evanescent: fleeting, transitory
evanescent wave: a nearfield standing wave, employed for total internal reflection microscopy
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Badwater 135 Ultramarathon - 2022
The "World's toughest footrace"
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Death Valley to Mount Whitney
Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA, the Badwater® 135 is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300’ (2530m), which is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.
I had previously run the race in 2002 through 2011, finishing nine times. I have returned several times later not as a runner but as race staff photographer. Over these decadesthe race has changed considerably. The cutoff time for official completion was reduced from 60 to 48 hours in 2011; in 2014 the Death Valley National Park imposed a moraorium on sporting events so the course was re-routed to include climbs to Horseshoe Meadow and Cerro Gordo; and from 2015 onward the race has started in the evening rather than the morning, so runners are no lnger exposed to the full daytime heat of the hottest place on earth. The qualifications required to enter the race have got tougher and the overall standards of the runners have increased, as marked by a remarkabe shortening of the course record to 21 hrs 30 min.
Click on the links below for photos from other annual editions of the Badwater, and for the years (2002-2012) when I was runnng Badwater
BADWATER 2022, July 11-3
This was my 17th year at the Badwater Ultramarathon, the "World's toughest footrace"; eleven years as a runner or pacer, and six helping on the race staff and as a photographer. My approach the first year I came to photograph the race was from the perspective of a landscape photographer, aiming to place the runners in context of the spectacular scenery of Death Valley and the Eastern Sierras. This year I shifted gears, and also took on the mindset of a 'street'/portrait photographer, concentrating on the runners and their support crews. Badwater offers a photographic challenge of capturing the emotions of a group of very special people pushing themselves to the limit in an extreme environment. Moreover, the runners and their support crews are friendly, like having their pictures taken, and in any case have all signed waivers permitting the taking and publishing of photos!
The images below are a selection from many hundreds of shots. Click HERE for the race website which includes links to many ofther photos and full race results.
Start line at Badwater Basin for the 8:00pm wave
Start line at Badwater Basin for the 9:30 pm wave
Runners on the ramp from the boardwalk
I took a few hour's sleep and caught up with the runners at dawn, when they had already coverted 35 mies through te night
The 5000ft climb up Towne Pass
A welcome break and some shade at the 'Oasis', safely past the 50 mile cutoff; then up to the summit of Towne Pass
Descent from Towne Pass into Panamint Valley
Through the time station at Panamint Springs, up the steep and winding ascent to Father Crowley Lookout, and on over the summit to finally leave Death Valley National Park at mile 84.
I got a few hours sleep while the runners continued on through their second night, and caught up with them at dawn on the descent to Owens Valley
Michelle Bischof looking good at the Olancha junction; Badwater Ultra 2022 |
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The Whitnay Portal Road
- maybe the World's toughest half marathon with 4500ft ascent coming after 122 miles
After 135 miles, the Finish Line
Fully uploaded 08/14/2022:
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