I Ran Death Valley and Didn’t Die: Race Report for the Death Valley Marathon

Everyone remembers when they were a child and their Mom told them, “Don’t ever run in Death Valley.” Or when you asked your Dad, “Someday, should I run the Death Valley Marathon?” And he said, “How about you get a job? I’d give you a medal just to see that.” Okay, my parents basically never said any of those things. In fact, they never warned me at all about running in Death Valley, so I blame them for what follows.

I visited Death Valley a few years ago in June. It was hot. Like 116 degrees. Fahrenheit. And it got even worse once the sun came up. I had my running vest with lots of water handy so I decided to hike the Golden Canyon Trail. I figured that I would go as far as one-third of my water would take me and then return. The heat was no joke. The signs saying that if you die here they will not come get you are disconcerting, to say the least. Death Valley got its name in about 1849 by some people who thought they would die there. (National Park Service: Death Valley). Maybe they were there for the first marathon.

With all this in mind, I decided to go back to Death Valley. But this time I would not hike, I would run. Run the Death Valley Marathon. This race is held annually inside Death Valley National Park (thank you park rangers). The weather can be unpredictable but at least it’s not over 100 degrees. The problem is that the humidity is so low. You can get dehydrated and be in trouble before you realize it. They even published a guide to show you how much to drink during the race (Death Valley Marathon Water Guide). I conveniently found this guide the day after the race. I read the race reports and thought, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Motivated, I pressed onward.

Raceday morning you arrive at the Park Headquarters and, like most major world marathons, pick up your bib at the Borax Museum. Parking is convenient along the road right by the race start so that is nice. The race director gave us our orientation speech about 15 minutes before we started and asked what countries were represented. I was surprised at how many international runners were there. The lady next to me kept shouting, “We are from Armenia.” Which was cool because I didn’t even know Armenia was a country.

The race reports said some of the race was off-road and we did run quite a bit on gravel roads. Several years ago massive flooding here washed out many roads and I guess some roads have not been repaved. The mostly flat course was one of the most beautiful running experiences I have ever had. Sunrise in Death Valley lights up the mountain rocks in pastels of light greens and blues. The eggshell blue sky above us was magical.

The National Park Service is really careful about safety (people have died here, after all). Single file running is required along the road and absolutely no headphones of any kind can be worn. I loved this because it really forces you to pay attention to the course and soak in all that nature. While you are soaking in all that nature, nature is soaking up every drop of sweat from you. And every other runner out there, for that matter. I guess nature is trying to replenish that river that ran through this valley oh so many years ago.

When I run smaller races I always worry that I will finish last. Luckily for me, since a few runners didn’t make it, I wasn’t last. I MEANT THEY DIDN’T FINISH THE RACE, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??

One of the best running experiences I have ever had, just being alone (mostly) in the vast desert. Since I love trail running the gravel roads were no problem and the race support was top-notch. You don’t have crowds along the route but, for this race, I liked it. The quiet lets you focus on the vast scenery around you.

Would I run the Death Valley Marathon again? Absolutely! Just don’t tell Mom and Dad.

Death Valley Marathon
Weather: 40 degrees at race start, partly cloudy with a slight breeze (perfect!)
Elevation: 193 feet below sea level. (No altitude sickness for me, but I did get the bends for the first time while running).
Time: 5:37:50 (anything with a 5 on the front is a good time for me).
Pace: 12:55/mile
Finish: 93 of 98
Scenery: Second best scenery. The sunrise in Death Valley was epic. (The best scenery for me is the Jackson Hole Marathon in Wyoming).
Amount of water consumed: about 40 gallons.
Elevation gain: 643 ft. Which basically means I climbed back up to sea level.
Survivors: 1 of 1