Posted: July 26, 2007

Running: Lisa Smith-Batchen takes on the 300-mile Badwater Double for the Second Consecutive Year

July 25, 2007 – Driggs, Idaho Dreamchasers Outdoor Adventure Club is proud to announce the latest challenge begun by Club President, Lisa Smith-Batchen. THE CHALLENGE: On Monday, July 23rd, Lisa Smith-Batchen began the Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts at Badwater, California, elevation 282 feet below sea level, and continues for 90 miles across Death, Panamint, and Owens Valleys, over Townes Pass and Father Crowley’s. At 124 miles, just above Lone Pine, California, the course climbs up to the Mount Whitney Portals in the Sierras, where the organized race ends at 135 miles. To make a complete 146-mile crossing, Smith-Batchen will continue to the top of Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level. The total elevation gain for a one-way trip is about 19,000 feet. Smith-Batchen will then reverse the course, making it an out-and-back or double crossing, adding another 5,000 feet of elevation gain (over Father Crowley’s and Townes pass in the reverse direction) bringing the total elevation gain to almost 24,000 feet! Her journey will cover nearly 300 miles THE ATHLETE: Lisa Smith-Batchen completed this same challenge in 2006. She has already competed in the Badwater Ultramarathon eight times, winning the women's division twice. She has completed more than 30 ultramarathons, 90 marathons, and 7 Ironman triathlons. She has also completed the Marathon Des Sables race through the Sahara Desert twice, and is the only American women ever to win the women's division of that race. THE CAUSE: In 2006, Lisa’s Badwater Double efforts were met with great reward, when she raised nearly $300,000 for the Religious Teachers Fillipini, a charity that helps to educate women and children around the world. This year’s focus is on fundraising to support the MPD Foundation. MPDs, the common term for myeloproliferative disorders, are progressive blood cancers that can strike anyone at any age, and for which there is no known cure. Help find a cure and support those who suffer from MPD’s by making a contribution at: http://www.firstgiving.com/badwatermpdlsb . Lisa knows that so many people are dying of all kinds of cancer and that together, we can make a difference. 100% of all donations will go directly to the cause. Website: www.lisasmithbatchen.com . Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest