“The Toughest Foot Race on the planet”

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Meet Maree, an inspiration to say the least!

At 4 am on Sunday, Maree woke to an invitation to join the Badwater 135-mile ultramarathon in Death Valley, California, USA. This race is by invitation, a mere handful of only 100 runners from around the globe are selected after a strict application process. This year only 2 Australians were selected. In the 46 years this race has been held, only 6 Australian women have ever been selected and Maree is the 7th. But she needs our help to become the 7th.

Maree is an Emergency Department Registered Nurse of 20+ years, and a mum of 2 girls aged 6 and 8. She took up running as late as 2017, as a means of recovering from a workplace injury and spinal surgery. Amazingly juggling family and work commitments, totally unsponsored she competed in her first ultramarathon in less than 2 years.

What makes the Badwater 135-mile (217km) ultramarathon the toughest foot race on the planet is the extreme life-threatening conditions. Runners are subjected to daytime temperatures in excess of 50 degrees, only dropping to 35 degrees overnight. The blistering conditions are exasperated by searing winds and burning sands. The shadeless course combined with no drink or aid stations pushes runners to the extreme of body and mental endurance. Only 6 Australian female runners have ever undertaken this feat of endurance, let's help make Maree the 7th. The race starts in Death Valley, the lowest point on the continental USA (-85m below sea level), finishing at the trailhead at Mt Whitney the highest point on the continent (2530m above sea level)! Through the searing heat of the Mojave desert, the runners incredibly climb 3 mountain ranges, with the entire race having almost 4450m of vertical accent.

This monumental effort requires not only dedication from Maree but also the effort of a team of 4 crew members, consisting of a crew leader and driver, someone to manage her fluids and nutrition, and 2 pacers. All of these team members volunteer their time to support Maree along the way.

With your help on the 4th of July 2023, Maree hopes to undertake this enormous challenge. Flying the flag for Australia Maree needs your help to meet the costs of this endeavour. Expenses include not only a $2500 race entry fee but also flights and accommodation, car and van hire, race gear, fluids and nutrition, insurance, and other expenses. It is considered runner etiquette to pay the way for their support crew.

Please support Maree achieve this dream to represent our country in the toughest foot race on the planet.