When Iso Yucra crossed the finish line at the Badwater ultramarathon earlier this month, he became the first person ever to complete the Badwater World Cup, finishing each of the three 135-mile races in the world -- the Brazil 135, the Arrowhead 135 in International Falls, Minn., and the Badwater 135 through Death Valley.
But Yucra is not some 24-year-old athlete in his prime. The Escondido resident is a 42-year-old man who started running ultramarathons four years ago to get in shape because he and his wife noticed that he had gained some weight.
"I was overweight and my wife said, 'You are getting big, and it's going to be hard to take those pants off' -- it just started that way," Yucra said.
After years of running different marathons of increasing distances, this year Yucra challenged himself to complete all three of the 135-mile races -- something many have tried but no one had pulled off.
Each of the races takes between 24 and 60 hours to complete, and during that time the runners rarely, if ever, stop and do not sleep at all. Even eating and drinking are done on the run. Despite the extreme challenge, Yucra said he never thought about giving up.
"In my mind, there is no option to (not finish the races)," Yucra said. "Good thing or bad thing, it is not a choice to (not finish) so I have to keep moving until the finish line. The first goal for everyone is the finish line; the second goal is the timing."
The journey started on Jan. 28 in Brazil, where Yucra trekked a cumulative 33,000 feet of elevation and 29,000 feet of descent through the Mantiqueira Mountains. Only 10 of the 135 miles are on flat ground, and with the intense humidity, mud caking on the runners' shoes and mosquitoes everywhere, Yucra said "it's like going to hell." In that case, Yucra conquered hell, finishing 13th overall in just under 38 hours.
Only two days later on Feb. 1, Yucra was in Minnesota for the start of the Arrowhead 135. This is the main reason why no one had completed the Badwater World Cup -- the Arrowhead race is merely 48 hours after the end of the Brazil race, and the human body is supposed to need more recovery time. But not for Yucra.
"The doctor or scientist is going to tell you that you are just doing things you're body is not meant to do," Yucra said. "(But) the body doesn't really have anything to do with this; your mind helps you to do this."
Besides the fact that the race is run at temperatures below minus-20 degrees, the runners are required to carry about 50 pounds of equipment, including a sleeping bag, tent, stove and survival supplies, even though they won't use them.
Arrowhead was the toughest of the three races because of the temperature, Yucra said.
"You stop one or two minutes, you're done," he said. "You have to keep moving, your heart has to keep working, and if you don't keep moving, that's your first enemy."
Yucra finished fifth at just under 49 hours to complete the second leg of the World Cup. For good measure, he didn't have any water for the last 28 miles of the race because it froze.
The last leg took him to Death Valley for the Badwater 135, where temperatures are consistently in the 120-degree range. Once again, Yucra fought all of the elements and challenges, finishing 32nd with a time of 37:26:02 to make history.
"I'm mostly proud of my body and my mental thinking that is doable," Yucra said. "It's mostly mental. It was a challenge for me and I did it because I put in the effort and the training and the thinking and the preparation."
