Badwater Race

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No one can convice me that this man, Perry Edinger, is not inspirational.  An article ran in The Arizona Republic seven months ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday.  I'm sure Perry, the man in question, remembers much more.  

The article brings us the story of the Badwater Ultramarathon, which is known globally as "the world's toughest foot race."  The event showcases 90 of the world's toughest athletes—runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers as they travel, ON FOOT, 135 miles non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130 degrees.

If you don't know, Mt Whitney is the tallest mountain in the continental USA.  Just climbing that in one day is a feat in itself.  To run or walk your way from Death Valley to Mt Whitney is seriously something close to the story of Atlas carrying Earth on his shoulders.

The 90 people who master this race, do so with a dignity and perseverance very rarely ever seen in public and I'm glad to have read about it last August.   Oh, and there is no prize money for winning or even completing the race.  This is really the epitome of self-motivation and intrinsic inspiration at its best.

August 2009 azcentral article
Badwater Race site

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