CINCINNATI — A Cincinnati man has won what is widely considered the most grueling race in all of running: a 135-mile slog outside California’s Death Valley that makes a 26.2-mile marathon look like a light jog.
Harvey Lewis finished first Tuesday at the Badwater 135 ultramarathon, with a time just shy of 24 hours, beating out nearly 100 other competitors from across the world, 14 of whom weren’t able to finish.
“That was some incredible experience,” Lewis said, gasping, less than a minute after he crossed the finish line. “I dreamed it for a long time. Ever since forever.”
Lewis, 38, told The Associated Press that the race was the hardest he’s ever run, including three other Badwaters in the last three years.
“It was a war out there,” said Lewis, a teacher at downtown Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts. “That first 70 miles, I got passed seven or eight times, but I never let a runner get more than 10 meters in front of me. I was not going to give up.”
Lewis finished the race in 23 hours and 52 minutes, more than 50 minutes faster than the second-place finisher and about two hours faster than Lewis’ fourth-place finish in last year’s Badwater.
The course record is held by a Brazilian named Valmir Nunez, with a time of 22:51, set in 2007.
Badwater bills itself as the toughest footrace in the world, with altitudes as high as 10,000 feet and temperatures surpassing 120 degrees.
Some runners, including Lewis, said this year’s course was even harder than before.
Organizers had to change it after Death Valley National Park put a moratorium on foot and cycling races through the desert hot spot last year while they study ways to make the events safer, though no serious incident had occurred in more than 20 years.
Although the new course, a couple dozen miles west of Death Valley, isn’t quite as hot (It feels about 100 degrees instead of up to 130.), it has much more extreme elevation changes, said race organizer Chris Kostman.
The Death Valley route had a 13,000-foot cumulative vertical ascent, while this year’s had 17,000, with two monstrous climbs that included a 6,500-footer in the first 23 miles out of the gate.
“So people are dealing with thin air and relentless climbs,” Kostman said. “It was a lot harder.”
He attributed Lewis’ win to sheer desire and the pressure involving the high level of competition at this year’s race, which included the top four finishers from last year’s Badwater.
“It’s amazing what your body can do,” Lewis said. “Your body is so depleted and your mind takes over. You just pull yourself together and say, ‘I’m not going to stop.’”
Lewis said by far the hardest part of the race was continuing to run long past his body felt like it was breaking down.
“You feel more tired than you can imagine. You feel like you’re pushing a car or carrying 100 pounds on your back because you’re running so hard,” he said. “Your body feels like it can only take one more step, and you have to go another 50 miles.”
To get through it, Lewis said, he breaks the race down into sections and looks forward to any break in the monotony, such as a call to his girlfriend or a drink of coconut water.
Lewis also credits his crew. To get through Badwater, runners have a team of people who follow them in vehicles, monitoring their vital signs and supplying them with food and liquids.
Only one other Ohioan, 46-year-old John Corey, also of Cincinnati, ran the race, which is by invitation only and is limited to fewer than 100 runners. Corey placed 51st, with a time of 40 hours, 36 minutes.
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