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crazy mofos running the "Badwater Ultra"


Gil Bang

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There's a running race in California so ungodly hot that competitors run on the street's white painted line to keep their shoes from melting — while covering a distance five times that of a standard marathon. The Badwater Ultra is perhaps the most physically taxing competitive event in the world.

It starts at the lowest point in Death Valley and finishes 135 miles away at the gateway to Mt. Whitney. Still not impressed? The course's cumulative elevation gain and loss is about 20,700 feet, or nearly four miles. The 2019 race kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. It's expected to be about 112 degrees. Buzzfeed has a bunch of great photos from past events. Buzzfeed | Desert Sun

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12 hours ago, Deej said:

I know someone going to Mongolia next week to run a 250 mile race. What is wrong with people?

Errbody gotta go bigger and one up the other guy.  Retarded stuff for a bumper sticker and bragging rights at a cocktail party.  

Not impressed. 

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I’m going to drive from Texarkana to Galveston Thursday night.  It’s about 290 miles.

i hope to keep it under 6 hours and will probably stop at a whataburger in Timpson to rehydrate and refuel.

this post really hits close to home.

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15 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Errbody gotta go bigger and one up the other guy.  Retarded stuff for a bumper sticker and bragging rights at a cocktail party.  

Not impressed. 

 

Especially if they give out medals to dogs named Cactus

https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/stray-dog-joins-marathon-des-sables-receives-medal

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People who run ultras are in general a unique bunch, the Badwater crowd takes it to a whole new level of insanity/badassery.

Here is their webcast page with links for anyone who wants to keep up with these fools

I recognize one name on the list, #33. She has done a bunch of long races, I heard her on a podcast and she sounded like a cool chick. An ex addict with about 100 tattoos, and she is apparently 54 years old. Not your typical running nerd.

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There's also (or was) a documentary on a less organized "race" called the barkely marathons.  It's 5 laps each roughly 30 miles.  The trails aren't marked very well, and only a handful of people have actually finished.  There's like a 24 hour window where the race can start based on the whim of the organizer.  And the entry "fee" is always something weird like a bag of socks or a a sweatshirt.

 

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54 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

There's also (or was) a documentary on a less organized "race" called the barkely marathons.  It's 5 laps each roughly 30 miles.  The trails aren't marked very well, and only a handful of people have actually finished.  There's like a 24 hour window where the race can start based on the whim of the organizer.  And the entry "fee" is always something weird like a bag of socks or a a sweatshirt.

 

The elevation is the equivalent of running up Everest twice as well.

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BARKLEY DESCRIPTION:

Quote

The Barkley Marathons

When assassin James Earl Ray escaped from a Tennessee prison in 1977, he was missing for 55 hours. In that time, he only managed to get eight miles away before being recaptured. Race organizer Gary Cantrell heard this statistic and thought he could make it at least a hundred miles in that time. He organized the Barkley Marathons to test this theory.

Since 1986, elite ultramarathon runners have met in the hills of Frozen Head State Park to have a go at one of the world's most difficult races. Cantrell handpicks the field according to his own whims and applicants' essays on why they should be allowed to run the Barkley. Marathoners have 60 hours to complete five 20-mile loops through the park. Each loop contains over 10,000 feet of vertical climb, and if any loop takes more than 12 hours, the runner is disqualified. The runners trudge along through brambles, unmarked trails, and occasionally both snow and blistering heat during the same race.

Don't think that 100 miles in 60 hours sounds so tough? Since the race's inception over 500 elite runners have tried to finish the 100-mile trek. Seven have successfully finished the race. Cantrell's not a total sadist, though; he also offers a companion "fun run" to go along with his monstrous trail run. Fun runners only have to finish 60 miles of the course in 40 hours. Sounds like a lot of fun, right?

There is a great documentary about the Barkley race on Amazon.

This is the race director:

spacer.png

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4 Texans entered. The first to cross the finish line, in 34:03:07, was 63 yr old lady from San Leon. A 45 yr old dude from Fort Worth finished in 37:24:13. 

There's 31 yr old guy from Lipan, TX still on the course somewhere past the 122.7 mile marker, and 51 yr old lady from Friendswood who has crossed the 90.6 marker. 

I was thinking I would skip my 4 mile run this afternoon because of the heat, but now I feel like a slacker. 

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Kinda getting the feeling that dude really wants to be pegged by Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of that sentence was intentionally elaborate to conceal the pegging part. Seems like Andy Dick being there is just a diversion. 

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1 hour ago, HOOKEM4 said:

To be fair, you just call that a regular ole' Tuesday night.

 

1 hour ago, Chooky said:

Kinda getting the feeling that dude really wants to be pegged by Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of that sentence was intentionally elaborate to conceal the pegging part. Seems like Andy Dick being there is just a diversion. 

 

1 hour ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Yea, I mean the beutican and the beast reference confirms it.

Well i'll be damned if i didn't get caught

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