The 25th Badwater Ultramarathon

Heat waves blur the desert floor as ultramarathoner Marshall Urlich, right, moves out of Death Valley Tuesday afternoon. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

Sept. 15, 2014 3:46 PM PT

This year’s 135-mile ordeal from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney tested legs, lungs and psyches. The runners end the race exhausted after two days with almost no sleep.

An hour after the sun goes down, a little blue sky can still be seen as Ralph Klingenhoff of Port Hueneme whizzes by quickly while he works as a crew support member for U.S. Marine Major William Kirk Mapler in Death Valley. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

Silhouetted against he sun-drenched mountains

Minutes after the sunrise start of the Badwater Race, Marshall Ulrich, right, is silhouetted against the sun-drenched mountains in Death Valley. At left is runner Angela Brunson. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

More than 14 hours after starting the race, Lisa Smith-Batchen, left, takes a moment as crew member Robin Maffei, center, puts ice on her knees. In the few minutes that she allows herself to rest in the support vehicle, Smith-Batchen’s support staff makes sure she gets iced, eats some chips, drinks, talks strategy, and—because of swelling—changes into a larger size shoes. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

Lecturer Dan Gordon of Anglia Poly Tech in Cambridge, right, tries to get Marshall Ulrich’s body temperature during a short afternoon break. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

Relief is obvious as Ulrich stops just long enough to jump in a pool during his short afternoon break, when the temperature was around 120 degrees. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

Less than an hour after the sunrise start of the Ultramarathon, a lone runner dressed as a rabbit brings up the back as he makes his way up and over just one of the many hills. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)

More than 14 hours after starting the race, Lisa Smith-Batchen makes her way around a bend and greets the setting sun. After running and walking up 4000 grueling feet, she is happy to begin a descent. (RICHARD HARTOG / LAT)