Ultrarunner Ray Zahab wants to run through Death Valley after his cancer

It turned out that The ultrarunner’s lack of energy had nothing to do with his age. His doctor diagnosed him with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.

Although the diagnosis was frightening, Zahab said he was grateful that his form of cancer was treatable, even if it was not curable.

Zahab began chemotherapy but did not take a long break from running. Although he suffered nausea, fatigue and tremors as a result of the treatments, he continued to train, he told the Ottowa Citizen last year.

“I just wanted to be as fit as possible every month between chemotherapy treatments and do something epic,” he said. In 2023, he spent 10 days running 87 miles across Canada’s Baffin Island in the freezing winter.

With his cancer now in remission, his next adventure is to run about 111 miles through Death Valley, California to celebrate.

Running at 49 degrees

Death Valley is one of the hottest places on earth. In summer, temperatures can regularly reach 49 degrees Celsius.

It is no coincidence that Zahab plans to run through the desert in mid-July, the hottest month in the region.

This time of year, Death Valley feels like a hot, convection oven, Zahab said. On previous runs there, “my fingernails felt like they were burning in the wind from the valley,” he recalls.

But despite the harsh conditions, Zahab enjoys summer running in Death Valley. “I love being in these places this time of year and I don’t take anything for granted,” he said.

He said he had planned his route carefully and would carry supplies of emergency supplies and ice packs.

He said he also felt better than last year. When he finished his treatment in 2023, he decided to make the 111-mile trip through Death Valley “as a reward for myself,” he said. However, he did not finish last year’s run.

This is because Death Valley was hotter than usual this year. In addition, “I don’t think I’ve fully recovered from chemo yet,” he said.

Although this desert run will be grueling, he believes he is ready. “I’m in great shape,” he said. “I’ve been training like crazy.”

Find your own version of the extraordinary

Before he started mountain biking and running, Zahab was a regular smoker who didn’t eat very healthily. He also had a fear of failure. “I spent 30 years of my life discouraging myself from trying new things,” he said.

With his cancer in remission, Zahab knows he is luckier than many others suffering from the same disease. “I learned that during chemotherapy,” he says.

Not everyone would be able to start training for ultra running again immediately during treatment. And not everyone would want to run through the Sahara.

The key, says Zahab, is to find what you are passionate about.

“I believe that every single person has their own version of extraordinary within them if they want it,” he said.

This summer’s Death Valley race is the next in a long line of ultramarathons and expeditions for Zahab, and he hopes it will help prepare him for an upcoming race across South America.