Why does every year seem tougher than the last?

Four-time finisher 

No matter how many times I attempt the Badwater Ultramarathon, it never seems to get any easier.  Even though I “survived the fastest” in 2004, I’ve yet to have a good Badwater.  Despite my best commitment to prepare more rigorously every year, the race always gets the better of me.  So any guidance I might dispense in this article needs to be tapered by the fact that I’m still trying to figure things out.

Something I can state with relative certainty, though, is that San Francisco is probably the worst place on earth to train for Badwater.  With daytime temperatures rarely cresting 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and a frigid fog dampening the air, Mark Twain had been attributed with once saying that the coldest winter he ever spent was summer in San Francisco.  Bummer I live in San Francisco.

Yet British Columbia isn’t a whole lot warmer, and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down Ferg Hawke.  The Canadian native and two-time Badwater Ultramarathon runner-up has devised his own version of Death Valley, right in his back yard.  Hawke built a solarium off the rear of his house, and then stuck a treadmill in it.  Daytime temperatures inside can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit, which simulate race day conditions quite nicely.  The enterprising ultramarathoner spends three to four days a week inside training leading up to the race.

Still, Hawke realizes the importance of being on the actual course, and also spends time training in Death Valley prior to the event.  There isn’t anything, really, that can emulate the real deal, not even a 130 degree solarium.  They don’t call it “The World’s Toughest Footrace” for nothing.

When it’s 120 degrees outside and there’s a 25 mph headwind, having spent time in such elements prior to the race is invaluable.  Nothing can prepare you for the arduous climb up Townes Pass like spending time training on Townes Pass.  Hawke realizes this, and being the consummate pro that he is, gets out to Death Valley a few times before the event.

There are no “tricks” for running 135-miles across Death Valley in July, but something I’ve found useful in coping with the “blow dryer in your face” effect is using saline spray to help moisten your nasal passage.  As a surfer, I’ve learned that having saltwater shot up your nose actually helps prevent your sinuses from drying out.  Thus I’ve been bringing a tube of saline spray to Badwater and misting liberally along the run.

I’ve also found that much of the high-tech running gear I typically wear seems to be the wrong fabric for Badwater temperatures.  Having a garment that wicks away moisture is great up to a point, but when temperatures crest 100 degrees, the evaporative cooling effect of such material is disappointingly transient.  What I’ve found to remain coolest longest is thick canvas or terrycloth.  These fabrics soak up water and retain dampness for greater periods.  The tradeoff is that they’re heavy.

The added weight, however, isn’t as frustrating as my inability to stay on pace.  What I’ve discovered over the years is something every Badwater veteran already knows: you can’t compare conditions one year verses the next.  Differences in temperatures, humidity, wind speeds and wind direction, sandstorms, flashfloods, etc…all coalesce to create entirely distinct conditions each year.  Trying to compare split times one year against a previous year can be like chasing a mirage.

So how, then, do you best prepare for a race that can throw just about anything your way?  “I try really hard not to think about the heat.  I just run and drink as much as I possibly can,” says Pam Reed.  Staying in the present, and drinking as much as you can, sounds like a prudent strategy.  Reed ought to know; not only is she the women’s record holder, she’s won the thing outright twice, handily disposing of yours truly on one such occasion.

Reed’s training secret really isn’t much of a secret at all.  She lives in Arizona and trains harder than anyone I know: “I run 4 times a day about 45 minutes to 1 hour.  This is when it is about 105 or so out.”  Beyond her natural ability, she’s committed to the core, unwilling to accept anything less than total devotion.  Her phenomenal results are a testament to her dedication and drive.  Train hard, get results.  Don’t bonk.

And even if you train hard, you still can bonk.  Just ask Scott Jurek, who was dehydrated and vomiting after Panamint Springs.  “I got behind on fluids,” he says, “and paid for it.”

But Badwater is about overcoming low points and persevering.  Jurek regrouped and went on not only to win the race, but to smash the course record in the process.  How did he do it?  “The key to turning it around was listening to my body, finding out what was wrong, and then correcting it.  It’s impossible to fight the body.”

So there you have some advice from the best at Badwater on how to make your experience a positive one.  My suggestion is to listen to everyone, yet follow no one.  What works for others might not work for you.  The only “certainty” with this race is that anything less than 100% commitment won’t get you across the finish line.  Experiment with what works best for you, train like crazy, and hope for cooler temperatures and a tailwind…just don’t plan on it.

2004 Badwater champ Dean Karnazes is author of the bestseller, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner.  Info at www.Ultramarathonman.com

1999 Finisher

After over a month of heat training preparation, I was fortunate to have had a successful run from Badwater to the summit of Mt. Whitney in the July 99 Hi-Tec Badwater race. I had no real knowledge of heat training before I began heat training, but I posted questions about it to the ultra list and got responses from others who had experience with, or were at least knowledgeable about, heat training.

Many of the ideas expressed were scientific; I did my best to interpret them. Some were more simplified, and out of all of them, I tailored a regimen to suit me personally, as anyone should do. Regardless of the different approaches there are some ideas and beliefs about training for and performing in extreme heat that are common, and as a conclusion to my experience with heat, I will write some of the more basic and simple ideas that I think are sound advice and good knowledge for dealing with it. These are only my opinions, and this is what worked for me.

1. Your body is a machine that cannot be thrown into a very foreign and hostile environment such as extreme heat and be expected to perform at its usual high caliber. No matter how tough you perceive yourself to be, simply dealing with heat and accepting it won’t be enough; you must physically adapt to the rigors of heat beforehand.
2. Simplified, sources of heat are,
   1. External, from the environment, real ( sun, humidity, air temps, ) or simulated ( heavy layers of clothes that trap heat, blankets, ect…).
   2. Internal, generated from physical exertion and output
   3. Both
3. When enduring extreme heat it is most important to stay cool internally.
   1. By adding coolant. Drinking lots and lots of cold water and ice, the colder the better.
   2. By keeping physical effort to a minimum.
4. External cooling.
   People naturally sweat to cool off. In extreme heat however, your body might not sweat enough to cool you off, or, the outside environment might be so hot and dry that any perspiration evaporates off your body before it can have any cooling effect on it. Either way, sweat can be simulated by wearing very lightweight or cotton material clothing, long sleeve and preferably covering the legs also, and “continuously” soaking, spraying or saturating the clothing with cold water. The wet clothes against the skin will have the same cooling effect as sweat
5. The combination of keeping cool internally by:
   1. drinking lots of cold water,
   2. generating as little internal heat as possible by keeping physically exertion to a minimum,
   3. and cooling externally by producing outside coolant in the form of artificial sweat should keep most people cool in the hottest environments if a person has these resources available.
6. Humidity.
   When considering the temperature performing in, take humidity into consideration. From experience I know humidity is a silent killer. It is rare in the West, common in the East. Humidity zaps strength, dehydrates a person very quickly, and does these things suddenly without warning. A warm humid day is probably more dangerous than a very hot dry day.In my opinion, the best way to deal with humidity is respect it. Even if it doesn’t feel that hot, prepare for it by taking it easy and drinking lots and lots. Basically the same as for dry heat; that’s why I say, above all else, respect it.
7. Regardless, to perform in a hot environment at a race like Badwater some heat must be generated internally, and heat must be endured. To do so you must teach your body to adapt to the heat by teaching your body to sweat more, and locate a tolerable medium between physically pushing yourself and yet not overheating internally.
8. Over-dressed heat training.
   1. Can be dangerous. Use good judgment and train in a safe environment, particularly one that is safe from traffic
   2. In the heat of the day, either go the whole nine yards and train in many heavy layers right from the start and run very limited mileage to understand how you will personally react to it, or, start with more routine mileage with perhaps just a sweatshirt and cold weather cap and add more layers and increase mileage as you adapt.
   3. Drink lots and lots of water. Drive to pre-determined spots along your route and put cold water and ice out, or always be close to a source of cold water.
   4. Pace yourself. It’s easy to feel just as strong at the start, aside from feeling heavy, than normal. It “won’t” last. Remember to generate as little internal heat as possible and plan on lots of walking.
   5. Be prepared for nausea. In my opinion this results from the large amount of water in your stomach. Consider salt, rock salt, and E-Caps supplements to assist with this.
   6. Keep up your energy. Just like in normal training, if you run for x amount of time, energy is needed, and even though you might not feel like eating, you must. You might require less energy intake than normal however. Liquid energy is one of the better or “easier” ways to supplement energy in the heat.
   7. Keep your wits. The heat is something that can be very overwhelming mentally. If you start to panic or get the slightest bit confused or dizzy, slow down, sit in the shade, recover and cool down. You won’t be able to escape the heat in the actual environment, however, so if at all possible, cool down by resting and minimizing your effort rather than by taking off any clothing. Tolerating the overwhelming heat can be a big moral victory, but when it comes down to it, safety is your main concern.
   8. Make sure others know what your doing, where your training, when to expect you.
   9. Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Prevention is easier than treatment.
   10. The frequency of over-dressed training sessions is up to an individual. For me, I opted for about 2 extreme heat sessions a week, and then added one lesser element of heat to each regular training session, by running normally but in the heat of the day, or in the evening wearing a sweatshirt and hat, just always enduring a little more heat than I normally would in order to build an overall tolerance and acceptance for heat. My most extreme heat sessions consisted of wearing a Coolmax t shirt, a sweatshirt, a thick, insulated navy working jacket topped with a rubber, non-breathable, dark green raincoat and cold weather hat. Plus sweatpants off and on, and towards the end of my preparation gloves as well.
   11. Run / Walks with climb from 1-2 hours average. Maximum heat endured dressed like so, 90 degrees + 100 % humidity for 4 hours, 9 miles with climb. Overall 10-11 “extreme overdressed sessions” over 5-6 week period before Badwater.

Important advice. Have a good crew who has knowledge of what it takes to keep you going in the heat. My crew was very experienced and kept handing me another water bottle of ice water even before I could finish the one I already had. I probably wouldn’t have drunk quite as much had it not been handed to me so often. Have your crew think for you and keep you hydrated.

Personal Race Notes
Temps at Badwater were lower than normal in 1999 but humidity was high. I stayed well hydrated throughout the race, wore Solar Eclipse sun hat, long sleeved Sun Precautions shirt, shorts. Wore cotton pajama pants some. Very dependable crew misted me down often and I stayed cool and never once suffered with the heat. Successful finish.

Heat-wise, I suffered much more enduring the heat during my over-dressed training than I did during the actual race. In my opinion I was able to perform well because I had physically adapted to heat and had mentally learned to accept heat, in addition to the cooling methods we used during the race.

I would never be hotter during the actual event than I was throughout my over-dressed training run/walks in the month before the race. One in particular, two weeks before the race, and the last of my extreme heat training, was the pinnacle of my suffering.

(Adapted from Western States Endurance Run program.)

Three time finisher

I am a long-time physician in the high desert area, living and practicing in Lone Pine, California. It is at the foot of Mt. Whitney and at the threshold of Death Valley. I have treated cases of every imaginable medical circumstance including heat exhaustion and heat stroke (including disseminated intravascular coagulation). Since 1990 I have been involved in the annual Badwater Ultramarathon (formerly the Hi-Tec Badwater 146).

In 1991 my claim to fame happened during the race. About a week before 14 of us started at Badwater, Death Valley, there was known to be a trekker missing who had attempted to traverse Death Valley east to west 10 miles and then return. During the race, I was approaching Lone Pine some 122 miles later and saw the coroner traveling in the direction of Death Valley. By the time I had made it to Whitney Portals at 135 miles, I got word that he wanted me to do an autopsy. I obliged and then re-entered the course to complete the event to the top of Whitney at 146 miles. I am the only one of which I am aware who has ever performed an autopsy during a race. Besides that, I used a water-filled casket (body removal tank) for immersing myself in to cool down during the race. I am also the only one I have heard of to successfully get in and out of a casket before successfully finishing a race.

In terms of heat training and experience, I began to increase my exposure to the heat in 1990 when I went out on the Badwater course to see and help several friends who were in the race. While training to participate in 1991, I became acquainted with Richard Benyo and Tom Crawford of “Death Valley 300” fame; they had done the round trip from “Fire to Ice to Fire.” As a result of this association and having done the autopsy, there was a touching ceremony at Badwater on 07-04-1992 where I was dubbed the “Mayor of Badwater” and my wife, Denise, the “First Lady of Badwater.”

I completed the Race in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and did not finish on the next two attempts in 1994 and 1996. My failure in 1994, after 40 miles, was because I did not start the race hydrated well enough and that I stopped manufacturing urine. I gave myself four liters of IV’s as I laid on my casket in the U-Haul before I started putting out urine. I felt that, if I were to continue, I would wind up on the renal dialysis ward. Because of the extra heat in 1996 and the resulting fatigue that existed, I pulled myself at 50 miles. I could have continued but I went ahead to support my wife and free up my crew for her as I would have finished beyond the 60-hour time limit. My wife finished successfully in 1994, 1996, and 1999.

One advantage I have in regard to heat training and adaptation is that I live in the high desert in the Eastern Sierra. In Lone Pine, it gets to above 100 degrees F in the summer and it is very dry with less than 10% humidity. It is usually 20 degrees hotter in Death Valley no matter what time of day or what day of the year it is. All I have to do is go eastward and hang around in the heat (in dark clothes) and do some light exercise.

There is some very good scientific information about heat acclimatization that is very informative and can be found in “Marathon and Beyond” in the July/August 1997 issue: “Into the Valley of Death” by Richard Benyo and “Beating the Heat” by David E. Martin, PhD. Another valuable piece is in the “Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science” on “Heat Acclimatization” by Lawrence E. Armstrong, PhD. My information below is more of a “by the seat of the pants” approach.

“How long do you need to train in hot conditions to acclimate?”

My answer is as long as possible, but, practically, about three weeks. Try to spend as much time above 100 degrees F as possible and that means traveling to the low deserts of Southern California or the eastern desert areas such as Panamint Valley and Death Valley. It is necessary to spend time outdoors in these areas and just trying to relax while getting used to the heat. The training can be eased into. Of great importance is to have the potential crew members along also. The event being trained for can almost be more difficult and hazardous for them than for the performer. Most athletes cannot afford the time and cost of doing all of this, unfortunately.

“When acclimating, how long and how hard should you exercise each day?”

Long is more important than hard. Start easy and then work up. I like Walt Stack’s creed of “start slowly and then taper off!” Calculate the distance being covered and the time limit imposed, then go from there according to your capabilities. For the Badwater Ultramarathon, 20-minute miles will cover the 135-mile course from Badwater to Whitney Portals in 45 hours. One can buckle in 48 hours. For this 135-mile Race, most of it is flat and I tried to do 15-minute miles for these 70 miles. I treated the 19 downhill-miles as flat miles at the same pace to save the legs. The uphill 18 miles from Stovepipe Wells Village to the top of Townes Pass and the 15 miles from Panamint Valley to the Darwin Flats I tried to do at a 20-minute-per-mile pace. For the steeper 13 miles from Lone Pine to the Portals, I tried to do at a 30-minute per-mile pace. The 11 miles up the Whitney trail I allowed a 1-mile-per-hour pace. So, setting a pace for the terrain of the anticipated race is necessary. This is not possible for a continuous race lasting more than 48 hours. The intensity and duration of training can be adjusted upwards for each additional day of training, but allow a few rest-days or, at least, a few rest-hours for you compulsive people. I would say try to do a mild level of exercise for about 8 to 10 hours each day. The intensity can be adjusted upwards to a moderate level later. It is virtually impossible and essentially inadvisable to train at an intense level in these conditions. Try to gauge how many hours or days it will take to get through the anticipated event and heat and practice accordingly.

“Is passive acclimatization possible?”

It certainly is and this is mostly what I do. Wear dark clothes while in the heat. Don’t use air-conditioning. You can even roll up the windows of the vehicle and turn on the heater. My exercise base has usually been 1-2 hours of exercise a day every day in my calculated fitness range. [This is three to six times what is needed for general and basic health]. I have always been at the back-of-the pack, or, as I often announce, in the top 98%. In getting ready for this race, I like to go out to the desert and just kick back and do some hiking as well as strolling on the dry lake beds and over the sand dunes. I take a camera and a micro cassette recorder as well as some techno-nerd items. Try to have fun and visit with other desert rats. Be sure to write up your story even if you “fail.” Pass on what you learn. With progressive heat adaptation, I have found that I don’t seem to sweat as much and my skin doesn’t seem to taste as salty, even if I am not exercising at the time. Fluid and electrolyte and calorie replacement are extremely important in these conditions for you and your crew. These are separate issues that could be covered later. Passive conditioning can get you by better than vigorous exercise. Decide what it is that you are trying to accomplish and set some goals.

“Can one simulate hot conditions at home?”

Yes, and this has been done using a sauna and with maybe adding some minimal exercise. Get a medical checkup before starting all of the above activities. Another way to do it is wear extra (dark) clothing as mentioned above while exercising in desert-like conditions. Wear something that traps the heat for a while. Again, don’t use air conditioning and roll up the windows and, if this doesn’t do it, turn on the heater. I have done these things and when it is 120 degrees I don’t even notice the blast from the heater. It does help the vehicle to run cooler, too. All of these things are useful, but the most important is to get in the right frame of mind about what is going to be done. You do have to get your skin, stomach and bladder through all of this too. I have had the advantage of living where I do and traveling frequently to the desert. I have practiced as a physician here since 1963 and have observed what can happen out here. Be careful!

Originally published in Men’s Fitness