Imagine running 135 miles nonstop through sweltering desert heat that can reach more than 120 degrees, while racing up elevations of over 8,000 feet above sea level in the most grueling endurance race on earth.

One local man is actually looking forward to it.

Jerry Vondruska, 38, of Bloomingdale, is only one of 90 people in the world that will participate in the upcoming Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, a 135-mile running race across California’s arid Death Valley desert to the base of Mount Whitney.

“What scares me the most is not necessarily the distance or the altitude, but the heat,” Vondruska said. “It’s nice knowing no one has died yet running this race.”

The annual race will start Monday, July 23, and will conclude Wednesday, July 25.

As if he doesn’t have enough on his plate training for the Badwater, Vondruska is also participating in the 60-mile Susan G. Koman 3-Day Walk to benefit breast cancer research. The event will be this August in Chicago.

Vondruska is in the process of raising money for the Walk with the Badwater, with the goal of raising $13,500, or $1,000 for each mile of the race, which will be donated as part of his Koman team’s race donation.

Vondruska is a health and driver’s education teacher at Fenton High School in Bensenville, where he also works as the school’s athletic trainer. He said he has been running marathons for over 10 years and has competed in more than 57 so far in 31 states, including a 50-mile and a 100-mile ultramarathon.

“I started running in college as a way of staying in shape. I had a dog that was getting fat, so I took him with me,” he said. “I ran my first Chicago Marathon in 1993 and haven’t stopped since.”

His best time on the Chicago Marathon was 2:58:59.
However, nothing he has done can prepare him for his ultimate goal of finishing the Badwater 135.

While Vondruska considered participating in the race for several years, it was not until recently when he finished the 100-mile ultramarathon when he realized he could run those kind of distances, and might actually be able to finish a 135-mile race.

“Before that, I thought there was no way I could have the stamina to run that kind of race,” Vondruska said. “But after finishing that, and a previous 50-mile race, I am now ready to take what I think will be the ultimate challenge.”

The Badwater has been held as a race since 1987. Last year, 85 runners participated and 67 finished. The fastest person to finish was a 32-year-old male from Washington state, who finished with a record time of 25 hours 41 minutes. In contrast, the final person to cross the finish line did so in just over 57 1/2 hours, according to the official race Web site. The race must be completed in 60 hours.

Vondruska does have the solace in knowing that he will not be alone, as each runner has a six-member team that assists him in an all-terrain vehicle. The support team provides him with snacks, water, new shoes and any supplies he might need, including encouragement.

One of the members of his team is Amanda Musacchio, a friend who said she will do what she can to help Vondruska finish the race in his goal of under 48 hours.

“He is the toughest and most dedicated athlete I know,” she said.

To train for such an event, Vondruska said he uses a mix of 10 to 20 mile runs during a week, with some shorter, faster runs in between. He also adds some cycling in as well.

“It will increase now that I am out of school for the summer,” he said.

Anyone looking to donate funds to Vondruska’s efforts in support of the “Susan G. Komen for the Cure” cause can visit his fundraising Web site at www.the3day.org/chicago07/vondruska.