From the sure-why-not file comes word of another successful year for the Darth Valley Challenge, a costumed heat-running adventure that's the brainchild of Colorado resident Jonathan Rice.

As the Longmont Times-Call reports, last Sunday Rice ran a mile in 6:36 in the hottest stretch of Death Valley at the hottest time of the day. Rice waited until 4 p.m., when the temperature for the day peaked at 129 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Then, as he has the last few years, Rice ran from Badwater Junction to the Furnace Creek Ranch as fast as he could while wearing a Darth Vader costume, cape included.

Maybe it was because the temperature was, at least tentatively, the highest ever recorded in June in the United States, or maybe the Force just wasn't with him, but Rice's time was slower than his best of 6:13 for the event.

As has become common, Rice's support crew included others clad in Star Wars costumes that probably weren't designed with heat dissipation as a key concern.

At the event's site, Rice calls the run "pointless" and writes, "This is a ludicrously dangerous endeavor. I don't support you doing it. I don't even really support me doing it."

But we bet there will be a sequel. After all, Rice, among other things a science fiction writer, claims on his personal site, "My idea of a good workout at the gym is to don three layers of thermals before jumping around in the sauna for an hour."

Perhaps this Imperial Stormtrooper/Runner's World fan will join Rice next year.

The video below was taken at the 2011 edition. Unless you have a soft spot for technopop versions of "Star Wars" songs, you won't miss anything by muting it.

Scott Douglas Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times.

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