HI TEC BADWATER TO WHITNEY VII 1994"SOME LIKE IT HOTTER" THE WORLD'S HOTTESTRACE!     My wife, Denise,the "First Lady" of Badwater, and I, the "Mayor," havebeen going out on thecourse more intensively the last few months. It has been much hotter thisyear. On 07 02 1994, we were at Badwater with Tom Crawford and Richard Benyoof the "Death Valley 300" fame. They were preparing Richard'sbrother, Drew,for a morning (A.M.) start from Badwater to Whitney on 07 18 1994. It was131 134 degrees at noon that day on the Fourth of July week end. The U.S.record temperature is 134 degrees at Badwater. The world record is 136degrees in Lybia. At 1115 on 07 27 1994, I held my Casio temperature watchin the shade of a white louvered box five feet off the ground at Badwater.It read 134 degrees! We were there to do a morning (A.M.) start and then goback for the eighteen hundred (P.M.) start of the race. We were attemptingto do a husband and wife/ "Mayor and First Lady" combination.Then, thetemperature was 127 degrees! Various thermometers that day were always over120 degrees and often close to 130 degrees. Official temperatures for DeathValley are taken at the Park Service Headquarters. This is at the FurnaceCreek Ranch Visitor's Center, which is at sea level. Badwater is 282 feetbelow sea level and, therefore, the temperatures would always be a degree orso hotter there. It didn't get below 100 degrees for the first 36 hours forthe slower performers. It was 80 degrees at Towne's Pass (4,956 feet and 59miles into the race) during the night. The same was true for Padre CrowleyPoint (4,000 feet and 80 miles) and for the Darwin turn off (5,000 feet and95 miles). Ground temperatures of the pavement, sand and gravel can get upto 200 degrees! The asphalt at the parking area at Badwater that noon wasmushy. Hyperthermia, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are always potentialproblems under these conditions. There was not the usual wind from the southat the start. That made it feel hotter and did not give us the usual boostfrom the rear.     At the otherextreme, temperatures can get into the 40's at night in the Darwin area(5,000 feet and between 85 95 miles). Above 12,000 feet and at the top ofWhitney, 14,494 feet, temperatures can get into the 20's at night in thesummertime. There usually is a 100 degree temperature differential duringthe race. This is another "attraction" for the participants.Hypothermia isalso a potential problem. If there is a storm, electrocution from alightening strike can occur, as it did to a non runner before the start ofthe 1990 race.     The course fromBadwater, Death Valley, to the top of Mt. Whitney is 146 miles. It is 135miles to Whitney Portals and 157 miles to the top and back to the Portals.Usually about two thirds of the competitors go to the Portals and stopthere. That is like five end to end marathons. The others, more interestedin adventure, go from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere to thehighest point in the Continental U.S. That is like six end to end marathons.In the 146 miles, 70 are flat and 20 are downhill descending 6,002 feet. Theother approximately 60 miles are uphill ascending 20,178 feet. That isequivalent to doing the lower two thirds of Mt. Everest! By reaching LonePine 9,384 feet have been gained. There are 4,600 feet more to climb to thePortals (8,300 ft. elevation) and then 6,194 feet more to get to the top

(14,494 ft. elevation).THE RACE:     This year therewere 23 competitors at the start line. There were eighteen runners and fivewalkers. This was the first year of the walk category with five entries.Also, this year there were three women entered. There were one runner andtwo walkers. No women entered in 1992 and 1993. Eight competitors had beenhere before. There were twice the number of competitors this year comparedto 1991, 1992 and 1993.   Pam Riggs and Karen Raby are the Co RaceDirectors. They did an excellent job putting this event together andinforming the competitors about the race. Special thanks go to the followingsponsors: Hi Tec Sports, USA, Inc., Aqua Sack, Crystal Geyser, Compeed,Killer Loop, PowerBar and Thorlo. Also, special thanks go to the followingagencies. The U.S. Park Service provided the special use permit. TheCalifornia Highway Patrol Officers Kelly Lassey of Death Valley and JoeFrancone of Lone Pine offered safety and support. The County of Inyo RoadDepartment kept the highway clear. The Inyo County Sheriff's Department wasaware of our presence. Finally, United States Forest Ranger, Todd Gilbreath,also an ultrarunner, is to be recognized for his courtesy on the WhitneyTrail. Caltrans, as usual, provided no support.MEN'S RACE:     Bill Menard hasdone his homework. He has run 90 marathons and ultras including 36 of the 50States and four foreign countries. His marathon P.R. is 2:52 and his 50 mileP.R. is 7:04. He won the Key toShining Key 100 mile race in Florida on 12 04 1993. It was in hightemperatures and humidity in 16:11 to establish the fastest 100 of anyFloridians. Last February he ran seven marathons to see how many he could doin the shortest month. He came to Death Valley over Memorial Day week endwith two crew members and attended one of our "race clinics." Theycoveredabout 40 miles doing 10 mile segments on different portions of the course.He had the help of pacers Tom Bedford and Dave Burke and driver GeorgeWalter. He ran a consistent pace throughout this race. He finally passedMarat Jilanbaev, of Kazakhstan, at 98 miles, after sharing second and thirdposition most of the way. Later, he discovered that the leader, JoeSchlereth, had taken a break after 100 miles. That put him in the lead. Hemaintained it to the Portals and then to the top. He said that the roughestpart was the mountain, especially coming back down. Look for him in theGrand Slam of 100's, back at Badwater (perhaps for the 300) or in theTrans America Footrace. He won a buckle and $1,000 for first place in themen's running race.     Marat Jilanbaevhas run most of the deserts of the world. Joe Oakes designed a run for himlast April when  he left Four Corners (Utah New Mexico ColoradoArizona) andthen proceeded westward through Monument Valley, the Painted Desert andPetrified Forest to the Grand Canyon. He went to the bottom and back up tothe South Rim. The North Rim was closed at that time. Then he went throughLas Vegas and finally went through Death Valley to Whitney Portals. Thedistance traveled was 40 miles a day for 20 days covering 800 miles.UltraRunning recently had a story on him as the "Camel." The eventwas sopleasurable that he wanted to do Hi Tec's race. Joe Oakes gave up hisposition to get him in the race. Later, Joe got back in because someone else

canceled. Marat was accompanied by a driver of a recreational vehicle and byBairi, the only Kazakh person residing in the U.S. He runs without water andrefuels on Gatorade every six miles or once an hour. He maintained hissecond place position to the Portals to win a buckle and $500, but didn't goto the top.     Joe Schlereth cameto this race with impeccable credentials. Last year, he was considered bymost people to be the ultrarunner of the year. His accomplishments wouldtake up a whole magazine or book. He trains and races about 200 miles a weekand is up to 5,000 miles of running so far this year! He just finished thirdat Western States and was the first male master runner. Now, he is gettingready to do Leadville in three weeks. This is all fitted in while workingfull time as an insurance administrator in Fresno, California. It is hotthere, but nothing like this. He had never been to this part of Californiabefore. In the race, he arrived at Panamint Springs (72 miles) in 12 hoursand was at 100 miles in 19 hours. Reports indicated that he had anywherefrom a 13 to a 20 mile lead at this time, during which he was crewed by hiswife and two children, ages ten and twelve. He began to have hematuria andwas beginning to have to walk. Marshall Ulrich came along and advised himnot to empty his bladder completely when voiding and to drink milk. Thisseemed to help during two long breaks. He was bussed into a Lone Pine Motelfor five hours and thirty minutes. Lou Martin joined him from here on to gethim to the Portals and later to the top. He resumed running to the 114 milemark, when he had to take another break, this time for seven hours and fiveminutes. He had earlier taken three shorter breaks for a total of one hourand twenty five minutes. This adds up to fourteen hours and thirty minutesof not progressing forward and still getting in for third place and abuckle! While recovering at PJ's Restaurant he was heard to use the word"grim" about six times.     Robert Lambert wasalso here last year. He is on active duty in the tank corps for the BritishRoyal Army stationed in Germany. He, his pacer, William Barnes, and crewwere, again, flown in an RAF bomber to Washington, D.C. They drove a van toCalifornia. He improved his time this year to the Portals by six hours andgot another buckle. Then he went to the top (second) and back to Badwater.He set a U.K. record for the course beating Eleanor Adams' time to the top(hers was an A.M. start) and he became the fourth person to do the 300(actually the 292) and, in so doing, established this U.K. record.     Rob Volkenrand,half German and half American Native, is also known as the "OleGoat". He isa professional counselor and has run over 100 organized ultras. This year hejust completed Western States for the ninth  time and plans to doWasatchfor the tenth  time. UltraRunning profiled him in the March 1988 issueinwhich the theme was "an ultrarunner has got to have fun." He wascrewed byhis wife, Gail, and her brother, Mark Schmetzler. He rested no more thanfour hours while getting to the Portals. He ran a consistent race and is theoldest, 63, to have done the race. Richard Kegley, 68 at the time, did asolo crossing seven  years ago. Rob has felt worse after doing some10K'sthan he did doing this race! He was the fifth and last male runner to get abuckle by making it to the Portals as a runner in less than 45 hours. Theonly female runner did not get a buckle. Walkers buckle by finishing in lessthan 60 hours. All three walkers who finished got buckles. Rob was third tothe top.