Badwater Ultramarathon

BADWATER ULTRAMARATHON

A discussion about humans who run through the hottest place on Earth

by Dr. Ben Jones

http://www.badwaterbenjones.com/

Some people tend to be inspired to do things that are really difficult and unbelievably challenging, and that is what “Badwater Is All About.”

Why would anyone want to do the equivalent of five or six consecutive marathons, gaining an accumulated 20,000 feet in elevation, in dry heat with temperatures ranging between 120-130 degrees Fahrenheit at Badwater, and below freezing at the summit of Mount Whitney (one-hundred degree temperature differential)? The ground temperature can be as hot as 200 degrees Fahrenheit! It is so hot that a runner cannot kneel or lie down without getting severe burns. The high ground temperatures have been known to delaminate the soles of the running shoes. There is essentially no shade along the way. Therefore, the event requires constant crewing, which is a subject in itself. In fact, my wife Denise and writer Teresa Daus-Weber have co-authored a book called Crewing Badwater.

Just some of the names of this country are daunting: Death Valley, Badwater, Funeral Range, Devil’s Golf Course and Devil’s Cornfield, Coffin Canyon, Dry Mountain, Last Chance Range, Jail Canyon, Desolation Wash, and others equally foreboding. In addition to all of this, there actually can be sidewinders, coyotes, scorpions and tarantulas to add to the excitement. Along the way at times, there have been rabid bats, no-see-um stinging insects, mountain lions, and even bear. The Badwater Ultramarathon clearly presents much evidence for avoidance. Common sense screams no!

Nevertheless, some people tend to be inspired to do things that are off the map of conventional reason. Not many, mind you, but a few.

In the beginning, running from Badwater to Whitney was a solo adventure originated by Al Arnold, who finally was successful in 1977 after several unsuccessful tries. This was followed in the next ten years by about twenty other souls who made it from North America’s lowest spot of 282 feet below sea level in the Badwater Basin in Death Valley to the top of Mt. Whitney in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 14,494 feet above.

In 1987 Hi-Tec Sports, USA, wanted to promote their new running shoe, “The Badwater 146,” representing the mileage from Badwater to the top of Whitney. Two competitors showed up that year. Each year from 1989 until 1999 Hi-Tec Sports, USA, continued to sponsor the Race. In the early 1990’s there were only a dozen runners including myself, and in 1999 there were up to forty including my wife, Denise. That was the year of Mel Stuart’s film, Running on the Sun, and Kirk Johnson’s book, To the Edge. After that, Chris Kostman, of AdventureCORPS, took over the Race. He affixed the name of Badwater Ultramarathon. Now there are up to ninety invitees each year.

I moved to Lone Pine in 1963 to start my medical practice. Lone Pine is mile-122 on the 135 mile running course. A hike of eleven miles to the top of Mt. Whitney makes it 146 miles and, of course, it is another eleven miles back to Whitney Portal, making it 157 miles total. In the last dozen years, there has been a Whitney trail lottery held by the United States Forest Service for day-hike and over-night permits. This has made it virtually impossible for many to complete their goal of going from the “lowest to the highest” (in the continental US). Because of this, now only about 10% of the finishers at the Portal go to the top.

Some now return to Badwater to do solo crossings or even for a “Double Crossing” and one runner has done the “Quad” – two round trips. This same runner also did a solo, self-contained “run” starting with a 222-pound rickshaw with all of his needed supplies on board. Guess he was certainly inspired!

My first exposure to Death Valley was in the late 1930’s with my folks. Before that, two of my great aunts traveled to Greenwater (now Furnace Creek) by way of the railroad and Harvey Company stops to Baker, California, then on the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad to Death Valley Junction and finally on a spur-line westward to Ryan. From there it was a stagecoach ride to Furnace Creek. Imagine riding a stage here.

After completing my medical training and moving to Lone Pine in 1963, I had an opportunity to provide care to employees, American Natives, miners, tourists, and others in Death Valley. I usually flew my Cessna 205 to Death Valley where I had a medical office opposite the Furnace Creek Inn. There I saw patients twice a month during the tourist season for at least twenty-five years. After work, I would often tour the area and do workouts both running and on a bike. I became familiar with all of the medical problems that could arise and well as all of the twists and turns of the roads and trails of the Valley.

In 1990, I went out on the course as I knew several of the runners in Hi-Tec’s race. The ones in the lead were actually running. The rest were reduced to walking after about the first marathon distance of 26 miles. As I witnessed this bizarre odyssey, I thought, “If I just walked from the start, I could finish this thing!” There were even a couple of downhill sections with a vertical descent of about 4,600 feet, further providing fuel for my powerful penchant for things normal humans don’t do.

The concept of adventure racing had not quite caught on twenty or thirty years ago. During those early years I met a lot of people on national and international trips and began to meet some who went to different corners of the earth to run. Everyone seemed to share their experiences, and we all wanted to do runs the others had done, especially if there was a huge challenge involved. The hundred-mile races were just becoming popular and people started doing various “slams” – that is a combination of different one-hundred milers. Also, Ironman triathlons became popular. The Raid Gaulosis, Extreme Games, and the Eco-Challenges were being held. The more awesome the event seemed, the more runners wanted to tackle it! I have told people that I wanted to do “Badwater” because it was right here in my very own backyard.

The first year I competed was in 1991. My fear at that time was that I might not finish. In 1992 I was afraid that I might think I was invincible. The last year I finished it was in 1993. At that time I felt that I should have known better. Many thoughts cross the minds of people who participate in extreme endeavors such as this.

All sorts of innovations have occurred in these past two decades, particularly in the sports wear department and with supplements such as fluid and electrolyte replacement. Every five years, improvements make it easier to meet the preset goals.

During the last fifteen years, my wife and I, with the help of others, have put on heat-training clinics in Death Valley each year on Memorial weekend and the Fourth of July weekend. We have had seminars and poolside chats with the runners and their crew members. In addition we organized runs on portions of the course in the heat of the day. At times we would have guest speakers to add to the interest of the group. Gradually, because of safety and liability issues, the National Park Service discouraged these activities. Nevertheless, there are those who still show up and do their own version of getting from Badwater to Whitney by following the rules of the road and the trail.

This year (2008), on July 14th, was the 31st year from the time of the original run, and the 21st year of the more formal race. There are three waves of about thirty runners. The slower ones start at 0600, the intermediate runners at 0800 and the faster runners at 1000. The course closes at 60 hours. Completing it within 48 hours earns a treasured belt buckle.

Each runner is supported by two vehicles and up to six or even eight crew members or pacers. The event was featured in a recent PBS/Nature documentary entitled, Life in Death Valley. The filmmakers were originally there to document the wildlife. While they were in the Valley, a fantastic wildflower display occurred, as well as dramatic flash floods. In addition, they witnessed the Badwater Ultramarathon. These folks looked me up, and I had a great time working with them on the latter part of their TV project.

Adventure racing has been a relatively new concept in the last two decades. These events couple travel, fitness and adventure all in one package. Earlier, when I used to travel, I would return home and be out of shape. Next I would wait for an athletic event to take place in an area I wanted to visit. One such place was Iceland. I signed up for the race and also planned to do typical sightseeing on the Island. I spent a week there. Another place I wanted to visit was the Himalaya Mountains. I was in on the first eco-tourist trek/run along the borders of India, Nepal and Sikkim, where I could see the world’s tallest mountains in those three countries plus Bhutan and Tibet. While there, I heard about the first Antarctic Marathon and signed up for that one. The next year my wife and I created our own run in Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands where we could see what Charles Darwin witnessed centuries earlier. Another trip was to the rain forest traveling by boat 700 miles along the Amazon River.

Wherever I/we traveled we would meet interesting tourists and would share our adventures together and plan my/our next trip. I have become a “desert person” and prefer all of the outdoor activities in Death Valley. It is only one hundred miles east of Lone Pine. What was originally a solo affair going on foot from Badwater to Whitney has now become an  extravaganza involving up to ninety runners plus their pacers, crews and family members. Over the years we all have become great friends. It is almost like a pilgrimage each year as runners assemble for training runs and then the final event, the Badwater Ultramarathon.

There are still people who don’t get invited into the Race each year, yet decide to do their own “Solo” crossing. I keep an up to date Master List of the Badwater-Whitney crossings. So far, there have been 854 crossings done by 489 different people. That’s 489 daring human souls who are inspired by tremendous challenges full of countless hardships, out of a total planet population of 6.684 billion. Wonder if it will catch on with the masses anytime soon? Think I’ll go contemplate this question while sitting on my couch and eating a potato!

See you on the asphalt …