{"id":36207,"date":"2025-06-22T00:00:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T07:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/?p=36207"},"modified":"2025-06-30T13:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T20:25:06","slug":"running-shuttle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2025\/06\/22\/running-shuttle\/","title":{"rendered":"Running Shuttle"},"content":{"rendered":"

My sopping wet ponytail flops back and forth, spraying the dusty trail with river water. I\u2019m headed upstream and uphill on a trail that snakes alongside the So\u010da River\u2013a trail I\u2019ve run many times. I cross scree slopes, navigate roots and rocks and wind through pine forest and beech groves. After bouncing my way across a hanging bridge over the river, a pair of leisure hikers hear my footsteps on the gravel and move aside to let me pass. Wearing a light thermal and trail running shoes, I almost look like a normal runner. But my soggy board shorts, which suggest I\u2019ve either been swimming, sweating excessively, or suffer from urinary incontinence, give me away as something else. If they are paddlers themselves, then they know exactly what I\u2019m doing. I\u2019m running shuttle. Literally.<\/p>\n

Shuttle is a concept that is foreign to climbers and skiers. Mountain bikers get it, to a degree. But pedaling up the mountain to the trailhead is much more feasible than paddling upstream to the put-in. Shuttle is a necessity for paddling, a sport that follows the flow of a river and requires a significant amount of gear, which is cumbersome and heavy on dry land. Getting boats and people to the put-in takes a little planning. And setting shuttle (almost always) requires two cars. Unless, you can actually \u2018run\u2019 shuttle.<\/p>\n

Of course, the ease or feasibility of running shuttle depends on the stretch of river. Running a mountain pass marathon after a day on grade V whitewater is quite impractical. But on many shorter paddling stretches\u2013both in Europe and North America\u2013 humans have used the path of least resistance and placed roads alongside rivers, making running shuttle simple.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to consider yourself a runner to be able to run shuttle. A pair of running shoes in a dry bag is all it takes, and you can start anytime. Try it and see: the perks to this alternative method of paddling logistics might just make you a believer.<\/p>\n