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| Competitor Charlie Engle receives ice around his neck in the blistering 55 degree celsius conditions [REBECCA BYERLY] |
"Your body is not made to go through this kind of torture," confessed Charlie Engle, 46, as perspiration poured down his face in the blazing 55 degree celsius California sun.
"The only way I can describe the heat is claustrophobic. This is a race where your shoes can melt on the pavement it's so hot."
Already halfway into the AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon, a 200-kilometre, non-stop foot race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in the northern part of the state, Engle had lost over five kilos due to stomach problems and was suffering from severe dehydration.
But he was not the only one to endure extreme mental and physical pain.
A 19-year-old and 67-year-old also competed in the event and suffered heavily.
Though their ages, ailments, and finish times differed, they were connected in their attitude towards pain. They embraced it and pushed on.
For Engle, a former drug addict turned world famous ultramarathon runner, every step was a victory.
Engle had transcended from substance abuse to testing one's limits both physically and mentally through the challenge of ultramarathon running.
"From the time I was 19 to 29 I used cocaine and alcohol in some combination pretty much non-stop," said Engle as he tried to drink a concoction of electrolytes between stomach cramps.
He believed his years of addiction helped prepare him for Badwater, a race which has a reputation for being the most gruelling ultramarathon on the planet.
This year 86 people took on the challenge.
Runners started at the lowest point in the western hemisphere, and then covered over 13,000 feet of vertical gain, concluding the event at the highest point in the contiguous US.
To cool off during the race Engle sat in a cooler packed with ice, one of the only comforts in the seemingly endless run.
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"To do a race like Badwater, you must have lived long enough to have suffered properly"
Charlie Engle
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"To do a race like Badwater, you must have lived long enough to have suffered properly," said Engle, a five-time Badwater finisher.
"At 46 I'm in the best shape of my life and at my peak to do this race.
"I'm here to win."
The average age of runners at Badwater is mid-forties, a statistic often attributed to life experience.
Engle did not win the race but ran a personal best and crossed the finish line in under 26 hours.
Several hours later and decades younger a seemingly unknown competitor would also cross the finish, proving that he was old enough to suffer through the challenges of this extreme sport.
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Nick Hollon smiles through the pain
[AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon] |
Old enough to suffer
This year, 19 year-old Nickademus (Nick) Hollon, showed that young people can also compete and brought a new perspective to the personal drive that pushes one to the finish line.
"I would normally never consider selecting a competitor as young as Nick to contend in a race like Badwater," Chris Kostman the race director said.
"But Nick is an exceptional 19-year old with an outstanding track record.
"He ran almost 5,000km for his senior project in high school and seemed to have both the mental and physical maturity it takes to take on Badwater."
Just to apply for Badwater, competitors have to run two 160km ultramarathons in one calendar year.
Hollon simulated the sweltering temperatures he would face at Badwater by sitting in his car in the middle of summer with the heat on.
He also ran the entire Badwater course twice.
"I would roll the windows up in my car, turn the heat on, and stick my face in front of the vent for 20 minute intervals," recounted Hollon.
"The training that helped me the most was running the 200km course twice this summer in preparation for the race."
But no amount of training can fully prepare you for the physical toll a race like Badwater takes. Hollon got off to a fast start and was at the front of the pack for the first half of the race but slowed to a hobble due to blisters.
"Nick had 12 silver dollar size blisters spiraling down his feet," said Scott Wall, a race official.
"They were some of the worst blisters I've seen in my ten years working at Badwater. After he had his blisters worked on he could barely walk."
Hollon fought though the pain. "The pain I faced out there was temporary," he said.
"I knew when I got into the race in February I would finish."
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| Nick's mother, right, sprays him down while his crew members encourage him to keep going [REBECCA BYERLY] |
He began running marathons with his mother when he was 11.
"For Nick, Badwater was a way to explore himself and dig deeper into why he is out here running," said Hollon's mother, Marina Parenti, who was also part of his crew.
"I really do not see the pain he goes through as senseless suffering but an opportunity for Nick to look deeper within himself and grow as a person."
Each runner can have up to six crew people and are followed by two support vehicles.
With the encouragement of his crew and a positive attitude Hollon persevered and finished strong. He crossed the line just over 33 hours.
Battle for the Buckle
For the oldest Badwater competitor, Arthur Webb, 67, the finish was still hours away.
Webb suffered from severe dehydration at the start of the event and was out of the race for nine hours.
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| Arthur Webb, centre, receives medical attention [AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon] |
"I really was not sure Art would finish," admitted Lisa Bliss, the medical director at Badwater.
"Art was out of the race for such a long time and was in such bad shape that I really wondered if he would pull through.
"But then I have learned to never underestimate Art Webb."
Twenty hours into the event Webb had only managed to get through a third of the race.
Runners have 60 hours to complete the race, but if they finish under 48 hours they receive the coveted Badwater belt buckle.
Webb’s eyes were fixed on the buckle. He ran the last 130km and completed the event in 46 hours well ahead of competitors half his age.
"I have always believed that once the commitment is made it becomes a moral obligation to honour and respect the integrity of the human spirit by finishing what we start," said Webb as he looked at his Badwater belt buckle at the end of the race.
Though their ages may vary by more than a quarter century and their life experience is vastly different, Webb, Hollon, and Engle are connected in their understanding of the importance Badwater has in their lives.
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| Arthur Webb shows off his Badwater belt buckle [AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon] |
A race for reflection
"I run Badwater because it has always been a significant mental, physical and spiritual challenge," said Webb who plans to compete in the race when he is in his seventies.
"Badwater, is my attempt at the most basic and rawest human level to endure the overwhelming challenges of a hostile environment under the most extreme conditions in the world."
Hollon said Badwater was a way to look deeper within himself.
"Running is my way to explore a place within myself and search for answers," he said. He plans to take on Badwater again next year and encourages young people to take on similar challenges.
"You are never too young to compete."
For Engle, Badwater is his personal litmus test.
"It is the place I go to not only see where my running is but where my brain and recovery are. The race has a unique power because it really is hard and it gives anyone who does it an opportunity to examine themselves.”
Engle said he was satisfied with his performance this year and felt he was done with Badwater for a while.
Engle and Hollon are already planning their next athletic challenge. This time it's a race called the Furnace Creek 508, an 818km bike race through the most rugged terrain in California.
You can read more about the Badwater Ultramarathon here: http.//badwater.com/
And more about the upcoming Furnace Creek 508 race here: http://www.the508.com/
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