miles, a personal best for three days by three-tenths of a mile. It’s not much over my previous PR, but I’ll take it. My spirits are high and I am doing the mileage that I had hoped for.

Day four. The temperature gets into the 90s, and the sun is out in all its skinsearing glory with very little shade on the course. I see some of the women followers of Sri Chinmoy running mile after mile and managing to smile most of the time. The women runners seem to be as tough as, if not tougher than, the men. A woman runner once told me that being able to bear children gives women the ability to endure pain. Followers of the guru also believe that doing races like this and similar events makes you transcend into a better state of mind. I transcended into another state of pain. I have a few blisters now, and I am wearing larger shoes. I do 46 miles.

Day five. Another day like yesterday: 90s, hot, and humid. My brother, Walter, came down to see me. It was good to see him and to shoot the breeze. He came down when I did the six-day, even though he does not like driving in “the City.” Around New York City, everybody just calls it the City. (I thought that was what San Francisco used to be called. Never call it “Frisco”; instead call it the City. It must have slipped its metro designation recently.) Ted Corbitt visited the runners one day, taking pictures and talking to us. He was about 80 at the time. He was one of the best ultrarunners and one of the nicest gentlemen who ever lived. Ted Corbitt still holds some ultra records. Talking to us, he made us feel like we were great runners, when in reality none of us will ever be half the runner he was. Ted was a humble man. One of my favorite pictures is of Ted Corbitt and me with the 10-day lap board in the background. The six-day runners joined us. It is kind of funny seeing these runners who are “only” doing six days. It’s like a half-marathoner compared to a marathoner. Most of them started out fast compared with the 10-day runners’ pace, but by night they had slowed. I do 50 miles.

Day six. Enough is enough! Another day in the 90s, still sunny and humid. Records are being set with this heat. This is supposed to be the northeast in April, not Death Valley in July. At least Death Valley has dry heat; there’s nothing here but humidity, and plenty of it. I look back fondly at the old six-day races when Sri Chinmoy would hand out ice cream bars to the runners. The guru has passed away, but his followers still put on sporting events all over the world. The toughest one is the 3,100-mile race around a city block here in New York City in the summer. I set a six-day personal record by 14 miles! I put in 50 miles for day six, a total of 334 miles. It must have been due to the ice cream bars.

Day seven. It is another 90s day, sunny and humid. (Is somebody running a Xerox machine around here, making every day pretty much the same?) All the

runners are feeling the heat except maybe Pam Reed in the six-day. She is from Tucson, Arizona, and has won Badwater overall. I was surprised to see her here, but knowing what a great runner she is, I figured she just wanted to try a new challenge. My feet are badly blistered and very swollen. There are three runners over 60 in the race, and we are all leaning the same way. I call this “runners” lean.” It usually affects older runners when their muscles become fatigued in long races. My theory is that the muscles get fatigued unequally, or the muscles become unbalanced, or the course is on a slant as in this case. Any or all of these will make you lean. There was a slant to the pavement in this race, and we ran clockwise for all 10 days, which I believe contributed to our leaning problem. I put in 45 miles, accompanied by a lot of whines and whimpers.

Day eight. Finally the weather cools after four days of record-breaking heat. I am in pretty rough shape. My feet are badly blistered; I have shin splints, achy knees, and no beer for seven days; and I am bent over so much that my knuckles are almost dragging on the ground. I now stop at a hydrant and nearby bench on each loop; bending over them makes my back feel a little better. I also occasionally lie on the ground, pulling my knees up by grabbing my legs with my hands to form a ball; this also helps until I start walking again. I have tried massages and a chiropractor provided by the race, but nothing helps my back. I talk to my