After more than 24 hours of running, the 2010 Badwater Ultramarathon has a new champion.
Zach Gingerich of Aurora, Illinois crossed the finish line in 24:44:48. The third time was a charm for Gingerich, who has raced Badwater twice and was third in 2009. In 2008, Gingerich's first year at Badwater, it took him more than 37 hours to finish the race.
Gingerich, 31, took the lead between the 90 mile and 122 mile checkpoint, and never looked back. Last year Gingerich won eight ultras, including the Kettle Moraine 100 and the Ice Age 50.
According to the Journal Sentinel, Gingerich has an unstructured training plan, never drinks water and downs two liters of Diet Coke a day. Apparently it works.
Oswaldo Lopez of Mexico placed second overall with a time of 25:05:38. He was also second in 2009. Last year's champ, Marco Farinazzo also of Mexico, was third place for the men, and fourth overall.
On the women's side, Jamie Donaldson of Littleton, Colorado earned her third Badwater women's title, coming in third overall with a time of 26:16:12. Donaldson broke the course record she set in 2008 by more than 30 minutes.
Connie Gardner of Medina, Ohio was second for the women in 30:35:08. Gardner has been a dominant ultra runner for years, but this was her first Badwater attempt.
Pam Reed of Tucson, Arizona placed third in 32:23:34. Reed, 49, was the overall winner in 2002 and 2003, and the women's champ in 2005. Last year she was second to Donaldson.
This year 80 runners set out to complete the brutal 135-mile run from Death Valley to Mount Whitney. Seventy three actually finished. Jack Denness, 75, was one of them. He crossed the finish line in 59:13:02, just beating the 60 hour cutoff and becoming the oldest person to ever complete Badwater. Check here for Jack's story.
This is 33rd anniversary of the Badwater Ultramarathon, known as "the world's toughest foot race." Temperatures out on the course can reach 130 degrees as runners pass through three different mountain ranges.
Comments
Really nice coverage! Diet Coke? I've heard of flat pepsi, but there's no carbs in Diet Coke!
How can people run that long?
That's some progress for the winner, going from 37 hours to less than 25.
My kind of training. Diet Coke.
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