July 15th I run 135 non-stop miles in 125+ degree heat in Death Valley for Caring House. Why?
09 July 2013On July 15, at 6:00amPST the start gun will fire for my 8th attempt to finish the Death Valley Badwater 135-mile Ultramarathon, the toughest footrace in the world according to National Geographic. You can follow my progress live via webcast:www.badwater.com/2013web/.
After finishing 6 grueling Badwater races in a row, I failed to finish last year for the first time. What do you think will happen this year?
By the time I step off the start line Monday morning I will have logged nearly 1,500 training miles, including many runs of 50+ continuous miles, a 24-hour tire pull (http://bit.ly/16gsnjr), and some unique heat training that was featured on NBC.
Why would I put myself through this (again)? Only two reasons:
To Undo an Undone (definition below, including more about Badwater)
To raise money for our Caring House Project Foundation, where I choose to “voluntarily suffer a little for those who suffer a lot involuntarily in Haiti and elsewhere.”
Before going further, would you consider donating to our Badwater effort this year? I know you may have in the past, and for that I thank you! If you have or haven’t, please consider a new donation, as those most desperately poor and homeless around the world who will benefit from your donation would really appreciate your support!
Remember: “compassion without action is a waste of emotion.”
Donate $1 for every mile of my Death Valley Race, or $135. Your donation will provide 1,350 meals!
Donate $10 for every mile of my Death Valley Race, or $1,350. Your donation will build nearly half of a concrete home in Haiti.
Donate $30 for every mile, or $4,050. This donation will have a huge impact in Haiti. You will have built one brand new concrete home for a family of 8 who were living in a mud or cardboard shack.Your home will have 2 rooms, kitchen, front porch and bathroom.PLUS you will provide 1,350 meals! The ultimate donation for the ultimate race!
If these donation options don’t suit you, see https://www.frank-mckinney.com/donate.aspx for others, some starting at $10.
Ways to Donate:
1) Via the online links provided above or below.
2) Call 561.722.3950 to donate over the phone.
3) Mail your donation to Caring House Project, P.O. Box 388, Boynton Beach, FL 33425.
More about the Death Valley Badwater Ultramarathon and why I’m competing in it for the 8th time – to Undo an Undone…
First: What is Badwater?
The Badwater Ultramarathon hosted by Chris Kostman of AdventureCORPS is an invitation-only race (100 invitees from 20 countries) held in Death Valley, California during the desert’s hottest month of the year, July. It starts at -282 feet below sea level.
The course traverses 135 miles on blacktop pavement (200+ degrees!) through the Mojave, over three mountain ranges and finishes nearly 8,500 feet above sea level. There are no aid stations, so it’s up to the runner’s crew to get him or her to the finish line. Again, National Geographic calls it the toughest footrace in the world.
