- Sep 25, 2000
- 22,135
- 5
- 61
Badwater Ultramarathon: 135 miles in 130-degree heat
The Adventurecorps Badwater Ultramarathon is infamous in endurance sports circles. It is the running equivalent of summiting Everest, the ultimate test of mental fortitude, a hippy communion with the desert of epic highs and lows (literally -- the race starts at 280 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, covers three mountain ranges for descents and ascents totaling 9,000 feet and ends halfway up Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States).
For all the nonsweaters out there -- consider how long it takes to drive from Baltimore to New York. Now imagine running that distance...without sleep...with 10,000 blow dryers pointed at you the entire time.
BADWATER FACTS
135 miles through Death Valley, California
Start: 280 feet below sea level
Finish: 8,300 feet on Mount Whitney
Race time limit: 60 hours, 48-hour cut-off to get a belt buckle
Course pavement exceeds 200 degrees F, same temp used to slow cook a pot roast
Dangers: Heat stroke, organ failure, hallucinations, huge blisters, severe dehydration
Badwater began when ultra athlete Al Arnold crossed Death Valley in 1977. The second Badwater-to-Whitney "crossing" was completed in 1981, by Jay Birmingham. The race became an official, organized footrace in 1987 with five runners.
The Adventurecorps Badwater Ultramarathon is infamous in endurance sports circles. It is the running equivalent of summiting Everest, the ultimate test of mental fortitude, a hippy communion with the desert of epic highs and lows (literally -- the race starts at 280 feet below sea level, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, covers three mountain ranges for descents and ascents totaling 9,000 feet and ends halfway up Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States).
For all the nonsweaters out there -- consider how long it takes to drive from Baltimore to New York. Now imagine running that distance...without sleep...with 10,000 blow dryers pointed at you the entire time.
BADWATER FACTS
135 miles through Death Valley, California
Start: 280 feet below sea level
Finish: 8,300 feet on Mount Whitney
Race time limit: 60 hours, 48-hour cut-off to get a belt buckle
Course pavement exceeds 200 degrees F, same temp used to slow cook a pot roast
Dangers: Heat stroke, organ failure, hallucinations, huge blisters, severe dehydration
Badwater began when ultra athlete Al Arnold crossed Death Valley in 1977. The second Badwater-to-Whitney "crossing" was completed in 1981, by Jay Birmingham. The race became an official, organized footrace in 1987 with five runners.
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