Death Valley Trail Marathon (and swim?)

Tomorrow is the Death Valley Trail Marathon. Heather and I are gonna try to skip out of work a little early, jump in the car & try to beat the Escape from LA traffic. Unlikely, but a noble attempt all the same.

For those that don't know, this is sort of an anniversay trip for Heather and me. We did this same race last year (with our friends Gil & Jesus), and right before the race I kissed Heather (just to give us both something to think about during the next 26.2 miles) and after we got back I asked her to go out with me the next weekend. Well, due to changes in the dates of the race, this year's race will be on the 1 year anniversary of our first date (insert collective "ahhhhh...." here).

So, back to the marathon, here's the thing... This is supposed to be a gorgeous run that begins at about 3,000 feet above sea level in the plains of Death Valley, it then climbs 1,400 feet to the top of White Pass, drops 500, the climbs another 850 feet to the top of the amazing Red Pass(total climb of about 1,800 feet in 12 miles) before droping to 250 feet during the last 14 miles.

As you descend you wind your way through Titus Canyon - a slot canyon with some amazing geologic features. That is, unless it rains...

Tomorrow, it's supposed to rain. So instead, we'll be running through the flats of Death Valley... in the rain. Death Valley gets about 2 inches of rain a year... Our luck, it'll come between 7 and 11 tomorrow...