Racing on foot through the Sahara

by Kraig Becker on

Last Sunday, an incredible endurance event got underway in Cairo Egypt, when the 2009 Sahara Race began. The 155 mile event pits 130 runners from more than 30 countries against one another in a six-stage race through the heart of the Western Desert, a part of the Sahara that covers more than 1.7 million square miles along Egypt’s borders with Libya and the Sudan.

Over the past few days, the runners have covered a variety of challenging stages ranging in length from 21 to 28 miles. In a sense, they are running a marathon each day, through the sand and heat of one of the hottest and driest environments on the planet. Along the way they passed through three or four mandatory checkpoints along the way, collecting water as they go. Upon completing the day’s stage, they camp in the desert for the night, resting up, and preparing for another run the following morning.

Today’s stage is the longest and most grueling however, with a 54 mile course dubbed the Black Desert March. The runners got underway at 4 AM this morning, and many will continue well into the night before they reach their next camp. If they complete the stage, they’ll finish up on Saturday, with a short run to the finish line at the Great Pyramids in Giza, capping the week’s events.

The Sahara Race is part of the 4 Deserts series of Ultramarathons, each of which take place on an annual basis. The other three events are held in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the Gobi in China, with the final race taking place in Antarctica, the largest desert on the planet. Each of the races offers its own unique challenges, pushing some of the world’s best endurance athletes to their limits in races against themselves and the environments around them.

Badwater Ultramarathon begins today

by Kraig Becker on

It’s been called the worlds toughest foot race, and amongst endurance athletes, its level of difficulty is legendary. It is the Badwater Ultramarathon, a 135 mile run that starts today in Death Valley and ends Wednesday when the final competitors cross the finish line half-way up Mt. Whitney.

The race begins in Badwater, California, which sits at the heart of Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in North American, falling some 280 feet below sea level. The 135 mile course crosses three mountain ranges and registers a total of more than 13,000 feet of vertical gain, along with another 4,700 feet of descent. Racers will face temperatures climbing up to 130ºF as they run to the finishline which sits at the Mt. Whitney Portal found 8360 feet up that mountain.

This year’s field consists of 88 athletes, 71 men and 17 women. 50 racers are veterans of previous Badwater races, while 38 unsuspecting rookies will set out into the desert for the first time. They hail from seventeen countries from around the globe, and the youngest entrant is just 19 years of age, while the oldest is 67.

Over the next two days, these amazing endurance athletes will race non-stop across that 135 mile course, with the blazing Death Valley sun and opressive heat punishing them every step of the way. The top runners will reach the finishline in roughly 24 hours, while the average racer will finish in about 45 hours. Everyone who finishes in less than 48 hours is awarded the prestigious Badwater belt buckle. There is no prize money and the competitors do it just for the challenge.