The 2014 Darth Valley Challenge

Posted by: Jon Rice in All News, Death Valley 0 11,901 Views

The temperature is 129F in Death Valley… the road is bubbling, and tourists pose for photos beside a giant thermometer before scurrying back into their air-conditioned cars. Suddenly a figure comes into view, shimmering in the heat. It appears to be wearing a cape… and a mask… and it seems to be running at a pretty decent clip..

It’s Darth Vader, and he’s flying down the highway on the fourth-hottest day in recorded history

This is the Darth Valley Challenge, and along with a few friends dressed in equally silly costumes, I’ll be running it again this July

Silly? Very. Pointless? Indubitably. Fun? You betcha. For more information visit www.darthvalley.com or check out www.facebook.com/darthvalley and www.twitter.com/darthvalley for updates!

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Jon Rice

Jon is a highly-experienced runner who adopted the sport of heat running in 1996. He visits Death Valley every year to participate in his bizarre creation, The Darth Valley Challenge - a one-mile charge through the desert in the height of summer, dressed as Darth Vader.

To prepare for such silliness he takes extraordinary precautions. He trains year-round in the sauna, runs countless miles in extreme temperatures, and has crewed the Badwater Ultramarathon twice.

Jon's only request as you read this site is that you prepare carefully, tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back, and take more water than you think you'll need.

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