Mary Kashurba and her son, Joe, 17, work out by dragging tires as they run. Mary is preparing to compete in the Badwater Ultramarathon, which starts Monday in Death Valley, Calif.

By Maria Sciullo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

How hot was it this week? Not enough for Mary Kashurba.

Kashurba was as happy as an air-conditioner salesman when the heat wave rolled into Western Pennsylvania.

"This is great," she said. "Finally."

Yep, Somerset's Kashurba was getting tired of performing calisthenics in the sauna. A few times she's even dragged an old stationary bike into the steam room. If this sounds a tad extreme, well, she's getting ready for something akin to running on Mars.

Kashurba, 50, will be tackling one of the most challenging footraces beginning Monday, the 135-mile Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon. The trek begins in California's Death Valley, which, at 280 feet below sea level, is the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere. Temperatures this time of year can hit 125 very dry degrees.

The race continues past landmarks with alarmingly descriptive names such as Devil's Golf Course, going up and up to the finish at the trailhead to the Mount Whitney Portals. The end comes at 8,360 feet above sea level.

Kashurba, a physician specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation, ran Badwater three years ago and finished in a little more than 44 hours.

"We'd like to go under 40 [hours], if everything holds up," she said.

The "we" wasn't an affectation. No one reasonably tackles Badwater without a support crew. This time, Kashurba's includes her 17-year-old twins Joe and Alex and experienced ultrarunner Rick Freeman of Peters.

"That's what makes it so hard: If you quit, it's not just you," she said. "There are people giving up their vacations to be there for you."

Her first go at Badwater was painful, but she never considered ditching the race. Although she had trained in extreme heat with little problem, Kashurba developed eight blisters on her feet within the first 15 miles.

"We're not really sure why it happened; I was on crutches for two weeks before all the skin grew back."

Badwater is not for the very young or the unprepared; its organizers have the right to reject applicants. The average age is 46.5 years among the most recent entry list's 69 male and 17 female runners from 14 countries, 20 U.S. states.

Many of the competitors are running for good causes. Kashurba's is the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). Donations can be made through her Web site (www.marykashurba.com).

Color Kashurba stunned that she's doing this at all.

"I was the most unathletic person, ever, so I don't know how this happened," she said. "I remember when they made us run in college, my [Ursinus] roommate and I would look for the back door and escape."

Years later, she found relaxation from the stress of work and tending three young children -- she also has a daughter, Sophie, 13 -- by going for short runs. Kashurba ran a 5K race in 1998, but it was her first marathon a year later that got her hooked.

She said she might never have gone beyond 26 miles a race until a fellow runner gave her a copy of Ultrarunning Magazine.

"I kind of thought I had done the ultimate thing and then ... oh man, I didn't do the ultimate," Kashurba said, laughing.

Her first trail race was the 50K in Punxsutawney, which she loved. She later watched a documentary about the Badwater race and it was literally off to the ultra races after that.

Training for Badwater has included sprints up the ski slopes at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, dragging automobile tires and a lot of roadwork. Kashurba ran a couple of 100-mile events this spring, plus a marathon, and went to Death Valley to run over the Fourth of July weekend.

She grew up not running at all, which she said has helped her in the long run: "Less wear and tear over the years. I'm built for distance, not for speed. I'm not competitive for at least 50 miles."

A Grand event

For a run with a view, it would be hard to top the July 29 Run for Roch, a 5K event and walk starting at Grandview Avenue and Shiloh Street. The race is the second leg of the USA Track and Field-Three Rivers Association 5K championship, along with the Fourth of July Run for Virginia in Cranberry Township and next month's Brookline Breeze.

Pre-registration deadline is today; online at www.signmeup.com or www.active.com. Day-of-race entries must be made between 7:30-8:30 a.m. near the Monongahela Incline at Grandview and Shiloh.

For more information, contact race chairman Donna DiRenna, 412-488-0912.

Bet on it

It has, by all reports, rained in Waynesburg on July 29 109 of the past 131 years. Good enough reason for a Rain Day celebration in town, and there's a 5K race to go with it.

Usually, the race is held on the weekend closest to Rain Day but this year the 29th is on a Saturday, so dashing beneath the raindrops is just the start of things. There's a children's run at 9 a.m., followed by the 5K at 9:30 with the street fair and other events later.

Part of the Rain Day tradition involves celebrities betting it will not rain that day; the wager is always a hat. Among those wagering in years past: Bing Crosby and Donald Trump. This year's bettor is the Steelers' Troy Polamalu.

Race proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity, which will build its 50th house this year in Greene County, according to director Keith Davin. For information, go to www.wvoutside.com/Events/2006/07/7535.html.