Badwater Ultramarathon
John Radich of Monrovia takes a moment before the start of the annual Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley National Park, the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere, on Monday. The staggered start of the race began at 6 a.m., at which time the Weather Channel recorded a brisk 94 degrees, according to the races website. The finish line, more than five marathons from the start, is at the Mt. Whitney Portals, trailhead to the highest point in the contiguous United States. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Mary Campbell Gorski, 45, of Milwaukee, Wis., and other runners take off from the starting line. The temperature of the pavement can be 50 to 60 degrees hotter than the air temperature. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Cheryl Zwarkowski, 50, of Victorville sports the No. 50 bib. Competitors will travel past Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, the Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Keeler and Lone Pine before ending at Mt. Whitney Portal. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
A group of elite runners stays in a pack at the quarter-mile point. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
The skies are cloudy as Scott Snyder of Littleton, Colo., runs his race. Badwater is 282 feet below sea level, meaning it’s very hot and very dry. The course winds through three mountain ranges, salt flats and sand dunes. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
A runner makes her way past colorful hills on the highway between Badwater and Furnace Creek during the early stages of the annual Badwater ultramarathon. The race has a cumulative ascent of 13,000 feet and a cumulative descent of 4,700 feet. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
The sun hits the legs of runner Cheryl Zwarkowski of Victorville as she makes her way along Badwater Road in Death Valley National Park during the early stages of the ultramarathon. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Helping hands from a support staff member are ready to grab back a wet sponge after runner Jeff Schmidt, 32, of Hilliard, Ohio, cools his face off. The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile nonstop running race from Death Valley to the Mt. Whitney portal. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Support crew member Steve Gartside, left, sprays water on runner James Smith, 43, of Superior, Colo., as Smith makes his way along Badwater Road between Badwater and Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park during the early stages of the annual Badwater ultramarathon Monday. Crew members Brian Simons and Jason Taylor, far right, switch out water bottles with Smith. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Support crew member Justin Davis cools off with a jump into the pool at Stovepipe Wells. Even at 8 p.m., it was 100 degrees in the pool area. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Keeping an eye out on runners from underneath an umbrella is volunteer chief environmental officer and traffic safety officer Scott Wall of Long Beach. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)
Near midnight Monday, support crew member Scott Corchero takes a look at blisters on the feet of runner Daniel Steven Marinsik, 49, of San Jose as Marinsik stops and sleeps for 15 minutes along Highway 190, west of Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley National Park. (Richard Hartog / Los Angeles Times)