Watching Jamie Donaldson at Badwater was a real learning experience in the strength and focus. She is one tough and focused cookie! And she never broke.
When I saw what she did at mile 42, I knew she was on track to another great Badwater.
I was on another crew and we were all really looking forward to the first big hill there at Stovepipe Wells and the swimming pool at the hotel there. The pool was right next to the road. It was sooo inviting. As we ran we could see it in the distance for miles. As pacers we kept our runner motivated by talking about how wonderful it would feel to jump into that cool spring water. The next one you’ll have a chance at is in Lone Pine –80 long miles later.
So I there I was standing by the Stovepipe (aptly named “town”)pool waiting for our runner to get up the hill so we could all take the first planned break and dive in. I was overheated and I had spent half the day in an air conditioned van.
Jammie was a little ways ahead and I was watching her closely as she came up to Stovepipe to see how she was holding up to all that punishment Death Valley was dishing out. She was the returning Champ and was setting the womans pace. We had just passed the Devils Golf Course and some of toughest territory ever put on a race course, so I was expecting her to do take the well deserved break everyone else had been.
But she shocked me.
Jammie never slowed down or broke pace. And she purposely looked to the right as she came by, as if the the cool refreshing swimming pool on her left wasn’t even there. She refused to acknowledge it. The Devil put it there and she wasn’t taking the bait. She just kept on truckin’.
What an athlete!She is tougher than anybody in the NFL.