The Badwater Ultra Marathon, a 135-mile footrace through Death 
Valley, Calif. which is regarded by many as the most difficult 
athletic endurance contest in the world, was held July 25 
through 27.

Although not widely regarded as a top ultra running state, Texas 
fared exceptionally well in this grueling "super" ultra 
marathon. All five Texans entered in the event not only finished 
for a 100 percent finisher's rate, but all ran under the 48-hour 
barrier to receive a prestigious Badwater belt buckle.

The event featured 71 runners from throughout the U.S., in 
addition to nine foreign countries, including England, Italy and 
Germany.

Paul Stone of Bullard, just south of Tyler, was the top Texan, 
finishing ninth overall in a time of 37:51:21 (37 hours, 51 
minutes, 21 seconds). This was an improvement of 15 1/2 hours 
over last year for Stone who successfully completed Badwater for 
the second straight year.

Other Texans, their times and overall finish included: 12. 
Steven Silver, El Paso, 40:19:58; 15. Mark Henderson, Houston, 
41:22:40; 27. Nathan Ochsner, Katy, 46:02:05; and 33. 
Christopher Rampacek, Houston, 47:10:20.

Race Director Chris Kostman frequently could be heard saying at 
post-race events, "Don't mess with Texas."

The Texas runners come from varied backgrounds -- Stone is a 
newspaper writer, Henderson a NASA engineer and Rampacek the 
owner of fitness clubs throughout the state.