- Furnace Creek 508
Furnace Creek 508 is an
ultramarathon bicycle race that takes place annually each October since 1989 in SouthernCalifornia . Its route starts inSanta Clarita, California (25 miles north ofLos Angeles ), goes northeast to the northern terminus ofDeath Valley , traverses Death Valley in the southern direction, crossesMojave Desert and ends atTwentynine Palms, California . The race is named after the total length of its course (508 miles) and the location of its midpoint (nearFurnace Creek, California ).Route
*
Santa Clarita, California (start)
*Antelope Valley
*California City, California (82 miles)
*Trona, California (152 miles)
*Panamint Valley
*Townes Pass
*Furnace Creek, California (252 miles)
*Death Valley
*Salsberry Pass
*Shoshone, California (325 miles)
*Baker, California (382 miles)
*Kelso, California (416 miles)
*Amboy, California (450 miles)
*Twentynine Palms, California (finish)Participants and results
In 2006, Furnace Creek 508 saw its largest number of entrants yet, at 179 (75 solo and 104 in teams). In order to be declared an "official finisher", an entrant must cross the finishing line within 48 hours (46 hours for relay teams). The official finishing rate is usually on the order of 60% for solo cyclists and approaching 100% for relay teams. Median finishing time is around 36 hours.
Among solo competitors, current overall records are 27:15:21 (men) and 28:46:34 (women).
Trivia
At 508 miles of length and 36,000 feet of elevation gain, Furnace Creek route is roughly comparable to four typical mountain stages of
Tour de France ridden back-to-back.Furnace Creek 508 is one of the main qualifying events for the
Race Across America .External links
* [http://www.the508.com The Official Web site of Furnace Creek 508]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.