Badwater Ultramarathon, Neil Runions
Hi Jodi:
I am writing you to thank Shaklee Canada for helping me to exceed my goals for the Badwater Ultramarathon this summer.
Badwater is a 217 km (135 Mile) ultramarathon that is recognized as the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet. The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley (California) which marks the lowest elevation in the Western Hemisphere at 280 feet below sea level. The race finishes at 8,300 feet elevation on Mt. Whitney, which is the highest mountain in the contiguous United States.
The course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. Temperatures during the race frequently reach the low to mid 50°C (122°F) with competitors running through places or landmarks with names like Furnace Creek, Devil’s Cornfield and Funeral Mountains.
The non-stop footrace is limited to 90 runners who must first qualify and then be selected by a 5-person panel to compete in the race. This year 15 countries competed at Badwater, and I was fortunate enough to be one of two Canadians invited to compete.
I first ran Badwater last year, during which 14 countries competed and I was invited as one of three Canadians. I met Lee Coyne a month before the race last year who introduced me to Physique and Shaklee Performance. I quickly incorporated the Shaklee products into my training requiem, and realized the benefits over other products on the market.
I used Physique and Shaklee Performance exclusively when I ran Badwater in 2006 and was very pleased with my finishing time of 42 hours and 50 minutes (competitors are allowed 60 hours to complete Badwater, however any finishing time under 48 hours earns the coveted “Badwater Belt Buckle”).
This year, I incorporated the Shaklee products earlier into my training program, and again relied exclusively on Physique and Shaklee Performance during the race (i.e. I did not eat any solids during the race, and relied solely on the nutrition provided by Physique and Shaklee Performance during the non-stop run). This year I completed the race in 37 hours and 24 minutes, which was 5 ½ hours faster than my previous year!
Lee Coyne helped me immeasurably in understanding the physiology of endurance events and how to manage the body’s needs leading up to, during, and after the event. I relied on the Shaklee products exclusively during Badwater, and was very pleased with the results that I was able to achieve.
Again, thank you very much for helping me to blow-away my goal for Badwater 2007, and I will definitely recommend the Shaklee products to all my athlete friends.
Best regards,
Neil Runions
Further Reading
Extreme Nutrition - To become an exceptional achiever you must try, do and practice exceptional things.
LeanSeekers
https://leanseekers.com/About/Testimonials/Badwater-Ultramarathon