Horner ends up 10th at Badwater

MT. WHITNEY, Calif. — Hendersonville’s Dave Horner had one goal when he decided to accept an invitation to this year’s Badwater Ultramarathon 135-mile race — do better than he did two years ago when he finished in 15th spot with a time of 37 hours, 1 minute and 20 seconds.

On Tuesday night, Horner accomplished his goal, as he crossed the finish line at Mt. Whitney Trailhead in a time of 34 hours, 31 minutes and eight seconds. The 50-year-old barbershop owner ended up in 10th place out of 80 runners.

Badwater is called the world’s most extreme running race, with a route that begins in Death Valley, some 282 feet below sea level, and ends at Mt. Whitney, which stands 8,360 feet above sea level.

The race began Monday with midday temperatures soaring more than 110 degrees, and the temperatures remained the same Tuesday. When Horner ended the race at 8:15 p.m. (Pacific Time), the temperature

Jorge Pacheco, a 40-year-old from Los Angeles, won the race with a time of 23:20:16, and 33-year-old Akos Konya of Oceanside, Calif., was runner-up with a time of 23:49:44. Jamie Donaldson, 33, of Colorado was the first female finisher and third overall with a time of 26:51:33.