Went out to the race after class with FC and watched the leaders come up over Townes' Pass, creep down into the Panamint Valley, and slowly out of it into the night. I was really impressed by the hills more than the heat. The heat of Death Valley is to be expected, and that battle of hydration, acclimization, exertion, and everything is to be expected.. but climbing 5,000 feet for 15 miles 2-3 times in the race is something very unique to most ultras. All the hills are "runnable" and 1st Female, Jaime Donaldson didn't even walk until mile 122, but they require a whole different type of mindset to overcome in the most demanding high heat conditions.
The RD said that the race isn't something someone thinks about for a little bit, and then attempts, but it is something that is obsessed about daily for months and months.. Right now it's occupying a lot of space in my mind, so 2010 in Badwater is going to be an all out goal once accepted in February..
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