 in Tusayan, Ariz., departing the Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon at 1 p.m. PDT. From there the course will travel 50 miles south on Highway 64, before merging onto historic Route 66 for the last four miles. The finish line will be at the intersection of Second Street and Route 66 in Williams.
