Total Recore

With beads of sweat pouring down and a determined look on his face, Brian Recore methodically places one foot in front of the other.

Stride after stride, step after step, mile after mile, he keeps it up. There's no end in sight — and that's just the way he likes it.

When it comes to physical feats, it's hard to top what the Yuba City native is about to attempt.

On Monday, Recore will take on one of the most grueling events in the world when he runs in the 33rd annual Badwater Ultramarathon in Death Valley. But he won't be running just a normal race — he'll be testing the limits of human endurance.

The 135-mile trek through the hottest and driest place in North America is recognized around the globe as the toughest foot race on the planet and is something that only the world's most physically fit athletes could attempt, much less finish.

Yet that's exactly where Recore will be this week when he joins 87 runners from 16 countries in the California desert for the three-day competition.

"I'm nervous," Recore said Friday as he prepared for the big race. "I started looking through pictures recently and I asked my wife 'What the hell am I doing.'"

The event is run between the lowest and the highest points in the continental United States, beginning at the Badwater Basin in Death Valley and finishing at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney.

The race starts at 282 feet below sea level and finishes at an elevation of 8,360 feet, but due to the three mountain ranges on the course, the combined elevation change is more than 19,000 feet.

Making the event even more arduous is the fact that the race is held each year in July when temperatures can reach upwards of 120 degrees.

"I've been following the temperatures down there and lately it's been in the 120s," Recore said. "But I'm expecting the official temperatures to be about 115."

Recore will be one of 51 Americans and 42 rookies to run at the event, which will see 71 men and 16 women take on the challenge. The youngest runner is 20 and the oldest is 75, with the average age of the competitors at 44 years.

The time limit for the race is 60 hours and the winner is expected to finish in 22 to 26 hours, according to the race's website.

Recore qualified for Badwater by completing the 135-mile Brazil Ultramarathon in January. His goal in Brazil was to break the 48-hour barrier, which he did by finishing the event in 46 hours, 57 minutes.

But for Badwater, he looking to run even faster.

"You have to finish under 48 hours to get the prestigious buckle, but I'm looking to finish in under 40," he said. "Breaking 40 would be awesome."

Recore has been running two to three times a day on the back roads near his house in south Yuba City to train for the event. To acclimate to the temperatures he'll face in Death Valley, he always runs in a full sweatsuit — a black one at that — in the 100-degree heat of the Mid-Valley.

And if that wasn't already enough, Recore constructed a room in his house to help him get accustomed to the heat. He built a sauna around his treadmill and runs daily to prepare for the hot temperatures of the asphalt.

"The electric heater I had wasn't putting out enough, so I ended up buying this propane heater to crank up the heat," Recore said. "The other afternoon it was 105 before I added the heat and I got it up to 140."

All that training has come with a cost, however.

"Training in the heat is putting a toll on the washing machine because I'm going through clothes like nobody's business," Recore said. "It's pretty disgusting — even my shoes are dripping with sweat when I'm done. My wife won't touch them."

Five friends in two cars will accompany Recore on his journey and serve as his crew, providing him with everything from food to medical attention if needed.

"I'm trying to use a little bit of strategy because I've seen some of the top guys in the world drop out because they went too hard in the heat," he said. "I'm going to run from 6 to 10 in the morning and then slow down a little during the day to manage my body heat. I'll keep a steady slow pace until the evening and then pick it back up again."

The heat of the asphalt and the pounding on the ground has taken a toll on his feet, so now Recore is going with footwear that provide a little more space for his toes.

"My little toes got blistered at the last marathon, so I'm bringing four pairs of shoes of all different sizes," he said. "I wear a 10, but I'm going to bring couple bigger sizes like a 101⁄2, 11 or even an 111⁄2. I'm tired of cutting my shoes."

Recore is also running to raise money for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. His goal is to raise $5,000 through online donations.

"I'm trying to provide opportunities for kids with different disabilities," said Recore, who added that donations can be received until Aug. 1.

But for now, Recore will try to achieve a feat that only a handful of people in the world have accomplished.

"The registration fee was $900. Can you believe that — I have to pay to go through the pain," he said.