Her impetus for the journey, which took about two weeks, in one of most parched places on the planet? Raising money for healthier water across the world. Proceeds from her remarkable run will benefit Waterkeeper Alliance, a global movement of on-the-water advocates who patrol and protect over 1.5 million square miles of rivers, streams, and coastlines across the world. “I have been given a gift [the ability to run], and I use it to help others, the less fortunate, have a better life,” Smith-Batchen says. “I am over the moon with joy and gratitude that I in fact accomplished what I set out to do.” After the run, she said she believes she’s raised about $200,000, but hasn’t done an exact count recently.
Smith-Batchen’s almost unimaginable feat included about 96,000 feet of elevation change in one of the most unforgiving stretches of terrain in the country. Her inspired mission left a mark—much deeper than footprints in the sand. We caught up with Smith-Batchen to learn how she persevered in such an unforgiving environment.
Badwater is a dangerous place. Try to describe just how bad it got out there.
Badwater is a very dangerous place and it threw all of its worst elements at me. I was tested. The high air temperature was 127, so imagine how hot the ground was! I had to run through 60-mile-per-hour winds and sand storms, thunder and lightning due to flash floods, and it was humid at times, which is not the norm for Death Valley. It was bad—and challenging.