Kenton Grua

Kenton "Factor" Grua (July 25, 1950 – August 25, 2002) was a Grand Canyon river guide. He was the first person in recorded history to hike through the Grand Canyon's entire length. In 1983, he set the speed record for rowing through the canyon in 37 hours.

Background One of Martin Litton's 27 original Grand Canyon Dories. Grua was an early guide for Litton, who pioneered the use of dories in the Grand Canyon in the 1970s.

Kenton Grua was born and raised in Vernal, Utah. At the age of 12, Grua was enthralled by a whitewater rafting trip taken with his father on the Green River, a tributary of the Colorado River. in the Grand Canyon.

Rowing speed-record through the Grand Canyon In 1983, Grua, along with river guides Rudi Petschek and Steve Reynolds, set a record for speed rowing down the 277-mile length of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, with a time of 36 hours, 38 minutes and 29 seconds, breaking the previous record of just under 48 hours set in 1980 by Grua, Petschek, and Wally Rist, which in turn broke the record of 52 hours established in 1951 by the Rigg brothers. Normally, trips in motorized rubber rafts take up to a week and dory trips two weeks or more. Grua's 1983 trip took advantage of record-setting seasonal flood waters to propel a specially modified wooden dory called the Emerald Mile along the route. This famous speed run has been recounted in a number of books and articles, including Lew Steiger's story "Speed" in Christa Sadler's book, There's This River ... Grand Canyon Boatman Stories (2006), and Kevin Fedarko's The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Though the Heart of the Grand Canyon (2013). Grua's record stood until 2016, when a team of kayakers made the trip in 35 hours and 5 minutes - that record was broken 2 days later by solo kayaker Ben Orkin bringing the speed to 34 hours and 2 minutes.

First walk of the Grand Canyon's length

Grua died at 52 years of age from a heart attack related to a fall from his mountain bike on lower Schultz Creek Trail, near his home in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was survived by his wife and step-children.

The Whale Foundation offers the Kenton Grua Memorial Scholarship, benefiting Grand Canyon river guides who are pursuing further education.