Eye on Texas: Runners Take on 170-Mile Race in Big Bend

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A version of this story ran in the April 2017 issue.

 

Trans-Pecos Ultra  Aaron Bates

I traveled to Big Bend Ranch State Park in October for the second-annual Trans-Pecos Ultra. This rugged ultramarathon spans 170 miles and 15,000 feet of elevation gain in some of the most remote and beautiful parts of West Texas. Through my lens, I watched 13 endurance runners experience optimism, exhaustion, pain and elation as they learned just how unforgiving the Chihuahuan Desert can be.

 

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These photos appear in the April 2017 issue of the Texas Observer. Read more from the issue or become a member now to see our work before it’s published online.