Badwater Ultra-Marathon and Running as a Metaphor of Life

Running is an excellent metaphor of life. Running can be difficult sometimes. Life can be difficult sometimes.

It doesn’t get more difficult than the Badwater Ultra-marathon in Death Valley National Park, California. It is a 135-mile trek in the desert that must be completed within 48 hours. This race starts at the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere – Badwater – 283 feet below sea level. From this point the race climbs 135 miles through and out of Death Valley National Park to Mount Whitney; an 8300 ft mountain range. The temperature during this trek could reach a sizzling 130 degrees during the day.

National Geographic declared it as the hardest foot race on Earth.

When people hear of this race, their first reaction is, “You’re crazy,” or “Sounds like torture” or “that’s impossible.”

But people do this, and have been doing over the past 30 years.

I was honored and privileged to be invited as a crew member this year for Frank McKinney, Six time finisher of the Badwater Ultra-marathon. He is also friend, and one of my mentors.

Frank is the essence of a Badwater racer. It takes ultimate discipline, fortitude, character, and supreme fitness to take on Badwater. Frank has displayed all of these qualities year after year as a Badwater participant.

Frank also has created a higher purpose to run this race. He races in part to support his charity in Haiti. Frank has facilitated and built 20 Haitian villages in 10 years, sheltering thousands of Haitian people.

Frank’s running of Badwater also gives us a profound lesson of life through his experience. Badwater is the ultimate challenge. Most would say it’s impossible. And that’s EXACTLY why he does it. Because he has proven to himself, and to others, that possibilities are limitless. Not just in running, but in life.

I quote Frank, as he asks people in his writings, “What’s your life’s badwater?” Furthermore, he asks, “What is your impossible, insurmountable, and incomprehensible challenge in life?” The impossible, insurmountable, and incomprehensible is our own life’s “badwater”.

Frank’s message is to find it, and go after it. Pursue it whole-heartedly in spite of our fears, and the fact it may be impossible. By doing this, we simply create more. We achieve things we once didn’t think possible. We realize there are no limits on what we can accomplish. By going after the impossible, we learn anything CAN BE possible. By going after the insurmountable, you BECOME someone that can surmount and overcome anything.

This is evident in Frank’s life. Since he starting running in the Badwater Ultra-marathon 8 years ago, he has accomplished remarkable things in other areas of his life. During this time, he has written three books in three genres – a real estate investment book, a spiritual and development book, and a children/teenager fantasy novel. He also designed and developed the largest and most expensive Green home in the World – a 15,000 sq ft self-sustaining mansion in South Florida.

Frank lives life going after the impossible, insurmountable, and incomprehensible because he creates brand new possibilities in his life that truly inspire and enrich others.

To learn more about Frank, his books, and his charity you can visit his website at www.frank-mckinney.com

Running is an excellent metaphor of life.

The progress in running mirrors the progress we make in life. To accomplish a goal running one must do certain things. One must plan, prepare, be disciplined, and train continuously. We don’t just wake up one day and run 26 miles straight. Months before this, stamina must be gained; endurance and muscles must be built. Nutrition and eating habits must promote the body and wellness of a runner. The body must learn perseverance and recovery quickly. The mind must be mentally prepared for the road of training ahead.

Life is like running. Progress in life depends upon our ability to know what we want. Then create a plan to get the object of our desire, and have the discipline to train and take action to make that desire become a reality. We must have perseverance in our lives, as there will be set backs, mistakes, losses, and challenges. But our ability to recover from these set backs will ultimately determine our results in life.

So I echo Frank’s message. What is your life’s Badwater?

Why pursue it? Why not pursue it? Why not you? Why not now? Why not go after life’s impossible, insurmountable, and incomprehensible?

The Time Is Now.

Joseph Metcalfe