(From www.badwater.com): Badwater is recognized globally as "the world's toughest foot race." This legendary event pits up to 90 of the world's toughest athletes, runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280' (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360' (2533m). The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000' (3962m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700' (1433m) of cumulative descent. Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.
First, some explanation is necessary: Badwater is different from almost every other race in that there is no support (water, food, etc) available along the course. Instead, each runner brings a "crew" of 2-6 persons and vehicles to help them along the way. Crew vehicles are stocked with hundreds of pounds of water, ice, food, medical supplies, and other necessities allowing the runner to move through this harsh environment.
Saturday, July 13:
My Crew and I left Columbus for Las Vegas. Given the pathetic state of the US Aviation Industry, I was pleasantly surprised to find all flights running on time (and at capacity). My Crew consisted of my lovely wife of 3 months Vivian, my brother Dave, my best friend Chris, and experienced Ultrarunner and good friend Dan.
Vivian, Dave, and Chris had absolutely no idea what to expect out of this whole thing! I'm sure they thought I was crazy with this whole "running through Death Valley in July thing" but fortunately were willing to indulge. Poor Vivian had no idea what she had married just a few months earlier!
We got into Vegas on time, picked-up two matching Chevy TrailBlazers at Avis, and drove an hour West to Pahrump, Nevada. Pahrump, home of the closest Wal-Mart to Death Valley, would be our home base prior to the race. We stocked-up on supplies, readied the vehicles, and relaxed for the evening. Vivian, being the Greek Goddess that she is, over-bought food and supplies to the point where the 5 of us could have wandered the desert for 41 years!
While I went to bed early and Dan worked responsibly, Chris proceeded to corrupt my new wife and young brother by teaching them how to gamble at The Golden Nugget in Pahrump. I feared a Chevy Chase-style run to Las Vegas during their 10 hour crewing breaks!
Sunday, July 14:
We jumped into one TrailBlazer and drove an hour into Death Valley for the pre-race meeting. This was Chris and Dave's first time in Death Valley; Vivian and I spent some time there last summer and Dan had passed through previously. Incidentally, during our trip late last summer, Vivian and I managed to save the lives of a stranded older couple - but that is another blog post!
We also drove the first half of the course - to Panamint Springs - to gain familiarity. Amazingly, recent rains created standing water at the bottom of Panamint Valley (where Panamint Dry Lake usually is). We returned to Pahrump, had our "Last Supper" (Mexican food), made final preparations, and went to bed early. We saw a rainbow in Pahrump that evening - always a Good Omen.
Monday, July 15 (Race Day #1):
Left Pahrump at 5:30 am to get into Death Valley in plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast in Furnace Creek prior to making our way the 18 miles to the start at Badwater.
Monday went quite well. My Crew was awesome. I did much better than I expected in the heat - all of those hours in the sauna paid off. I had no stomach problems, no significant blistering, and no heat issues - allowing me to move along quite nicely through the first two checkpoints (Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells) in nine hours flat - covering 42 miles.
All four Crew members were with me for the first 18 miles from Badwater to Furnace Creek. This allowed everyone to learn from Dan's experience and generally get the hang of things as a team. At Furnace Creek, Vivian and Dave were off-duty until their next 10 hour shift began at 6:00pm; I ran the rest of the daylight hours with Chris and Dan. The high temperature was 117F just before Stovepipe Wells.
I got into Stovepipe Wells at 5:02pm and we changed crew shifts on-schedule shortly thereafter at 6:00pm. At Stovepipe begins the first big climb: an arduous 18 miles up 5,000 feet to Towne's Pass. Vivian paced me on and off for several miles during the climb. Fortunately, the heat had broken by now; I made it to the top of Towne's Pass around 11:00 pm where I took a 15 minute nap and enjoyed the cool temperatures and the clear night sky.
Tuesday, July 16 (Race Day #2):
I took advantage of the downhill and cool night temperatures to run at a good clip down the back of Towne's Pass and across the flat bottom of the Panamint Valley to the next checkpoint: Panamint Springs. Unlike Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Wells which are little villages owned by the National Parks Service, the Panamint Springs Resort is a neat little privately owned resort/oasis inside Death Valley National Park. At 72.3 miles, Panamint is also just past the halfway point. I hit Panamint well ahead of my expectations at 2:17 am and started the next climb: 15 miles and 3,400' up and out of Panamint Valley. At 4:00am Vivian and Dave were off and Chris and Dan were on.
Shortly after Chris and Dan took over, I hit the top of the pass and took another short nap at Father Crowley Point, a scenic overlook just before the steep downhill begins.
Dan's experience as an ultrarunner paid off in this section as he pushed me through the downhill and eventual flat to the Darwin checkpoint. I hit Darwin, the 90 mile point, at 8:19 am, just over 24 hours after I started. During this section, Dan single-handedly took an hour off of my finish time.
At Darwin, I really started to slow down. I knew I had my precious buckle at this point, and my left Achilles Tendon was really starting to bother me. Knowing that the extreme uphill at the end would further aggravate my Achilles, I wanted to take it easy - but keep moving of course. I made it across the long and annoying flat of the Owen's Valley and into Lone Pine at 6:00pm exactly. Vivian and Dave took over at 2:00pm and were wonderful at keeping me going. Vivian paced me for about 6 miles, and Dave for about 3.
Lone Pine is the closest thing to civilization along the course; it is a reasonably-sized town at the foot of beautiful Mt. Whitney. Nothing longer than a potty break in Lone Pine as I wanted to start the climb as quickly as possible. Dan and Vivian were on-duty for the climb and did a spectacular job getting me up that mountain. It took just under 6 hours to complete the 13 mile, 4,600' climb to Whitney Portal.
All of us crossed the finish line together at 11:31 pm Tuesday evening, 39 hours, 31 minutes after we started.
I truly couldn't have done it without my crew: Vivian, Dave, Chris, and Dan: you were each amazing. You each filled your role perfectly and energetically. You kept me hydrated, fueled, positive, and moving. You are each a huge part of this 39 hour time. I can't show my appreciation or thank you enough. I owe a fifth of my buckle to each of you.
Because it was quite cold on the mountain during my midnight finish, my team thoughtfully waited until the hotel parking lot in Lone Pine to douse me in Champagne - only a few feet from a warm shower!
Bonus:
After hanging out at the finish for a bit and cheering on other runners, it was time to head back to our hotel in Lone Pine. About a half mile into the drive down, we came across my good friend John Radich who was just about to finish (note that he started two hours later than I did). I had crewed for John the past two years and he crewed for me at Western States. As the road is too small for a quick vehicle turn-around, I said "let me out" and I began to chase John up the hill yelling and screaming encouragement! After about 50 yards it hit me - I must have lost my mind as here I am running up Whitney again! Fortunately, Vivian got the vehicle turned around quickly; she picked me up and drove me to the top where I cheered-on John's 38 hour finish.
Recovery:
Aside from my Achilles, I'm not in bad shape. Relatively minor blistering on both feet and "normal" soreness (normal after an ultra that is).
Epilogue:
All in all a wonderful experience. My immense gratitude again to my crew, family, and friends for helping me through this each step of the way. Particularly Vivian, my wife of only 3 months: from tolerating my long hours of training to massaging my disgusting blister-oozing feet to the point of nausea (literally), I love and appreciate you more than you know. Now that you have an understanding of this odd sport I love, I look forward to future adventures!
Notes:
Hammer Perpetuem was the only source of fuel and it worked beyond wonderfully. My energy level was relatively constant with no real lows or crashes. Two scoops per hour administered in two hour bottles. No significant other food. Drank mostly plain water with 2 Hammer Endurolytes every other stop during the heat of the day. Heed didn't agree with my stomach early on and I never went back to it. Same with Sea Salt shots. Changed shoes and socks 3 times and did the Towne's climb in the Baer shoes. Slept less than an hour total in naps of less than 15 minutes.
