AdventureCORPS Presents
The 2007 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon Race Webcast
Race Updates
Day One: Rookie Runner Pushes the Vets
Furnace Creek, Calif. (July 23, 2007) 12:57 PST. - The 30th anniversary Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon began to take shape as runners enjoyed continuing overcast skies and relatively cool—if humid—temperatures around 112F, and kept pressure on the course record.
As they passed through Stovepipe Wells, a leading group of three runners from the 10 a.m. wave was being pulled along by Mexican national Jorge Pacheco, 39, of Los Angeles. A Badwater rookie, Pacheco had a gap of 15 minutes over Hungarian Akos Konya, 32, of Oceanside, Calif., with another rookie, the Brazilian ace Valmir Nunes, 43, a further six minutes back.
The women's leader, also a rookie, emerged from the 10 a.m. wave in the form of Jamie Donaldson, 32, of Littleton, Colo. who arrived in Stovepipe Wells after 6 hours, 46 minutes of running. Up until Stovepipe Wells, at mile 42, another rookie, Barbara Elias, 45, of Yuma, Ariz. had looked a possible contender, covering the distance in 7:28. Elias, however, requested medical assistance at the time station and was delayed for an unknown period of time. Her story will be covered in the next race update. As Donaldson put more distance between herself and Stovepipe wells, her race lead looked increasingly unassailable.
All runners who ascended the 17-mile climb before nightfall faced a stiff headwind on the slopes to the 4,956' Townes Pass. Pacheco, a champion of the 50 and 100-mile racing circuits, used the wind to establish a psychological advantage over his rivals. Whether or not he will be able to hold it remains to be seen.
Konya seemed to be having the toughest time of the three, alternatively running and walking, but although Nunes pulled him back to under two minutes shortly after the 3000' elevation marker, by the time he topped the pass Konya had opened the gap again to more than three minutes.
Pacheco was making it his own race by the time he reached Townes Pass at 18:39h. He had extended his lead of 15 minutes at Stovepipe Wells, to 35 minutes over Konya. "He has many good pacers, murmured a member of Konya's crew." While this might have an effect on Pacheco's motivation, there is no doubt in this reporter's mind that Pacheco looked the strongest runner in the race as they passed the 58 mile mark. Yet, as Pacheco's wife said from the crew vehicle, "There is still a long way to go in the race."
All three of these runners reported having had no problems and feeling very good over Townes Pass. Konya, for example was running a little more than one hour ahead of his scheduled pace.
On the 10-mile descent to the Panamint Valley, 3036' below, Konya remained about 35 minutes behind Pacheco, while Nunes passed through Time Station Three, at the Panamint Springs Hotel, sixteen minutes behind the Hungarian.
Dave Goggins was looking comfortable in fourth place, running without a pacer, but not seeming likely to challenge the top three runners. Going through Panamint Springs, Goggins was 1:16 behind Pacheco. A further 35 minutes back, the Swiss runner, Christian Fatton, 47, had moved up into fifth place.
While the runners headed into the dark steepness of the 'Father Crowley' climb—2020 vertical feet in only eight miles—many of the crew members stopped at the Panamint Springs Hotel, which had agreed to keep its kitchen open all night to feed them.
-30-
Day One
Panamint Springs, Calif. (July 23, 2007) 23:36PST. - The 30th anniversary Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon started this morning at Badwater, Death Valley, when 84 of the world's top ultradistance runners set off under overcast skies and in relatively cool temperatures, with an expected high today of 112F in Furnace Creek.
"The problem won't be the heat, it will be the humidity," said one of the ground staff at the Furnace Creek Ranch, the official race hotel. Even so, the relatively clement conditions, with winds blowing from the southwest, have veterans talking about the possibility of breaking the record time for the 135-mile race, of 24:36:08, set in 2005 by Scott Jurek.
While the true form of this year's contenders is not expected to become evident until Time Station Two, at Stovepipe Wells, at 41.9 miles, the results at Time Station One at Furnace Creek, 17.4 miles into the course, indicated that the 10 a.m. wave of runners was not likely to be challenged by runners from the waves that started at 6 and 8 a.m..
Akos Konya, 32, of Oceanside, Calif. went through the time station in 2:11, followed by Valmir Nunes, 43, of Brazil, in 2:12, and Navy SEAL David Goggins, 32, of Chula Vista, Calif. in 2:20. The fastest-starting woman in the race was also in the 10 a.m. wave, Jamie Donaldson, 32, of Littleton, Colo., in 2:26.
Of the 8 a.m. wave runners, Jonathan Gunderson, 29, of San Francisco, Calif. was fastest, in 2:27, and next fastest was Barbara Elias, 45, of Yuma, Ariz., in 2:34.
Leading the 6 a.m. wave was Brian Kuhn, 33, of Champaign, Ill., in 2:53, ahead of James Smith, 42, of Superior, Colo., in 2:59, and the British runner, Hugh Hunter, 47, of Remagen-Bandorf, Germany, in 3:00.
The composition of the starting waves is based on where the race organizers expect the runners, based on known results, to finish in the race. In the past there have been upsets with runners from earlier waves performing above expectations. Last year both Konya and Goggins, who had started in the earlier waves, finished with top five times overall. Konya, second overall in 2006, was less than 17 minutes behind the winner, Scott Jurek.
Race director, Chris Kostman, said: "This year we have the most competitive field, I think, in the history of the race. We have the largest field, and there is greater depth than before. Of the 84 entrants, we have 26 from foreign countries. This shows how far the race has progressed in 30 years, and I think it is a fitting tribute to Al Arnold's effort way back then."
Looking at the front runners, Goggins, who said before the race that the main difference for him between last year and this is "I am feeling more animalistic!" was disappointed that the temperatures didn't soar above 120F today. He has trained extensively in 190F saunas and was ready for searing Death Valley heat.
Valmir Nunes, one of the runners to come from the Brooks Brazil 135 - part of the Badwater World Cup series - has stated that his approach is "Win or DNF."
As the runners head into the hottest part of the race, everything is on the line, and spectators course-side or on the internet look forward to a spectacle of great racing and great courage.
The next report will follow at approximately midnight, from Panamint Springs.
-30-
Day Two
Lone Pine, Calif. (July 24, 2007) 12:23 PST. - The two year-old course record for the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon was smashed by the rookie runner Valmir Nunes, 43, of Brazil, who came back from third place to take a hard-earned race win after an eventful night. His finishing time of 22:51:29 was a long way inside the previous mark of 24:36:08, set by Scott Jurek in 2005.
Second place was claimed for the second consecutive year by the modest Hungarian runner who resides in Oceanside, Calif., Akos Konya. Konya's time of 23:47:47 was also well inside Jurek's 2005 mark. Navy SEAL Dave Goggins finished third with a time of 25:49:40.
As for Jorge Pacheco, who has won many major 50 and 100 mile races, and who set record times through the first four time stations here, Nunes reported passing him near mile 118, just south of Lone Pine. Konya passed him shortly after. Somewhere around the 110-mile mark, both Pacheco's quadriceps' gave out and he was reduced to a shuffling walk. It did not take long for Nunes to pass the debilitated Mexican.
At the finish, enormously impressed by his rival's effort, Konya approached Pacheco and told him of his record setting pace through the first four time stations. "Yes, but it was a mistake, explained Pacheco. I've never run this far and I was unable to slow down."
Nunes, the winner of the Brooks Brazil 135, part of the Badwater World Cup series, increased his speed as the race progressed. It did not trouble him that Pacheco, 39, a Los Angeles resident, was almost 40 minutes ahead going over Townes Pass. "I was in control of the situation," explained Nunes at the finish. He added: "I knew that on the descents and climbs still to come that I could regain this time. Even so, I had to force the pace to catch them, and that is why I got tired on the final climb."
Nunes, who has won 75% of all the races he has finished, brought with him to the race the same philosophy, saying, "I started with only one thing in my mind: I needed to win this race."
Prior to the race, Nunes spent 10 days training in Death Valley, staying at Stovepipe Wells. During that time I realized that I could break the record," he said.
But he was made to do it the hardest way. To the casual onlooker, the battle that played out on Townes Pass between Nunes and Konya was one of a great climber (Nunes) who somehow lacked the uphill speed to catch a supremely determined all-rounder (Konya). "The duel that took place between Konya, Pacheco and me was very tight, very challenging," recounted Nunes, who went past Konya on the second big climb of the race, Father Crowley, which ascends 2020 feet in only eight miles as it winds out of the Panamint Valley.
Konya agrees that the three-way battle spurred him on, in particular that arduous ascent of Townes Pass into a stiff headwind. "I was worried about being passed, but I couldn't run faster, there was nothing I could do," recalled Konya. He remained in second place until the 90 mile mark, near Time Station Four, at Darwin. "Then Valmir just took off." Konya was preparing himself for third place when reports began coming in that Pacheco was walking and did not look good, "So I kept going hard and I passed him at Lone Pine," Konya recalled.
Dave Goggins, of Chula Vista, Calif., who had been only a short distance behind the lead trio since Time Station One, also moved up past the struggling Pacheco into third place as they climbed from Lone Pine up the final climb to Mt Whitney Portal, the most punishing of all climbs in the race, 4671 feet in 13 miles. With temperatures in Furnace Creek around forecast for 112F today, and reaching 114F on Monday, this final climb was nothing less than brutal for those runners coming in close to noon. Goggins was one such runner, and he managed a time of 25:49:40 for the race.
"I just wanted to finish with nothing left, and that's what I did," said Goggins at the finish. This was his best result to date, after a fifth place finish last year. "I was able to go four hours faster (this year) because of my crew taking good care of me. That's the only reason I was able to run faster," said Goggins at the finish.
Goggins raced in the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon to raise funds for the children of "special operators"—as he put it—some of whom are serving in Iraq now. "I'm raising money and awareness. The money we raise goes to college tuition fees, board, and other expenses," said Goggins.
Pacheco ultimately came in fourth with a time of 26:41:52, almost exactly one hour ahead of a strong finishing Charlie Engle, 44, of Greensboro, North Carolina.
-30-
Day Two
Lone Pine, Calif. (July 24, 2007) 00:00 PST - In a day of upheaval in the women's field, Lisa Bliss, 39, of Spokane, Wash., turned the tables on her rivals and emerged as a surprised winner of the 2007 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon with a time of 34:33:40.
Some 24 hours before she crossed the finish line, 8371 feet up the slopes of Mount Whitney, Lisa Bliss was climbing Towne's Pass and having grave doubts as to whether she would even finish.
"I had bad blisters. I thought ‘I've got what I've got, I'll just carry on.' But I couldn't even walk, the pain was so bad. Then my doctor found a tarsal pad, the one item I couldn't get hold of before the race, and that made the pain tolerable."
Bliss, a medical doctor who oversaw the assemblage of the event's 10-member medical crew, discovered that she was got better and better as the race progressed. On Towne's Pass she was counted as fifth woman, and from there on she started passing her rivals one by one all the way to Lone Pine where she finally caught the ailing Jamie Donaldson.
"Maybe they just went out a little too hard. Maybe I benefited from all those long stops I was taking to tend to my blisters and tendon problem. I don't know, but at around 90 miles I started to feel real good and just began running. I must have had the fastest woman's split form Darwin to Lone Pine. I ran the whole way," said Bliss after the finish.
Donaldson, 32, from Littleton, Colo., had looked set for a runaway win up to the 90 mile mark, where she started to feel the onset of the shin splints that reduced her progress to a painful shuffle. Another rookie, Barbara Elias, 45, of Yuma, Ariz., had looked like a possible contender very early in the race, but she developed problems early on and slid far back in the rankings.
Bliss passed Donaldson at Lone Pine 122 miles into the race with only 13 miles, but a grueling 4,671' of climbing to go. Unable to respond, Donaldson could only watch as next Noora Aladina, 50, of Palm Harbor, Florida, then Tracy Thomas, 45, of Champaign, Ill., and then Bonnie Busch, 49, of Bettendorf, Iowa, went past. After the race she may have compared notes with Jorge Pacheco, for her descent through the ranks was as dramatic as his.
At the time of writing three women had finished: Bliss, and Alidina, whose time was 35:12:13. Third place was taken by Tracy Thomas with a time of 37:26:44.
-30-
Day Three
Mid-Packers Pace Themselves to Finish in Throngs
Lone Pine, Calif. (July 24, 2007) - 12:17 PST - With the men's and women's races won, the focus turned to the multitude of middle- and back-pack runners who were finishing the 2007 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon in numbers not seen in recent years, with only five withdrawals, at the time of writing, from the field of 84 starters.
Hotter temperatures on Tuesday across the entire racecourse were reflected in the Furnace Creek temperature of 117F. This factor had helped persuade many runners to take it very easy and walk substantial parts of the course, particularly in the hot, daylight hours. Rookie runner, Greg Pressler, 39, of Portland Oregon said, "on the second day I walked for 90% of the time during the hot daylight hours, but I'm a fast walker." Apparently so, because he finished with a time of 32:51:20, which was good enough for 13th place. Today's temperature at Furnace Creek is forecast to be around 112F.
Overnight, around 40 runners completed the race, and by morning the race organizers knew that they had another record on their hands—the number of finishers. While the fact that it has not been the hottest race in the event's history, 117F is not exactly cool either. "The heat, that is what made this race so difficult. Not only the heat of the air, but also the heat of the road. My feet swelled up very badly," said Christian Fatton, a Swiss ultradistance runner who has completed 152 miles in 24 hours in a race in the more temperate climate of Switzerland.
"The race was run in the hottest part of the USA, at the hottest time of the year. The fact that runners competed for hours on end in temperatures exceeding 114F in the shade is a testament to how much is now known about heat training techniques, and hydration and cooling techniques," said race director Chris Kostman.
In all likelihood, there are a number of reasons that the number of finishers is so high this year. Another reason might be the density of the field, with runners psychologically pulling one another along.
Finishing itself is an achievement that most entrants in this race hold as their primary goal. "I'm not even thinking about my finish time, I'm just excited to get (to the line). It was fun, we've had a lot of laughs. Some high moments and some low moments. I've done everything I hoped for, and I'll be glad to finish, even if its at 59:59," said Kira Matukaitis, 30, of Alexandria, Virginia, competing in her first Badwater race. She finished with a time of 52:58:05.
Most of the middle- and back-pack runners, like the leaders, suffered from problems that typically included blistering of the feet, gastric distress, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, extreme muscle fatigue, tendon inflammation and strains. Without the 10-strong medical team, organized by women's winner, Lisa Bliss, there is no question that the rate of withdrawals would be far higher.
"Those guys are good! I was behind in sodium, I was wiped. I was taking too many breaks out on the course. I was losing energy, so instead of trying to nurse myself back, I went to see the medics. They're looking for ways to get you back in the race. They fed me some Oral Rehydration Salts, that got my electrolytes back up, and after about three hours I went back to resume my race," explained Scott Jacaway, 49, of Downer's Grove, Ill. At the time of writing he had not finished, but reports from the course suggested that he would do so comfortably within the time limit.
And then there are those that find the going tough without having any illness or injury. Kent Moeller, 33, of Denmark finished with a time of 47:05:57, but he reckons he did it the hard way. "I don't know how to describe it. It was so hard and so mean all the time, I wanted to die! If it was not the sun, it was the mountains, or the finish climb. I've done nothing like this before, not with this heat."
-30-
2007 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon Post-Race Press Release
By Paul Skilbeck and Chris Kostman
Lone Pine, Calif. (July 26, 2007) - The 30th anniversary Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon turned out to be a record breaking foot race that was extraordinary in many ways. The 135-mile non-stop run from Death Valley to Mount Whitney featured the highest caliber field yet seen in this race, and it produced two worthy champions in Valmir Nunes of Brazil, and Lisa Bliss of Spokane, Wash., who stood out from of a field that included 84 athletes from 15 nations and 21 American states.
The two year-old course record was smashed by the rookie runner Valmir Nunes, 43, who came back from third place to take a hard-earned race win after an eventful night out on the road. His finishing time of 22:51:29 was a long way inside the previous mark of 24:36:08, set by Scott Jurek in 2005.
Lisa Bliss, 39, came back from a long way behind in the women's field to turn the tables on her rivals and emerge as a surprised winner with a time of 34:33:40.
More runners than ever before finished the race, with only six of the 84 starters withdrawing.
With its start line at Badwater, Death Valley, the course rises from the lowest elevation in North America at 280' (85m) below sea level. After a grueling 135 miles of paved roads, the race finishes at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360' (2533m). The Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000' (3962m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 4700' (1433m) of cumulative descent. The Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.
The race began with the traditional wave start, with 27 runners beginning at 6am, 26 at 8am, and 31 at 10am. This is done because of lack of parking at the start line and, even more so, to minimize congestion of runners, crew, and vehicles on the roadway in the National Park. Because hosting food and drink checkpoints along the side of the road in this forbidding environment is impossible, each entrant brings their own support vehicle and at least two support crew members to tend to all their needs.
The 2007 race roster included 43 Badwater veterans and 41 rookies: die hard "ultra-runners" of every speed and ability, and athletes who have the necessary running credentials, but are primarily known for their exploits as adventure racers, mountaineers, triathletes, or in other extreme pursuits. They represented fifteen countries - Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Jordan, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and USA - and twenty-one America states. There were 17 women and 67 men. The youngest runner was 24 while the oldest was 70, with an average age of 47.
The average finishing time is approximately 48 hours, while the overall time limit is 60 hours. For those who finish in less than forty-eight hours, their reward is the coveted Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon belt buckle. There is no prize money.
The 2007 race field was particularly competitive. Three former champions lined up at the start: Dean Karnazes 44, of San Francisco, CA (2004), Marshall Ulrich, 56, of Idaho Springs, CO (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996), and David Jones, 55, of Eagleville, TN (1997). Other veteran contenders included Akos Konya, 32, of Oceanside, CA (Hungary citizenship), the 2006 runner-up, Charlie Engle, 44, of Greensboro, NC (3rd place finisher in 2005 and 2006), David Goggins, 32, of Chula Vista, CA (5th place finisher in 2006), and Albert Vallee, 48, of France (4th place in 2005).
Among the rookie entrants attempting to make their competitive mark was Jorge Pacheco, 39, of Los Angeles, CA (Mexico citizenship), a superstar of the 50-mile and 100-mile ultrarunning scene who stepped up to the 135-mile Badwater distance this year; he did his homework by serving on Badwater support crews the past three years, including crewing for his wife who this year returned the favor.
Also planning to compete for the title was Valmir Nunes, 42, of Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil, the champion of the inaugural Brooks Brazil 135, a founding member of the Badwater World Cup held in January. He has won 75% of all the races he has finished and he brought the same philosophy to this race, saying, "I started with only one thing in my mind: I needed to win this race." Prior to the race, Nunes spent 10 days training in Death Valley, staying at Stovepipe Wells. During that time I realized that I could break the record," he said.
The women's field was also deep with talent, including two former champions, Anne Langstaff, 46, of Alpine, CA, the 2001 champion, and seven-time finisher Lisa Smith-Batchen, 46, of Jackson, WY, the 1995, 1997, and 1998 champion. Other veteran contenders included Noora Alidina, 50, of Palm Harbor, FL (Jordan citizenship), who was 3rd in 2006. Other hopefuls for the leadership of the women's race included Dagmar Grossheim, 45, of Germany, Tracy Thomas, 45, of Champaign, IL, Jamie Donaldson, 32, of Littleton, CO, and Lisa Bliss, 39, of Spokane, WA, who was 3rd in 2004.
Temperatures exceeded the 114F (46C) recorded in Furnace Creek as the runners passed through Stovepipe Wells, at the foot of the mighty Townes Pass climb. A leading group of three runners from the 10 a.m. wave was being pulled along by Mexican national Jorge Pacheco, 39, of Los Angeles. A Badwater rookie, Pacheco had a gap of 15 minutes over Hungarian Akos Konya, 32, of Oceanside, Calif., with another rookie, the Brazilian ace Valmir Nunes, 43, a further six minutes in arrears.
All runners who ascended the 17-mile climb before dusk faced a stiff headwind on the slopes up to the pass at 4,956'. Pacheco, a champion of the 50 and 100-mile racing circuits, used this stretch of the race course to show his considerable strength and establish a psychological advantage over his rivals.
Konya, last year's runner-up but the least experienced of the trio, seemed to be having the toughest time, alternatively running and walking. Nunes pulled Konya back to under two minutes shortly after the 3,000' elevation marker on Townes Pass.
At the summit of Townes Pass, 58.7 miles into the race, Pacheco led Konya by over 35 minutes, and Nunes by 42 minutes. The Mexican looked the strongest runner in the race. Yet, as Pacheco's wife said from the crew vehicle, "There is still a long way to go in this race." She knew he had run no more than 100 miles prior to this, and as a veteran of the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon herself, she knew only too well what a big difference those extra 35 miles make.
On the 10-mile descent to the Panamint Valley, 3,036' below, Konya remained about 35 minutes behind Pacheco, while Nunes had closed to sixteen minutes behind the Hungarian as he passed through Time Station Three at the Panamint Springs Resort. "I was not worried, I was in control," said Nunes at the finish line when recalling this part of the race. Yet at the post-race banquet, his tone was a little different. "I had intended to lead the race from the beginning, but because of Jorge (Pacheco) and Akos (Konya) I could not do that," he admitted.
Dave Goggins looked comfortable in fourth place for most of the race, and unlike his rivals he was running without a pacer. Though he was running faster than the year before, he never looked likely to challenge the top three - unless they faltered, in which case he was ready to sweep them up with his relentless cadence and hyper-efficient crew.
The nighttime low temperature was a relatively cool 93F, (34C) but more importantly the runners were out of the blistering ultra-violet of the sun's rays. Going through the Panamint Springs time station, Goggins was 1:16 behind Pacheco. A further 35 minutes back, the Swiss runner, Christian Fatton, 47, had moved up into fifth place.
While the runners headed into the dark steepness of the 'Father Crowley' climb—2,020 vertical feet in only eight miles—many of the crew members stopped at the Panamint Springs Resort, which kept its kitchen open all night to feed support crews and race staff.
Nunes showed his determination on the Father Crowley climb and reeled in Konya shortly after the Darwin time station 90 miles into the race. That was the last the Hungarian would see of the Brazilian. "Valmir just took off," said Konya who recalled that he was mentally preparing himself for third place when reports began coming in that Pacheco was walking and did not look good, "so I kept going hard and I passed him at Lone Pine."
The downfall of Pacheco came in the form of a quadriceps muscle group in his leg that would no longer function. This hundred mile specialist's demise came on somewhere around the 110-mile mark, where he was unable to repair the damaged muscles. He was quickly reduced to a shuffling walk and the lead of 43 minutes that he had held over Nunes at the Darwin time station had turned into a deficit of 1:38 at Lone Pine, 32 miles up the road.
Pacheco had set new record times to the first four time stations, but in the end it was all to no avail. At the finish, enormously impressed by his rival's effort, Konya approached Pacheco and told him of his record setting pace through the first four time stations. "Yes, but it was a mistake," explained Pacheco. "I've never run this far and I was unable to slow down (in the first 100 miles)."
Konya passed Pacheco and moved into second place shortly before the Lone Pine time station, and Dave Goggins would pass Pacheco and move into third place on the final climb to the finish on Mt Whitney. This was the most punishing of all climbs in the race, 4671 feet in 13 miles.
Konya would complete the course in 23:47:47, more than two hours faster than the 25:58:42 he posted in 2006. Goggins would finish in 25:49:40, compared to 30:18:54 in 2006.
The rookie Pacheco's fourth place finish would be in a time of 26:41:52, a time fast enough to win the race overall in 2001, 2002, 2003, or 2004.
What happened in the women's race mirrored the men's category: an object lesson in the delicacy of pacing and the value of experience in this arduous event. Rookie runner Jamie Donaldson, 32, of Littleton, Colo. set out at what looked like a reasonable, if brisk pace and worked like a metronome to put great distance between herself and her rivals.
By Panamint Springs she had a lead of one hour and twenty minutes over second place Tracy Thomas, 45, of Champaign, IL, and 2:25 over Noora Aladina, 50, of Palm Harbor, Florida. At that point in the race, 72 miles in, Lisa Bliss was 3:25 back. Donaldson's lead looked almost unassailable.
But like Pacheco in the men's race, Donaldson was hobbled by a debilitating breakdown. In her case it was shin splints, which came on at about the 90-mile mark. With every step hurting, the courageous Jamie Donaldson began a painful looking shuffle that she continued to the end, although she eventually dropped to fifth place.
Some 24 hours before she crossed the finish line, 8,371 feet up the slopes of Mount Whitney, Lisa Bliss was climbing Townes Pass and having grave doubts as to whether she would even finish.
"I had bad blisters. But I just said to myself, 'I've got what I've got, I'll just carry on.' But I couldn't even walk, the pain was so bad. Then my doctor found a metatarsal pad, the one item I couldn't get hold of before the race, and that made the pain tolerable."
Bliss, a medical doctor who oversaw the assemblage of the event's 10-member medical crew, discovered that she was getting stronger and stronger as the race progressed. On Townes Pass she was the fifth woman, and from there on she started passing her rivals one by one all the way to Lone Pine where she finally caught the ailing Jamie Donaldson.
"Maybe they just went out a little too hard. Maybe I benefited from all those long stops I was taking to tend to my blisters and tendon problem. I don't know, but at around 90 miles I started to feel real good and just began running. I must have had the fastest woman's split form Darwin to Lone Pine. I ran the whole way," said Bliss after the finish.
Bliss passed Donaldson at Lone Pine, 122 miles into the race with only 13 miles remaining, and went on to win with a time of 34:33:40. Unable to respond, Donaldson could only watch as Noora Alidina also went past to claim second place in 35:12:13, then Tracy Thomas, whose third place finish time was 37:26:44 and then Bonnie Busch, 49, of Bettendorf, IA, who posted 40:29:16. Donaldson would place fifth with a time 41:00:57, a heroic effort.
Of the 84 starters, 78 finished officially in under 60 hours, of which sixty-five received the coveted belt buckle for completing the course in under 48 hours. Of special note is Robin Smit, 70, of Fresno, CA, who completed the race in 55:52:24 and became the second ever 70 year old to finish the race. He broke the 70+ age group record of 57:52:12 set by Jack Denness in 2005.
The Badwater Hall of Fame expanded from seven to nine members this year with the induction of Ben and Denise Jones of Lone Pine, CA. Race director Chris Kostman presented this distinguished and much loved couple with a plaque that read "In recognition of their 17 years on the race course as athletes, camp hosts, volunteers, crew members, Race Ambassadors, and Mayor and First Lady."
Now in its eighth year producing this race, AdventureCORPS is pleased to have had the support of title sponsor, Kiehl's Since 1851, for the fifth year in a row. Kiehl's was founded as an old-world apothecary at the corner of Thirteenth Street and Third Avenue in New York City. Its unique and extensive background represents a blend of cosmetic, pharmaceutical, herbal, and medicinal knowledge developed and passed on through generations. For more than 150 years, Kiehl's has served its customers skin and hair care products formulated with the finest ingredients. The company is characterized by a strident commitment to service standards of the highest quality. More info.
Additional race sponsors included The Coleman Company, "The Greatest Name in Camping Gear" and producers of the Official Race Cooler of the Badwater Ultramarathon, Hammer Nutrition, Injinji Performance Socks, ZombieRunner.com, Seasons Restaurant of Lone Pine, Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort, Panamint Springs Resort, Dow Villa of Lone Pine, the community of Lone Pine, CA, and many other generous companies and individuals. More info.
The Official Charity of the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon is the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few charities that provides grants directly to athletes with a physical disability, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over ten million dollars and directly assisted over 2100 challenged athletes world wide. One of the goals of the Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon is to raise funds for, and awareness of, this organization. More info.
This year, 63 of the race entrants competed on behalf of a charity of their choice. Some of those include Challenged Athletes Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project, ASPIRE, Reserve Aid, Team St. Luke's, UNICEF, One Campaign, World Havest Mission, Caring House Project Foundation, Valley of the Moon Children's Home, and many other worthy causes. The race roster includes links to the various charities.
This year's race celebrated the 30th anniversary of Al Arnold's original trek from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977. Arnold, an ultrarunning pioneer and human potential guru, competed in a solo effort: just Arnold and his support crew against the elements and the clock. The official head-to-head race began ten years after Arnold's pioneer trek, in 1987.
Applications to compete in the 2008 event will be accepted in January only from those who have finished at least one 100-miler or a 135-mile member of the Badwater World Cup.