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Although I’m not as passionate about it as I once was, my other hobby is running. I’ve been slowed down quite a bit by some knee issues that struck several years ago, but I still keep at it the best I can. Tomorrow, though, is the start of the biggest motivator I have for my running: The Badwater 135.

If you aren’t familiar with this event, it’s an ultramarathon that starts at the lowest point in the U.S.  (in Death Valley) and runs for 135 miles up thousands of feet of elevation to end on Mount Whitney. The goal for most participants is to finish the race in less than 48 hours and earn a belt buckle. None of these people are driven by financial gain or stardom since there is little of either to go around amongst the winners. The most well known participant is Dean Karnazes, famous for various extreme running stunts like running one marathon a day in all 50 states for 50 days in a row.

There are only 96 entrants in the race, and all have to be proven ultra marathon runners and have a support squad behind them the entire time. This is no easy jog to sweat off a few pounds!

The worst part about it is that it is so secluded that the coverage of the race is pretty sparse. They have a ‘webcast’ page and other resources, but they have been pretty tough to follow along with when I have tried. I just like to see some footage of a few runners chugging away in the desert heat to make me feel better about my short runs in the relatively cool Texas weather.

If you get a chance this week, check out the race’s webcast page  or follow them on twitter at @adventurecorps to see if anything momentous is happening. Sometimes it can be pretty interesting to see how these amazing people are faring. Hopefully everyone will finish and we’ll see some good times at the end.