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120 DEGREES OF DEVOTION: RETIREE ARTHUR WEBB CONTINUES TRADITION OF RUNNING 135-MILE RACE IN DEATH VALLEY, 
RAISING MONEY FOR CHILDREN AT VALLEY OF THE MOON 

DATE: Sunday, July 22, 2007
BYLINE:  By RAYNE WOLFE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT


   He's known as ``The Grinder,'' a nickname earned last year during his ninth 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon 
in Death Valley.
   He just grinds out the miles, so it stuck.
   For retired postal office maintenance department worker, 65-year-old Arthur Webb, the Badwater race is more 
than a race; it's a promise he keeps for the kids at Valley of the Moon Children's Home, to whom he dedicates 
his efforts.
   ``My thing is to meet with the kids before I go and explain what I'm doing. Then I come back and show them 
the belt buckle I win. They love that,'' said Webb who will commence running the race Monday.
   Anything over 40 hours -- no race belt buckle.
   Every year, he swears it will be his last.
   ``There are only 90 hand-picked runners from around the world. This is it. My tenth and last. I'm 65. I'm 
hogging a space of a younger guy,'' he said with a laugh.
   He began running about 30 years ago at a school track. He was so green to the sport that he wore flip-flops.
   ``I did it for a week. I hurt all over and thought it wasn't for me, but I saw the same people running every 
day. There must be something to it,'' he said.
   He ran and lost extra weight.
   He ran and changed his diet.
   He ran and increased his daily regimen from 10 to 15 miles a day.
   In his 30s and 40s, he was pretty quick, often finishing front of the pack in 10K races. As he aged and his 
speed diminished, he went for longer distances, first 50 miles, then 100.
   ``I ran the Western States race, 100 miles, Squaw Valley to Auburn. Did that twice. That's where I heard about 
Badwater,'' he said.
   A support crew that includes Webb's wife of 39 years, Christine, follows him in a van.
   This year, he also plans to honor former crew member, the late Vince Pedroia, who worked as a neurosurgeon at 
Animal Care Center until his death in May.
   The brutal, nonstop race requires an unusual commitment and discipline to train -- temperatures can be as high 
as 120 degrees during the beginning of the race.
   ``I do daily runs, then some core work, work on my abs, then for heat training I hop in the sauna, as hot as 
it will go. I sit there as a parade of people come and go. I listen to the radio and just bake,'' he said.
   He trains so hard, he said, his toenails come off.
   The training regimen is hard, but not half as hard as his own childhood. He spent time in foster care and knows 
the long-term effects of the experience. It's what brings him to Valley of the Moon and makes him one of the most 
popular visitors.
   ``He doesn't just tell kids that there's nothing they can't do. He proves it to them. When kids know that adults 
on the outside are doing things for them, to honor them, it's incredibly inspiring,'' said Marcy Smothers, Valley 
of the Moon Foundation board member.
   Over the years, Webb has raised more than $10,000 for Valley of the Moon through local pledges, given for the 
miles he's run.
   ``He teaches the kids that no matter what life has dealt you, you have the inner strength to accomplish anything,'' 
said Meg Easter-Dawson of Valley of the Moon.
   In Death Valley, the air temperature can hit 130-degrees, the pavement much hotter. He said it's not unusual for 
him to hallucinate about dinosaurs or to throw up.
   He's cut his shoes off to put on another pair, sat in a bucket of ice water to cool down, dodged snakes and 
breathed in swarms of mosquitoes.
   When it really gets bad, Webb says, cranking up his iPod to sing along with Led Zeppelin's ``Stairway to Heaven,'' 
helps.
   He thinks about the why of it, the reason for beating himself up, for grinding his feet to hamburger. Then he 
gets going -- for the kids at Valley of the Moon.
   ``The kids are interested in what I do because they can relate to struggle. I have to struggle and finish. I 
just hope I make an impression,'' he said.
   You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.

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