It was a painful spectacle to watch. Bob Becker progressed slowly up the long and exhausting climb to Mount Whitney with his back completely bent and a look of suffering on his face. At times his condition was so severe that he had to crawl on his knees and hands with his head involuntarily rubbing against the asphalt. “I had a really hard time moving my legs,” he told Calcalist candidly, “I only had to move a few steps at a time.”
Luckily for Becker, he was not alone, and was supported by avid friends and admirers, who believed that even at his extreme age of 77, he would be able to finish the “toughest leg race in the world”, known as the Badwater ultra marathon last weekend. In California. They had been by his side almost from the moment his back began to contract sharply at the 144th mile, when a disturbing and painful lameness also began to appear. From there, his condition only got worse.
But before we know what happened to Becker, it is worth knowing that these enormous forces faced the veteran and esteemed American racing organizer, who is proud to be one of the few Jews in the field.
First, there is the inconceivable heat throughout the race, which crosses one of the hottest places in the world, “Death Valley,” an arid desert on the edge of the state of California where 56 degrees were previously measured and the average temperature in July is 44 degrees.
During the race, the competitors pass endless salt plains below sea level, but also a tiny town whose name includes the word “kiln” and which is home to less than 200 residents who lock themselves in their homes during the summer months. Furnace is the exact word to describe the feeling of competitors in these articulated stages of the event. It is therefore not surprising that every year 40% -20% of the participants fail to reach the finish line up Mount Whitney, which is 217 km from the starting line.
And there are the ups and downs. These are steep and appear constantly. The madness of the ascents on the track is part of the race architects’ original attempt to bring participants from the lowest point in U.S. territory to the highest: from Death Valley, 86 meters below sea level, to the sublime summit of Mount Whitney, at 4,421 meters. Only at the entrance to the road leading to the summit (2,548 meters), but the participants in the cruel race still gain an unimaginable height of about 4,000 meters.The age of the participants does not give any discount: everyone climbs, everyone must meet strict time limits.
“For three years now I have been dreaming and planning to finish the race again,” Becker, who approached the challenge after having successfully completed it three times before, told me. Last year he was forced to retire disappointed after 67km due to severe muscle cramps that plagued his legs.
Not many people know that once even gamma the track only to run it all back immediately afterwards – a challenge known among ultra-poisoned as a “double crossing of the Death Valley”. He did this when he was already 72 years old, and behind him are countless other achievements and titles in one of the toughest sports in the world.
While some of Becker’s peers are considering moving to a nursing home or sheltered housing communities, this ultra runner is only looking to go through more difficult challenges that will challenge conventions. On his attached aid vehicle at Badwater was a large, humorous sticker that read, “Tough Legend – Strange to Be Old.” His race number was symbolically 77 and his hope before he jumped was to be the oldest person to ever complete it.
Did he finally succeed? Well technically, no. The time limit for reaching the finish line is 48 hours. Becker crawled it 17 minutes late, 48:17:27 hours. The last and painful miles up Mount Whitney, while dragging himself with great difficulty on the steep road, struggling on his own and on the clock but not letting go, were recorded in real time and circulated on social media. “This is the most exciting ending ever seen in the field,” many surfers wrote in response to the viral videos, “We are proud to meet this man who always inspires us and leaves us speechless.”
Becker, for his part, was of course happy to reach the finish line, “but not because it took me more than 48 hours,” he admits. “The plan was to finish 44 hours later but this old body of mine no longer wanted to cooperate.”
But real disappointment is not there. After two days of deep and restful sleep, Becker woke up and discovered to his amazement the tremendous sensation caused by the shaky videos from the end of the race. The messages of support left him speechless, but mostly a letter from a woman who watched him struggle up the mountain and thanks to him assured herself that she would try to live another 100 days. For him, even if he failed, in the end – he really succeeded.