Solo Through the Heat

PC: Kent Keeler

In this podcast with Canadian Geographic, Ray Zahab talks about returning to Death Valley—this time solo, just months after completing chemotherapy for lymphoma.

He ran from the park’s northern border to Badwater Basin, crossing more than 100 miles in record heat. The terrain was brutal—rock, sand, dry riverbeds, salt flats. Navigation often came down to scanning the Milky Way for direction. There was no race clock. No audience. Just Ray, on his own, testing what his body could still do.

He’d attempted a similar crossing before and had to turn back. This time, he finished. 53 hours, 35 minutes, 21 seconds. Limited support. Minimal sleep. No fanfare.

If you’re not familiar with Ray: he’s one of the most accomplished expedition runners in the world. He’s crossed the Sahara, run unsupported across Baffin Island in winter, trekked to the South Pole, and launched youth expeditions on every continent through his nonprofit, Impossible2Possible.

That’s what makes this story matter. Not the distance. Not the heat. But the fact that he chose to go back—after treatment, after uncertainty—when he had every reason not to.

It’s not about a comeback. It’s about what’s possible when you don’t wait to feel perfect. You just start.