First runners reach the finish in the annual Death Valley ultramarathon called the world’s toughest [Video]

DEATH VALLEY NATOINAL PARK, Calif. – The first few runners of an ultramarathon that steps off in desolate Death Valley hit the finish line early Wednesday, a little more than 24 hours after they began this year’s Badwater 135, billed as the world’s toughest foot race.

Ninety-seven runners launched the 48-hour race on Monday night, most of them starting with a light jog during a rainstorm that partially obscured the light of a nearly full moon.

The men and women ranging in age from 19 to 69 and hailing from 21 countries and 26 U.S. states were running amid daytime temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit (48.8 Celsius) and night heat above 100 F (37.7 C). They ran over roadways open to traffic and passed through places with names like Furnace Creek, Devil’s Golf Course and Devil’s Cornfield.

“For me it’s all about seeing what I can do, you know, testing my own limits, seeing how well I can do these extreme things,” …