Best of Luck to all our Badwater Athlete's
Robert Lebrun
Iris Cooper Imhof
Geoff Linton
and our Legend, Monica Scholtz
Best of Luck all, Jim Morrison
AdventureCORPS, Inc., an event production firm specializing in ultra-endurance
and extreme sports events, will host the 32nd Anniversary Badwater Ultramarathon
on July 13-15, 2009. Recognized globally as "the world's toughest foot race,"
this legendary event pits up to 90 of the world's toughest athletes - runners,
triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers - against one another and the
elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney,
CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme
running race offered anywhere on the planet.The start line is at Badwater, Death
Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280' (85m) below
sea level. The race finishes at Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360' (2533m). The
Badwater course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000' (3962m) of
cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700' (1433m) of cumulative descent. Whitney
Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the
contiguous United States. Competitors travel through places and landmarks
including Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil's Cornfield, Devil's
Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Keeler and Lone Pine.A true "challenge of the
champions," the 2009 AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon features 50 Badwater
veterans and 38 rookies: die hard “ultra-runners” of every speed and ability,
and athletes who have the necessary running credentials, but are primarily known
for their exploits as adventure racers, mountaineers, triathletes, or in other
extreme pursuits. They represent seventeen countries—Australia (1), Austria (2),
Brazil (6), Canada (3), Denmark (1), El Salvador (1), France (7), Germany (2),
India (1), Italy (1), Mexico (2), New Zealand (1), Romania (1), Spain (2),
Switzerland (1), UK (5), and US (50)—and eighteen America states. There are 17
women and 71 men. The youngest runner is 19 (Nickademus Hollon of San Diego, CA)
while the oldest is 67 (Arthur Webb, a ten-time finisher and ten-time Badwater
belt buckle recipient), with an average age of 46. More details.The men's course
record is held by Valmir Nunez of Brazil with a time of 22:51:29 set in 2007,
while the women's course record of 26:51:33 was set in 2008 by Jamie Donaldson
of Littleton, CO. It is expected that the winner of the 2009 Badwater
Ultramarathon will finish in 22 to 26 hours. The average finishing time is
approximately 44-48 hours, while the overall time limit is 60 hours. For those
who finish in less than forty-eight hours, their reward is the coveted Badwater
belt buckle. There is no prize money.The 2009 race field is particularly
competitive. Veteran contenders include 2008 men’s champion Jorge Pacheco, 41,
of Los Angeles, CA (Mexico citizenship) and Charlie Engle, 46, of Greensboro, NC
(3rd place finisher in 2005 and 2006). Three former champions are also
competing: Dean Karnazes 46, of Ross, CA (2004), Marshall Ulrich, 58, of Idaho
Springs, CO (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996), and David Jones, 56, of Eagleville, TN
(1997). Of special note, Marcos Farinazzo, 40, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will
also compete. Farinazzo is the 2008 men’s champion, and course record holder, of
the Brazil 135, a sister event held earlier this year.The women's field, one of
the largest in the history of the race, is also deep with talent, most notably
2008 women’s champion Jamie Donaldson, 34, of Littleton, CO and Pam Reed, 48, of
Tucson, AZ, the 2002 and 2003 overall champion who also won the women’s field in
2005, along with Monica Scholz, 42, of Jerseyville, Ontario, Canada, a six-time
finisher who led the women’s field in 2004 and 2006. Of note, eight of the top
14 finishers in 2008 were women, all finishing in less than 36 hours.Every year
is a new year at the Badwater Ultramarathon, with "previously unknown" athletes
surprising the contenders with top performances. New stars will shine as the
race unfolds in July.Now in its tenth year producing this race, AdventureCORPS
is pleased to welcome the support of race sponsors Moeben Sleeves,
ZombieRunner.com, and Hammer Nutrition, as well as RedOxx Quality Luggage,
Joshua Tree Products,Furnace Creek Inn and Ranch Resort, Panamint Springs
Resort, Seasons Restaurant of Lone Pine, Pizza Factory of Lone Pine, Dow Villa
of Lone Pine, the community of Lone Pine, CA, and many other generous companies
and individuals.More info here.The Official Charity of the Badwater
Ultramarathon is the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few
charities that provides grants directly to athletes with a physical disability,
the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over nineteen million dollars and
directly assisted thousands of challenged athletes world wide. One of the goals
of the Badwater Ultramarathon is to raise funds for, and awareness of, this
organization. More info here.This year, 62 of the race entrants are competing on
behalf of a charity of their choice. Some of those include Caring House Project
Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation,Death Valley Natural History
Association, Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund, Terry Fox Foundation, UNICEF, World
Harvest Mission, Valley of the Moon Children's Home, and others.This year’s race
celebrates the 32nd anniversary of ultrarunning pioneer and human potential guru
Al Arnold's original trek from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977. More about Al.
Arnold competed in a solo effort: just Arnold and his support crew against the
elements and the clock. The official head-to-head race began ten years after
Arnold's pioneer trek, in 1987. More about the original race.For the duration of
the race, fans can follow the race through a “live” webcast produced by
AdventureCORPS and hosted here at http://www.badwater.com/2009web/. A steady
stream of updates will also be posted through Twitter
athttp://twitter.com/adventurecorpsProfessional quality images of the race—as
featured in the race webcast—will be available. Contact the race office for
further information. Press must apply for credentials in advance of the race—by
downloading the press kit—then check-in on Sunday, July 12 at the Pre-Race
Meeting.All potential media/professional organizations intending to shoot video
in any format for any purpose or market must apply for permission to shoot the
event and enter into a non-exclusive fiilming agreement, as well as apply for,
and receive, filming permits from multiple government agencies.The
AdventureCORPS Badwater Ultramarathon is held under permits from Death Valley
National Park, California Department of Transportation, Inyo National Forest,
and Inyo County.

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