I ran over 100 miles through Death Valley in record heat after recovering from chemo — here's what it was like

Jessica OrwigAug 23, 2024, 02:03 IST

Ray Zahab (right) achieves what many would consider unthinkable. Here he is standing in Death Valley when it's 123 degrees Fahrenheit.Kent Keeler<ul class="summary-list"><li>Ray Zahab ran over 105 miles through California's Death Valley during its hottest month on record.</li><li>Zahab has traversed over 10,000 miles across Earth's deserts but said this trip was personal.</li></ul>This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ray Zahab, a 55-year-old Canadian explorer and ultra-distance runner who has traversed nearly 12,400 miles across Earth's most extreme environments, from the Arctic to the Sahara. It's been edited for length and clarity.July was the hottest month in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/life-in-death-valley-one-of-hottest-places-on-earth-2020-8">Death Valley</a> National Park's recorded history. It's also when I ran over 100 miles through the scorching desert heat.I endured daily highs that exceeded <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/extreme-heat-tourists-death-valley-record-temperature-summer-heatwaves-2023-8">120 degrees Fahrenheit</a> during my 53.5-hour journey from Death Valley's northern border in the mountains down to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.I was well prepared from <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.instagram.com/rayzahab/?hl=en">multiple adventures </a>in Death Valley, and I respected the National Park Service's "extreme summer heat" warnings, meeting with park rangers in advance and sharing my plans with them.I knew the journey would push my <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tourists-visit-death-valley-during-dangerous-heatwave-2023-7">body to the limit</a>, navigating Death Valley's mountains, sand dunes, salt flats, and ankle-twisting rock-strewn river beds, almost entirely alone and off-road.It wasn't the first time I've run across Death Valley, but this trip was more personal. I was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer a few years ago and knowing that I could get out there and do something like this after recovering from chemo was empowering.There were times when I doubted I could finish and times when I knew I had to rest. Here's what it was like to run through California's Death Valley during its hottest month ever.

I arrived in Death Valley days beforehand

Ray Zahab arrived in Death Valley National Park ahead of schedule. Kent Keeler

It's easy to get lost in the mountains

Zahab has already ran the equivalent of a marathon and still has over 75 miles to go.Kent Keeler

It's hot below the mountains, but it gets hotter

Zahab used hiking poles to help him through rougher terrain.Kent Keeler

A dozen resupply stations helped me pack light and move quickly

Zahab strategically scheduled resupply stations throughout his journey through Death ValleyKent Keeler

Death Valley's extreme heat isn't the only challenge

Death Valley's dried-up river beds helped Zahab navigate through the desert.Kent Keeler

At night, I used the Milky Way to help me navigate

Zahab used the stars and Milky Way to help him navigate at night, but he has his phone in case he needed it.Kent Keeler

There's no shade so the rocks get really hot

Zahab said the rock felt like they were a billion degrees.Kent Keeler

I felt a lot different at this resupply station than the earlier one

Zahab knew he needed a break.Jesse Delgrosse

Just a few more hours to go

On the left Zahab is shown walking across clay-encrusted ground and on the right is a screenshot from a video he took of similar ground.Kent Keeler/Ray Zahab

From one bad terrain to the next

Zahab traversed every possible terrain in Death Valley from mountains to sand dunes.Kent Keeler

I finished on July 3 at exactly 53 hours 35 minutes 21 seconds

Zahab made it to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America.Ray Zahab

I never wore a single sock on the entire journey

For running over 100 miles through Death Valley, these feet don't look bad at all.Ray Zahab

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I ran over 100 miles through Death Valley in record heat after recovering from chemo &mdash; here's what it was like