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Minutes before starting his 135-mile journey, Maj. William C. Maples chats with other Marines and makes final preparations at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is going the distance, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon)
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Minutes before starting his 135-mile journey, Maj. William C. Maples chats with other Marines and makes final preparations at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is going the distance, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon)
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Maj. William C. Maples loads a cooler full of ice into the back of a truck at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st Force Service Support Group's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)
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Navy Capt. Rick Gates, the 1st Force Service Support Group's chaplain, prays with Maj. William C. Maples before he sets off at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. Gates, 58, is a native of New York City. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon)
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Navy Capt. Rick Gates, the 1st Force Service Support Group's chaplain, prays with Maj. William C. Maples before he sets off at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. Gates, 58, is a native of New York City. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)
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Donned in a red jersey emblazoned with the letters "USMC," Maj. William C. Maples is joined by fellow Marines as the National Anthem and the Marines' Hymn are played July 12, 2004, at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon)
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Maj. William C. Maples crosses the starting line for his 135-mile, nonstop run timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California, July 12, 2004. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, as the 1st Force Service Support Group's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)
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Maj. William C. Maples takes the first steps in his nonstop 135-mile trek to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon July 12, 2004, at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq. The Badwater ultramarathon spans from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st FSSG's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Bill Lisbon)
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Maj. William C. Maples nears his three-mile point at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st Force Service Support Group's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)
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Maj. William C. Maples, left, hands an empty water bottle to Sgt. Jason N. Gravem, after consuming its contents at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st Force Service Support Group's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. Gravem, 26, is part of Maples' volunteer support crew for the run. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)
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From left to right, Marine Maj. William C. Maples runs with National Guardsmen Staff Sgt. Renee M. Thomas and Sgt. Greg D. Smitherman at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq, on July 12, 2004. Maples is running 135 miles, nonstop, timed to coincide with the Badwater ultramarathon spanning from Death Valley to Mount Whitney in California. Since the 40-year-old Dallas native is currently deployed to Iraq as the 1st Force Service Support Group's force protection officer, the six-time Badwater veteran couldn't actually participate in this year's race. Thomas, 31, is from Mannford, Okla. Smitherman is a 30-year-old native of Ada, Okla. (Photo by Sgt. Matt Epright)