Road shoulder
I've seen various pics (really enjoyed yours, Liam) of the race and noticed the narrow road shoulder.
When I crewed through OH, much of 2-lane Rte. 30 had little or no shoulder on the portions where 4-lane was not accessible for some reason, but there was always an alternate "escape" route. Looks like beggars can't be choosers at Badwater, though - it's one road or no road. That being the case, I have a few questions:
1) Is the rule in the official race to stay on or outside the white line strictly enforced? I noticed in some pics competitors running abreast, both on the asphalt, and one inside the white line.
2) Is it common to roll an ankle off the asphalt?
3) Has anyone been hit by a car or narrowly missed an accident in the history of the official or solo crossings?
4) How strong do the winds get and at what points of the race are they a factor? I remember Robert mentioning that running abreast is "allowed" but discouraged because a wind may push a pacer into a runner then into the road.
Thanks,
Trail Trampler
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Whitney Summit Member
2) Parts of the (dirt) shoulder are runnable. I ran almost entirely on the shoulder up to Stovepipe. But there are many miles (on the upgrade just after Panamint in particular) that the white line is right up against the guardrail. Going across the dry lake bed before you come into Lone Pine, the shoulder is uneven. By that time, I was not steady enough on my feet to negotiate the shoulder at all...
3) ...which brings me to your traffic question. Coming across the lake bed in the wee hours of the morning, I was forced to go ON the white line (or as nearly as my weaving would allow.) There was heavy truck traffic. Oncoming traffic came very FAST, and they didn't move over even an inch. I mean, they were nearly brushing my elbow, probably at 70-80 mph. Visibility was not an issue. My crew and I were wearing blinking vests and headlamps. The trucks simply did not want to give us the road. It was scary.
Marcia Rasmussen
2003, 2006 - BW Crew
2005, 2006, 2007 - Solo Crossing
Best time - 46:20
3) ...which brings me to your traffic question. Coming across the lake bed in the wee hours of the morning, I was forced to go ON the white line (or as nearly as my weaving would allow.) There was heavy truck traffic. Oncoming traffic came very FAST, and they didn't move over even an inch. I mean, they were nearly brushing my elbow, probably at 70-80 mph. Visibility was not an issue. My crew and I were wearing blinking vests and headlamps. The trucks simply did not want to give us the road. It was scary.
So did you end up getting off the pavement at those times and running in the dirt or did you stay on the asphalt?
You know, I have to comment about this. I too was a bit flabbergasted at some of the truckers along those portions of Rte. 30 that were not runnable and for which I had to find alternate routing, mostly on County Roads.
Last August, there is a portion that stands out in my mind quite clearly near Cory, OH where 4-lane was not yet constructed and so I actually went to 2-lane where there was little or no shoulder and then usually a drop off into grassy ditches. I ran a six mile portion enroute to Williamstown, OH just to see how the traffic behaved and some truckers moved while about half did not, narrowly missing me, and I was very fresh and in comfortable weather so I can't even imagine what you and others went through out there, Marcia. At times it even seemed some vehicles veered toward me; I was so irked about it, I went into a local bar and told them my concerns (as if they cared...lol). The bar owner looked at me and said, 'You shouldn't be running there anyway...that stretch has the highest fatality rate in the county." He had a point, of course...and I later learned that stretch was restricted to pedestrians (with good reason) but nevertheless, those truckers should be more accommodating if you're out there. Honestly, if it's a situation where a trucker cannot move over due to oncoming traffic, that is one thing, but when it's laziness, risking a life, that's unacceptable. That being that case, no choice but to adapt and protect, and so I found an alternate route, which I probably would have done had it not been illegal to run there. Tacking that 1.5 miles onto the mileage was worth it to keep my runner safe.
Thanks,
TrailTramp
"It takes more courage to reveal insecurities than to hide them, more strength to relate to people than to dominate them..."
--Alex Karras
Whitney Summit Member
At that point, I was too tired even to negotiate the slopey, rocky shoulder at a walk. After a couple close calls, my crew was practically PUSHING me off the road whenever a truck would come by. I would just have to step off the road and stand there, waiting for it to pass.
On a more positive note, at least that stretch of road has good visibility. We could see the trucks coming for several miles before they passed us. That is not always true of traffic on the mountainous stretches of the course.
Marcia Rasmussen
2003, 2006 - BW Crew
2005, 2006, 2007 - Solo Crossing
Best time - 46:20
I crossed Paniment Valley during the morning and encountered very little traffic. It wasn't an issue. I just stepped off the highway and let'em go!
Encountered a fair amount of traffic going into Lone Pine. Wasn't too bad and I certainly didn't fear for my life. The key is to pay attention to what is going on. Lots of caffeine helps.
Bill LaDieu
Harrisburg, PA
Whitney Summit Member
Yeah, I didn't think Panamint Valley was bad either. Just the grade between Panamint and Father Crowley. Lots of blind curves, and no place to step off the road.
Marcia Rasmussen
2003, 2006 - BW Crew
2005, 2006, 2007 - Solo Crossing
Best time - 46:20