Over 19,000 ft. of vertical ascent
in 146 miles

Townes Pass

The Fort Morgan endurance athlete, who has won Badwater four times in seven attempts, decided to enter uncharted territory with an unsupported solo run through the desert heat and the mountain chill. Temperatures can range from the 30s to nearly 130° in the course of the run, so a variety of protective clothing is needed.

And the body consumes huge amounts of food and water in an endurance run, so the cart Ulrich lugged on his trek wound up weighing 212 pounds. The load included 21½ gallons of water; he had calculated that he would need around 20 and used 18½, consuming more than his body weight in water. The rig also included a solar panel to power a submersible pump that ran water through a tube so he would not have to stop and fish in the cooler for a drink.

Ulrich started his journey at 6 a.m. July 1 and finished atop Mount Whitney 77 hours and 48 minutes later.

"The hardest thing I've ever done," is how Ulrich described the trek. "I don't know how many times I thought of quitting. I was reduced to a desert animal, crawling under mesquite bushes to get away from the heat."

Several Badwater veterans monitored Ulrich's progress and stood ready to render assistance if needed. However, they were to give no assistance unless absolutely necessary — Ulrich's goal was to make it alone, unaided. He averaged 16-minute miles to Furnace Creek at 17 miles, but the pace slowed to 30-minute miles by the 80-mile mark at Padre Crowley Point.

At night

Climbs of 5,000 feet in 18 miles and 3,400 feet in another 15, along with dehydration from 128-degree temperatures and 20-mile-an-hour winds, necessitating some sleep and rest breaks, contributed to the slower pace.

The total climb from Badwater, 282 feet below sea level, to the summit of Whitney, 14,496 feet above sea level, is nearly 15,000 feet — from the lowest point in the lower 48 states to the highest. Ulrich hit the 100-mile mark in 51 hours. (editor's note: Total climb is actually over 19,000 feet as a person has to drop into Panamint and Owens Valleys and then climb out.)

About 59 hours into the race, he hit 120 miles, and two miles later, he took a break at the Whitney portal road until sundown, then headed up Whitney. Temperatures there were in the 40s, with some ice and snow along the trail.

Ulrich plans to return to Badwater July 15 and is considering an "out and back" run.

The local pet food company owner got started as an endurance runner in the 1980s, running the 13.4-mile Pikes Peak ascent, then entering a 50-mile race in 1983. He ran his first 100-miler in 1987 and completed six 100-milers in 1989, finishing in the top 10 in five of them.

Ulrich has also run in the Himalaya and is part of the Stray Dogs adventure racing team that competes in multidiscipline events around the world, with mountain biking, camel-driving, horseback riding, mountain climbing, canoeing, ocean kayaking and canyoneering among the skills required. He receives sponsorship from Pharmanex, a nutritional supplement company.

— John Laporte, Fort Morgan Times Sports Writer