Badwater if often considered one of the toughest ultra marathons out there. A combination of the length of the race, the extreme heat, and the 3 mountain ranges one must conquer certainly help lend credence to this claim. The race starts at Badwater Basin, one of the lowest spots on earth, at 282 BELOW sea level, and ends 135 miles later at the Mount Whitney Portal at roughly 8500 feet above sea level (side note, the peak of Whitney is the highest point in the lower 48 US states). The race also offers no traditional aid stations. Each runner is responsible for having at least 2, but no more than 4, crew members. These crew members must provide their runner with everything they may need to conquer the heat and distance. I was lucky enough to be on one of those crews for my friend Mel. This report is from my perspective of the event, as just one of the 4 crew members on her team and has no insights from the others or her (though I may add that later) as I want to recount my experiences.

Myself, the other crew members (less 1) and Mel all flew into Las Vegas Friday evening. We picked up our rental van (vans are almost a must) and found our way to our hotel. We would pick up our final crew member, Brandon, Saturday. Saturday was also the day that the crew spent most of the day shopping. As mentioned, all the supplies needed, must be brought to the race and our crew let Mel rest at the hotel while we spent hours in various Walmarts and other stores picking up all the needed supplies (except for ice, which we would get later). The trick with Badwater is that because it’s such a long race and in such hot conditions, you never know what you might be able to stomach. We picked up everything from water, to soda, to coffee, even some hot chocolate. We had chips, hummus, salsas, deli meats, vegetarian deli slices, cheeses, eggs, ramen noodles, etc etc. I even brought my own supplies in my Sword hydration. You just never know what you will want out there. After gathering all the supplies, we had a nice team dinner in Vegas.

Sunday morning we got the few remaining supplies we needed, which was mostly ice, and organized the van. Since we were headed to Death Valley, the car was loaded with ice. One large cooler, which would act as a freezer, was filled with dry ice and regular ice. Two regular coolers contained food and drinks and were also loaded up with ice. Two more water coolers were also filled with ice. In all, we had more than 100 pounds of ice, and this would only get us through probably half the race, if we were lucky. The rest of the morning was spent traveling to Death Valley so Mel could get checked in, get her race number, and all the other usual pre race things. We did stop at the Death Valley sign on the way in, as well as Zabriski point to check out the sights. We also checked out the Badwater Basin, the start line of the race.

After seeing the sites, checking in, Mel and Jack (the crew chief) attended a pre race meeting and the other crew checked out other parts of the Furnace Creek area (desert oasis which would be mile 17 of the race). We then drove the remainder of the course to where we would be staying for the evening, the town of Lone Pine, which is mile 122 of the race. We got in a little on the later side, so it was pretty much straight to bed.

Monday was race day. We all tried to sleep in a bit as the next few days would mean almost no sleep. After a nice breakfast in town, the crew spent more time organizing the van and making sure we each knew where everything was. We noticed a few items we needed to get last minute, so we headed to the store in town. We even bought a little extra ice. After a busy morning for the crew, we had a quick lunch with Mel and it was time to head to the start line. The nice thing about being in Lone Pine meant that we would have to drive the course backwards to the start, which allowed Mel time to visualize where she would be at certain points. Unfortunately, however, it also meant driving the mountain roads, which are up and down, with lots of tight turns, and Mel started feeling less than great.

Once at the start, Mel went to weigh in, and the crew set out to once again verify the van was ready. We added water to our 5 gallon water cooler, prepped some ice bandannas, got Mel’s headlamp, reflective vest, and blinky lights ready, as well as our own. (Note, the race requires reflective gear for crew at all times and runner during night, which is 7pm to 6am). At 8 pm, she was off. Temps were around 118 at this point. The crew worked to get into a groove in the early miles, keeping Mel cool would be a top priority. More ice bandannas were prepped and we would fill her water bottles with ice and water at each stop (always have a few prepped in advance so the runner has to stop or slow down as little as possible). Within the first 4 miles, Mel said her stomach wasn’t feeling right (remember that drive on the mountain roads?), but the crew noticed she was moving a bit faster than anticipated, so we told her to slow down. We also had been giving her her nutrition of choice, which contained caffeine. We stopped with the caffeine for a bit and she seemed to start feeling better.

At the mile 17 Oasis, Furnace Creek, Mel hit her first checkpoint. The crew got busy buying even more ice (always take ice in the desert), only 4 bags as not much of the ice had been used/ melted yet. I believe we also bought ourselves some ice cream here to help us stay cool. Mel came in and was feeling better, but took a few moments to cool off and prepare for the next stretch of miles.

Miles 17-42 are a bit of a blur to me as we were busy keeping Mel cool, it was late, and the miles seemed to tick by. Mel was having trouble eating food, so she had a few ups and downs, but was moving decently well in the later miles of that section. The sun also began to rise during this stretch, probably around mile 35 or so. She made it into StovePipe Wells shortly after sun rise and would be able to pick up a pacer here, me. I cannot say for sure if we got ice or not at this stop as I was preparing to pace Mel. She checked into the station, quickly used the restroom, and we were off. I was caught off guard by something Mel said to me at this point, but worth a note, I tried to hand her a water bottle, forgetting that, unlike most ultras, pacers are allowed to mule (carry gear for) their runners. When I tried to hand her her bottles, she reminded me, “Andrew, you’re allowed to carry my gear now. I am not carrying my water up this hill.” This is something I should have remembered, but in the moment, I had forgotten. I would remember this the rest of the race, however :). We were off.

The first cut off is at mile 50.5. The next 8 miles would be up the first mountain pass. Mel would do a lot of walking on this stretch as it’s a very steep grade. We knew she would make the cut off, but she didn’t have a huge amount of wiggle room so we needed to keep her moving. We could let her rest when she hit the cut off. As we power hiked, I would hand her water when she needed it, as well as use a spray bottle to help keep her cool. She worked hard to get to the cut off. After 2 or 3 miles, I handed over pacing responsibilities, but I don’t recall who went next. Mel made the cut off with time to spare, and wanted a change of clothes. Remember when I mentioned we had gone over where everything was multiple times? Well, apparently none of us could remember where we put her short sleeve shirts and she wanted to switch into short sleeves. (Note, even in the sun, many runners wear long sleeves to help keep the skin from being burnt as well as allowing their arms to have some cool water poured onto the sleeves). As she dealt with some feet issues, the crew tore the van apart, but never found the shirt. We also had another snafu in her socks. We had pulled out the pair she requested, but somehow they ended up in some water. I attempted to dry them out, to no avail (why is it that everything, but the thing you need, dry incredibly fast in the desert?). She ended up changing into other gear and would continue on.

The next set of miles from 50.5 to 72 were tough on Mel. She would struggle to finish the remaining miles to Townes Pass. Mile 50.5 is at roughly 2,000 feet above sea level, but the top of the mountain isn’t until almost 5,000 feet, which meant she had 3,000 feet to climb still. The crew also had its share of issues during this stretch. The van we had rented had decided it no longer liked us. We could no longer get into the trunk. During one stretch, Mel took a rest and we worked on the trunk, trying to get it to open. After many minutes without luck, we decided we would crew out of the side of the van for the rest of the race. During some point of this stretch, a fellow Cincinnati runner caught up to Mel and gave her a pep talk. That got her motivated and she kept moving. After awhile, she reached the summit.

During the descent, Mel was moving pretty well and the crew kept working to fix the trunk. Mel was still not eating a lot and we did what we could to keep getting her calories. At some point, the van’s trunk opened, but wouldn’t stay closed now. The crew took some bungees and tied it down, but at least we could use it again to crew from, which made it easier on us. As she made the long descent, she was moving better, but she would make a few stops to work out some minor issues. At some point a jet buzzed the mountain, a fairly common occurrence in the area and our adrenaline started pumping. As she got most of the way down the mountain, the heat began to climb. I took over pacing duties for a bit and worked to keep her moving. She did some more walking as the temps and the grade were tough to run. After a few more pacer swaps, I was tagged in again at the bottom of the mountain, in the Panamint Springs area. This was probably the toughest spot for Mel. The heat was high, there is absolutely no shade, and there was a very strong wind, probably 30 miles per hour sustained and strong gusts. This whole area felt like being in a convection oven. I paced her through a sandy area and the strong winds pushed the sand around and created a small dust storm. I tried to offer her a buff to cover her face, but she did not take it. I had mine on and still got sand everywhere. At one point she was told it was about 2 miles to the next check point, but she saw a sign a few moments later indicating it was 3 miles. She was less than thrilled. I tried to convince her that no matter what the sign said, we would get her to Panamint, but it was a tough go. Eventually we do make it to Panamint, about 30 minutes before the cut off. Also worth noting during this stretch, a truck driver had come down Townes Pass and had seen Mel and I walking. He was concerned we were in trouble and offered us a ride. She had been the first runner he saw coming down the pass, but I told him we were ok, thanked him, and off he went.

Once at Panamint, runners are allowed to take as much time as they need, as long as they make the next cut off at mile 90 by 5am. It was 730pm when Mel rolled into Panamint and it may sound like it would be easy to go 18 or so miles in 9 or so hours, but these next miles are some of the toughest on the course. She took a quick shower and had some blisters worked on while the crew ordered her (and ourselves) some “real food” – pizza, hamburgers, pasta, and chicken noodle soup. In all, we spent about 1.5 hours in Panamint. Mel was feeling a bit down and was considering dropping, but some interactions with various individuals had her realizing it was time to move forward.

The next stretch is very tough as it comes when runners are very tired, and it’s incredibly steep. To top it off, because the road is so narrow, the crew can only stop at designated areas, roughly 2 to 3 miles apart. This can be mentally tough on runners. Mel started the hike with Jack while the rest of us went up to the first stopping point and prepared all the stuff they would need for the next set of miles. After Jack and Mel got through the first point, the crew quickly moved on to the next stopping point, but we realized in the rush to get Mel going (even though we had 1.5 hours, Mel surprised us by how quickly she got moving) we had forgotten to buy ice! Myself and Joe decided to take the water coolers out of the van and leave that, along with a few other supplies, with the 4th crew member, Brandon and quickly went back to Panamint to get ice. We returned to find Jack had been relieved of pacing duties and was guarding the gear. We loaded up the van again and headed up the mountain to catch Mel. Since our ice trip was fairly short, we were able to get to the next stopping point well before Mel arrived. Right before the toughest climb in this section, Joe took over pacing duties. The crew drove the 2.6 mile stretch up the mountain and estimated we had about 1.5 hours before Mel reached us, due to fatigue, etc. We all took a short nap, but were surprised when Mel showed up in about an hour! She had crushed that section! She tried to grab a quick nap, but Jack had none of it and sent her on her way, promising her that if she got to Darwin quickly, she could nap there. She was determined to get that nap and ran well through this section to mile 90. The temperature had also dropped significantly here and had fallen all the way to 53 degrees.

At some point she started running with Nick, the fellow runner who gave her a pep talk earlier. They had seen each other a bit here and there and even exchanged places a time or two, but they were a team for a bit through here. After checking in at mile 90, both runners were rewarded with their naps and both crews also got some shut eye. After 20 minutes, all were up and getting their runners out the door. Nick took off first and Mel followed. I was pacing at this point and it seemed Mel wanted to catch Nick, who seemed to be moving well. I am not sure if it was the cooler air, or her wanting to catch him, but suddenly we were running and running strong! She was knocking down 13 minute miles like they were nothing! We cruised along and passed Nick at some point, but Mel didn’t realize it. I didn’t tell her that we had because it seemed like she was using the need to catch him as fuel. She kept cruising, faster and faster!

As day broke, Mel didn’t slow down. She kept ticking off mile after mile. She eventually hit mile 100 and the crew celebrated with her, but she just kept pushing through the miles. As the sun rose for the 2nd time, the heat came back. While she did slow a bit in the heat, she had strong determination to keep moving. She started a walk run and maintain a very steady pace. Mile after mile ticked by and she never seemed to slow. Coming into a stretch through a dry lake bed, flies became a huge issue, so she did stop for a quick break to get some bug spray and some soup, but stayed strong.Lone Pine had come into view, but it seems to take forever to reach, though this didn’t seem to discourage Mel. In the afternoon, the heat had really turned up and was getting to her, so we kept her loaded with ice, though she continued to move well. At some point her coach, Harvey, had stopped to see how Mel was doing. We told him she was moving well and he asked if we needed ice. I initially told him that I didn’t think we needed any as I was pretty sure we would make it to the end with what we had. His crew chief came over and talked to me a bit and reminded me that we were in the desert and never to turn down ice/ water, even if you think you have enough. If there is room in a cooler for ice, take it. Lesson learned.

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I ran again with Mel for a bit as we headed to the turn that would take us into Lone Pine. She had made up quite a bit of time during that stretch from the mile 90 checkpoint and had passed several people during those miles. A small helicopter flew right over our heads and gave us a friendly wave. Mel made the right hand turn towards Lone Pine, only 1.7 miles until she reached town. I exchanged my pacing duties to someone else (I forget who took over) and I went into town with other crew members to get her a Happy Meal from McDonald’s. She had told us prior to the race “Get me a happy meal and large coke. Even if I don’t eat it, it will help me feel better.” We also got ourselves some fries and a milkshake. Mel checked in at mile 122, had some of the coke (she would later not even remember we gave her coke), changed socks, and quickly got on her way. The next 13 miles to the finish would be up a mountain.

Mel was determined to finish and finish strong. She was back to hiking as she pushed up the mountain, but she pushed herself hard! The crew exchanged duties every mile. At one point, Mel requested several items, but kept moving up the mountain, quickly (which is a good thing!). I was pacing at the time, so I grabbed what she needed and sprinted up the mountain to catch her! That hurt, pushing hard to catch her, but no time to rest as she was close and needed her pacers. Miles ticked away. As she hit the steeper sections, her pace slowed, but she was still moving. She actually passed several people up the mountain. She pushed around every switchback and finally saw the finish line! She had done it!

Mel got her belt buckle, her finishers shirt, and got her picture taken. She spent time thanking the race director, her running coach, her friends that were running the race, and her crew. We celebrated by having a beer and she shared some stories. It had been a goal of hers for some time to get to the finish and she was done!

For crew, the fun isn’t over quite yet. The next day, after a celebration the night before, the crew would go out to the van and start to clean up. The car was still full of food, water, and dirt. We emptied out what we could, donated some items we no longer needed to the local community, and washed the van. After all of that, it was time to listen to the stories Mel had over some food. She thanked each of us for helping her get to the finish line. It is such an awesome feeling to help a friend achieve such a goal.