jersey_guy,
I have no ties whatsoever with Badwater/ultras, but I did run across this (which you might be interested in)...
I am writing this from my hotel room in Lone Pine at 9:40 AM, 14 miles from the finish of the Badwater 135. Please excuse my spelling, grammar and enthusiasm. I have been off the course for about 15 hours, I have been awake for about one hour, my feet are throbbing and my skin is burnt and dry. I am sitting in my room but still under the influence of the stupidest running event that I have ever seen. I don't know what they are showing you on the web site but here is how it looks to me. Runners are still walking and staggering past our hotel window up Highway 395 on their way to Whitney Portal Road. The temperature is climbing and the sky is orange and gray with small flakes of falling soot and ash which is from the wild fires which are burning in the Sequoia National Forest directly to the west of here. The smoke was visible two days ago from at the start well over one hundred miles away in Badwater. I am here at Badwater as a crew/pacer for my friend Major Mark Johnson. I ran/walked/stumbled along with Mark for about 110 miles. This was both Mark and my first time here. Mark started at 6:00 AM on Tuesday and finished last night at 6:32 PM. As of now, I have not seen the results so I don't know where he finished overall. I am an experienced ultra runner, I have completed most of the big, famous and challenging 100 milers in the country, but I am here to tell you, the ain't nothing like Badwater. This is the most difficult and stupidest run in the country! Period! The race provides nothing, no course marking, no aid stations, no doctors, no support, no nothing. Each runner must completely staff and supply themselves from start to finish. You are on your own. The course it self is very, very difficult with super long stretches of rolling hills, then completely flat dry lake beds and miles and miles of salt flats. The mountain climbs are extremely long and unforgiving, one goes from literally 0 to nearly 5000 feet in 15 miles, a nearly straight shot with no relief! This is the race that never ends. And then there is the weather. I don't have the words to accurately describe how hot is was on Towne's Pass. Temperature reports were sketchy at best. It depends on who you talk to and where the measurement was taken. We heard the day time high was between 109 and 127 at night it was in the 90's. All I can tell you is that it was hotter than I have ever experienced. Dry hot and windy, most of the day and night. The course is paved with smoking hot asphalt, there are no trees in the desert so there is absolutely no cover, none. It is just you and the searing hot desert sun. Runners cover themselves with wet clothes, bandanas and ice in their hats. We also spray ourselves with water from one of those garden spray canisters filled with cool water. When you totally soak yourself it would take less than 5 minutes to be completely bone dry again. We were drinking one 8 oz. bottle of water or Cyto every quarter to half mile. You cannot drink fast enough to prevent dehydration. Being behind on your food and liquid is just past of this event. You are always at a disadvantage. There is so much more to say about this insane event, but right now I really have to go and find some food. Through out the day I will check the list and my e mail, if anyone has questions. Congratulations to all of the finishers and good luck to you poor sons of bitches who are still out there, good luck, keep moving and keep drinking. Check out the web site
http://www.badwaterultra.com/
, with warm (really warm) regards, Luis Escobar