Death Valley toughens up ultra runners like Sacramento’s Ray Sánchez

If you’re Ray Sánchez and have completed a grueling 135-mile footrace traversing three mountain ranges in the world’s version of hell in July, what do you do?

The 41-year-old mechanical engineer from Sacramento went on a hike up Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States after finishing his 14th Badwater 135 on Tuesday.

His reward: A special belt buckle that all 77 finishers of the 135-mile ultra race that began at Badwater Basin and ended at Mt. Whitney Portal Road, at the base of Mt. Whitney.

Sánchez – who finished in 34 hours, 9 minutes and 31 seconds – was 18th overall as he moved up the list to third of the most Badwater finishes. Only Marshall Ulrich (20 finishes) and Danny Westergaard, who completed his 15th finish on Tuesday, have more.

The former boxer who barely missed a shot at the Olympics runs to promote Be Change, a non-profit organization dedicated to securing equitable education for inner-city children in Sacramento’s toughest neighborhoods.

“I run for a reason. Every stride I take is a possible step up for a child who has never seen a doctor or a dentist,” he said. “I was raised with very little.”

Sánchez was the top Latino participant to finish the race (Spain’s Ivá Penalba López was second about half an hour behind the winner).

Here’s a look at top Latino runners:

Conrado Ramírez, in his first Badwater race, finished 26th in 36:27:38. The 48-year-old from Pomona is originally from Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco and is listed as a marketer. He has been a pacer at Badwater.

Ricardo Ramírez, another first-time participant, finished 32nd in 37:10:55. The 58-year-old body repair technician from Pomona had to serve a 1-hour penalty for bringing an oversized support vehicle.

María Rivera, a 51-year-old barista from Glendale, finished her first Badwater in 38:33:54, good for 42nd place.

María Paredes, a 48-yeer-old teacher from Boca Ratón, Florida, finished 47th overall in 39:18:02. Her nationality is Venezuelan.

Sandra Mejía Céspedes, a 43-year-old athlete from Costa Rica, clocked 45:09:04 to finish 68th in her first Badwater. “One of the most important moments of my personal and sporting life! I only had to cross a desert to make it!,” she posted on Facebook.

Alexis García, a 60-year-old teacher from Florida, finished his first Badwater in 46:35:36. He is Cuban.

2022 Badwater edition was memorable

Japan’s Yoshihiko Ishikawa was on pace to break his own record until he slowed down 108 miles into the race. However, he did win in 21:33:01 to go along with his 2019 title. Ishikawa is an engineer from Tokushima, Japan.

Two-time and defending champion Harvey Lewis, a 46-year-old teacher from Cincinnati, finished fourth in 27:16:35. It marked his 11th Badwater finish.

Ashley Paulson, a 40-year-old mother of four from Utah, broke the women’s record by finishing in 24:09.34. This was her first Badwater.

Bob Becker, a 77-year-old race director from Florida, provided the drama by coming tantalizingly close to finishing the race in 48 hours. He was bent at the waist most of the final half of the race, and even bear-crawled the final miles up the steep Portal Road.

Becker was trying to be the oldest finisher of the race, a record held by Jack Denness of the United Kingdom who was 75 when he finished in 59:13:02 when runners were allowed 60 hours to finish the race.