Death Valley Run – Death Valley, CA
Mitch has been running with our friend Noora for over 20 years. By runner’s standards, she is a beast. She has completed so many races and accumulated more medals that it would be difficult to list them all. She participates in ultra marathons in various countries. Mitch has been her crew leader on several of her Badwater races.
This race is 135 miles through Death Valley and has earned its reputation as one of the toughest foot races in the world. The road temperature is 140’. It starts at the lowest point (285 ‘ below sea level) and ends at an elevation of 8360 ft at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the United States. The race has to be run when there is a full moon. This year, the race began on July 4th. Racers have 48 hours to complete the course, and those not finished are disqualified.
This is Noora’s fifth time competing. Her best time was completing the race in 35 hours in 2007. About twelve weeks before the race, she incurred a stress fracture. She contemplated whether or not she should compete. The week before the race, she was given the OK to race by the doctor. All hands on deck, she and the crew headed for Death Valley to get supplies, prep, and get psyched.
Noora’s start time was 9:00 pm, and off she went. Unfortunately, this race didn’t have a victorious ending. From the beginning, she had difficulty finding her pace and felt the pain of her injury. A difficult decision had to be made – continue the race and possibly risk having permanent damage or listen to your body. At mile 42, she disqualified herself. That decision was devasting for her, but for the average person, she deserved admiration for going 42 miles with an injury.
Her crew decided to do a twelve-mile hike up the mountain to the descent of the Whitney portal. That walk took Mitch 4 1/2 hours in the sweltering heat. Yes, I am married to a man who pushes himself in almost every situation. What did I do, you ask? I stayed behind in Minneapolis to guard the trailer and await his return.
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