On
July 24th, Lisa Smith-Batchen will begin
the Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts
at Badwater, California, elevation 282
feet below sea level, and continues
for 90 miles across Death, Panamint, and
Owens Valleys, over Townes Pass and Father
Crowley’s. At 124 miles, just
above Lone Pine, California, the course
climbs up to the Mount Whitney Portals
in the Sierras, where the organized race
ends at 135 miles. To make a complete 146-mile
crossing, Lisa will continue to the top
of Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea
level. The total elevation gain for a one-way
trip is about 19,000 feet. Lisa will then
reverse the course, making it an out-and-back
or double crossing, adding another 5,000
feet of elevation gain (over Father
Crowley’s and Townes pass in the
reverse direction) bringing the total elevation
gain to almost 24,000 feet! Her journey
will cover nearly 300 miles.
Lisa is not a
stranger to the sleep deprivation and
course temperatures can range from
120 to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (49-55C).
She has already competed in the Badwater
Ultramarathon seven times, winning
the women's division twice. She has
completed more than 30 ultramarathons,
90 marathons, and 7 Ironman triathlons.
She has also completed the Marathon
Des Sables race through the Sahara
Desert twice, and is the only American
women ever to win the women's division
of that race.
Lisa
is making this epic journey to raise
money for the Religious Teachers
Fillipini, a charity that, for
more than 300 years, has been helping
to educate women and children around
the world. Click
here to learn more.
Lisa's
challenge has earned interest and support
from the endurance racing community all
over the world, literally from A to Z
... from Arizona to Zurich! This week
alone, xtri.com readers
from places like New Zealand, the Netherlands,
Switzerland, Mexico, Germany, Thailand,
Canada, and of course all over the US
have been drawn to Lisa's epic challenge.
To read the article that captured them, click
here.
The
Official Badwater Race Site |
