Said one runner, quoted in "'They’re a little crazy’: the ultramarathon runners crossing Death Valley – in a drought" (The Guardian).
The race is 135-miles long, to be completed within 48 hours. Death Valley reached 130° on July 9th, but it wasn't quite that hot. It was 110 to 115°.
And it's not like they're abandoned out there or forced to tote all their own water: "Each runner is trailed by their own support crew in an air-conditioned minivan, which leap-frogs their progress, stopping every few miles to provide them gushes of water from spray bottles, electrolytes, ice cubes, snacks and extra changes of shoes."
Kind of cushy, almost, no? Whatever. Personally, I love Death Valley. Haven't been out there in 4 years. It's a rough landscape!
That's my photo of the part of Death Valley called the "Devil's Golf Course." It's not all that rugged, and anyway, the ultramarathoners are running on the paved road. That's where the relatively cool painted white lines are.
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1 comment:
Chris writes:
"I grew up in the desert Southwest. We only visited Death Valley once, but I am familiar with that climate, the dry heat like an oven and the wind that feels like a blast of hot air. I miss it sometimes, the stark, surreal beauty of the landscape. Belden Lane wrote a book about it all called The Solace of Fierce Landscapes. He says the indifference of the desert to us can have a healing effect on our souls."
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