Mrs. Karnazes: Badwater as Lesson Plan

By Steve Matsuda

Runners and their crews must learn a lot about surviving in the extreme conditions of Death Valley.  Mrs. Karnazes’ seventh grade class at Serrano Middle School in Laguna Nigel, California will get a very special lesson that’ll likely remember for the rest of their lives.

Karnazes has built a lesson plan around the webcast of the Kiehl’s Badwater Ultramarathon.  Her students learn about the history of Death Valley and about its geography and geology.  They will also learn about her son Dean, the winner of the 135-mile run that starts in Death Valley and finishes at Mt Whitney.

Dean Karnazes had completed the Badwater course three times before his win this year.  Surely, he has learned much about adapting to the climate of Death Valley and his determination, strength and perseverance will be an inspiration to impressionable young minds for years to come.