Extreme racers on their mark, get set...go

ADVENTURER-Scott Jurek, 2005 champion, crosses the finish line on Mount Whitney during a recent Badwater Ultramarathon. AdventureCORPS, based in Oak Park, produces the ultraendurance and extreme sports event annually to give athletes an outlet and to raise funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. itness

AdventureCORPS, an Oak Park-based event production firm that specializes in ultra-endurance and extreme sports events, is making final preparations for the 29th Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon on July 24-26.

The world's toughest foot race will pit up to 90 athletes- runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers-in a 135-mile, nonstop race from Death Valley to Mount Whitney. In temperatures up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, it is the most demanding and extreme running race anywhere on the planet.

The starting line is at Badwater in Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in the western hemisphere at 280 feet below sea level, and finishes at Mount Whitney Portals at 8,360 feet.

The course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. The Portals are the trailhead to the Mount Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

TAKE THE CHALLENGE- Hidden Hills resident Shannon Farar-Griefer completed her second Badwater Ultramarathon last year. She will compete again this year.

The competitors travel through places with odd names such as Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil's Cornfield, Devil's Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Keeler and Lone Pine.

The race organizer is Chris Kostman, a 39-year-old Oak Park resident who founded AdventureCORPS.

"It's usually over 100 degrees at the start line and approaches 130 later in the day," said Kostman, who's also a competitor. "Yet at the finish line, at nearly 9,000 feet on Mount Whitney, it can be near freezing for those who finish in the middle of the night, a 90-degree temperate change from the start line."

The 2006 race roster includes Badwater veterans and rookies, die-hard "ultra-runners" of every speed and ability, and athletes who have the necessary running credentials but are primarily known for their prowess as adventure racers, mountaineers, triathletes or in other extreme sports.

The men's course record is held by Scott Jurek of Seattle, Wash. who completed last year's event with a time of 24:36:08. The women's course record of 27:56:47 was set in 2002 by Tucson, Ariz. resident Pam Reed, the overall winner that year and in 2003.

Local entries this year include Shannon Farar-Griefer, 45, of Hidden Hills and Chris Frost, 55, of Malibu.

The winner of the 2006 ultramarathon is expected to finish in 23 to 28 hours, while the average finishing time is approximately 48 hours.

For those who finish in under 48 hours, the reward is the coveted Badwater belt buckle.

There is no prize money, Kostman said-it's all about the challenge.

"Badwater is the equivalent of five marathons in a row, plus its route is far more difficult than any typical marathon course," said Kostman, who set world ultra-cycling records in high school and completed the 3,127-mile, 11-day Race Across America bicycle race at age 20.

The official charity of the 2006 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon i s the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

As one of very few charities that provides grants directly to athletes with physical disabilities, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised more than $8 million and directly assisted more than 2,100 challenged athletes worldwide.

Fans can follow the race through a live webcast produced by AdventureCORPS at www.badwater.com/ 2006web.