One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
Runners Prepare To Begin The Toughest Road Race In The World
Two runners train for the Badwater Ultramarathon.
(
David Becker
/
Getty Images
)
About 80 endurance athletes and their support teams are heading to Death Valley this weekend, gearing up to kick off the 44th running of the Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts Monday night.
It's billed as the toughest road race in the world, and for good reason. The 135-mile trek starts at the lowest point in North America — Death Valley's Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level — and ends at the trailhead to Mount Whitney, at an elevation of more than 8,000 feet. The fastest time ever recorded was 21 hours, 33 minutes by Japan's Yoshihiko Ishikawa in 2019.
So no big deal, right? Of course, the runners also have to deal with the triple-digit temperatures, which are actually forecast to be much cooler than the scorching 130 degrees recorded in one part of the valley just last weekend.
The event is invitation-only, and runners are vetted based on their athletic history and their ability to tolerate such grueling temperatures, said Race Director Chris Kostman.
"You can literally, physically acclimate your body to the heat to the point where it's not that difficult, you know, as long as you sort of pace yourself carefully and eat and drink properly," he told us.
If you say so, Chris.
The race typically does have a high completion rate, and runners who cross the finish line before the 48 hour cutoff get a T-shirt, a big shiny belt buckle, and of course, unlimited bragging rights.
Sponsored message
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
