Ninety-seven runners have pushed off in desolate Death Valley for an annual ultramarathon billed as the world’s toughest foot race [Video]

During a rainstorm that partially obscured the light of a nearly full moon, 97 runners pushed off in desolate Death Valley with the launch of a 48-hour annual ultramarathon billed as the world’s toughest foot race — the Badwater 135.After starting late Monday night, the men and women ranging in age from 19 to 69 and hailing from 21 countries and 26 U.S. states, are running amid an excessive heat warning. With daytime temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit and night heat above 100 F, they are traveling over roadways open to traffic and passing 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,” said 46-year-old runner Jessica Jones from Dauphin Island, Alabama, who was running her second Badwater 135, which …