Today is the start of the Badwater Ultra Marathon. 135 miles or 217 km through Death Valley. A 48 hour limit applies.
My nephew Alex (left) is running and his sister Stacey and brother Jody are part of the crew.
The track is gruelling at the best of times but more so in the high temps that they are experiencing right now, (120 C. today)
This is the most demanding and extreme running race on the planet according to the race site. It begins in Death Valley and continues through three mountain ranges and finishes in Mt Whitney, California.
Alex is a winner the minute his foot hits the start line in my opinion. He has run over 2500 kms in 6 months. Two years of time and effort have gone into preparation for this race.
The Badwater site touts that it involves 100 of the worlds toughest runners, triathletes, adventure racers and mountaineers. The entry is tough and then even if you have the complete requirements there are still no guarantees that you are accepted.
Anyways, we are all rooting for you Alex from Canada.
Go Alex Go but don’t forget you are already a winner in our books….
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UPDATE: Alex fulfilled his dream and completed the race. He lost 7 pounds across the desert, so he was held back by 30 minutes at the first aid station in order to gain half the weight back. What a challenge he took on.. Certainly not for everyone.
15 out of 100 runners did not complete the marathon. According to CNN, this years weather is the 5th worst year for heat in the history of the world. So kudos to the DNF’s.(did not finish) for trying.
Its In The Picture - 365 
Go Alex Go! You must be so proud of your nephew, Barbara. This is a test of stamina and will power. Does he keep a blog? My friend who ran across the Sahara Desert had one.
Yes we are proud and his site is ….alexlalonde@blogspot.com
It is also at the bottom of my blog for easy access. Thanks Opalla.
I’ve seen a documentary about that. It’s brutal. How did it go?
There were 100 on the run. 15 did not finish. It was brutal. They held him back at one point because he had lost 7 pounds going through the desert. He had to regain 1/2 back. .We are so proud of him because his goal was to finish and he did that. He is a happy camper rite now…Thanks for asking.
Wow…that’s a lot of weight to lose in a short period of time! I’ll bet he’s proud!
I am sure he is…..
OMG. You must be proud! It is funny that my wife just read a book called “the Ultra marathon man” written by Dean Karnazes. Another nice thing is that my daughter runs marathons and I just made a post from her short run in my new home town Mikkeli. She is not so good than Alex and Stacey. My hat off.
date sites Hmm it looks like your website ate my first commnet (it was super long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have