YOU MAY HAVE DRIVEN... from Salton City to Palomar Mountain at some point, if you were doing the whole Anza-Borrego Desert State Park sightseeing thing. If you have, we'll wager that, at some point, you stopped for gas, and maybe some snacks, and you enjoyed a few side-road excursions, to take in the famous Ricardo Breceda sculptures of the arid-awesome area. Through it all, you had your air-conditioned car on hand, the better to deliver you to your next destination in an hour or two. Several people will make the same journey over the first two days of May 2016, but they won't have their vehicles nearby: They are, in fact, running from Salton City to Palomar Mountain over the two days. Running, yes, on foot, jogging-style, covering the miles via the power of their legs. It's epic, any way you view it, whether running is your bag or not. What's as epic is the fact that this is a team deal, but the teams, which will be comprised of two or three people, won't be relaying: They'll run together. It's athletic amazingness at its most jaw-dropping, and it is one of California's most famous races, along with its Death Valley summertime sibling. We speak of Badwater Salton Sea, and it is gearing up for another across-the-desert, to-the-mountain trek on May 1 and 2.
81 MILES IN TWO DAYS: Even if you're not up for this mega (mega mega mega) run, you can still cheer on the runners as they cruise through the Anza-Borrego. It's the 4th outing for the race, which welcomes 100 runners who'll take on an "elevation gain of over 9000 feet" during the event. Hoo boy, no wonder Badwater is famous even outside of the running world. If you're waiting on July, and the Death Valley happening, stay tuned for "The World's Toughest Foot Race," which roams some 135 miles from Badwater in the desert to Mount Whitney. Dates are July 18 through 20, which is not typically a time of year, 'round one of the world's lowest, driest, hottest places, that sees 70-degree days.
