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Fort Worth surgeon Stephen Hudgens earned a Badwater Ultramarathon belt buckle for finishing what's billed as "the world's toughest foot race" in 46 hours, 40 minutes and 42 seconds.

The race begins 280 feet below sea level in the Badwater Basin of California's Death Valley and ends at the trailhead to the Mount Whitney Portals at nearly 8,300 feet above sea level. Temperatures typically rise above 120 degrees in the shade.

"You go through such a grueling experience for 48 hours that when you cross the finish line, you're almost in tears," Hudgens said. "It's the biggest high."

Hudgens completed the 135-mile trek more than nine hours faster than last year, when he tore a tendon early in the race but managed to power-hike his way to the finish line in 56:31:35.

"At first, I thought the race was over," Hudgens said of last year. "Then, I thought, if I change my goals, I could still finish the race."

He was the last participant to cross the finish line within the 60-hour cutoff. He received the Caboose Award.

He decided to try again this year in hopes of finishing within 48 hours and getting the official finisher prize, the belt buckle. He accomplished his goal.

Hudgens said he couldn't have completed the event without hot sauna training and a dedicated crew. For months, Hudgens' training regime consisted of running on the rods for an hour, running on a StairMaster for an hour, and then sitting in a 180-degree sauna for an hour to train his body to absorb and process large quantities of water.

During the race, Hudgens consumed more than 30 gallons of water. Without the sauna training, his body would not have been able to process that much fluid.

Twin success: Eleven-year-old twins, Luke and Logan Hendrix of Lewisville, ran strong at the AAU National Track and Field Club Championships earlier this month at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

Luke won the 3,000-meter run in 10 minutes, 3.29 seconds, breaking the national meet record by 21 seconds. Logan was third in 10:06.78, also breaking the record by 18 seconds.

In the 1,500-meter competition, Luke won in 4:41.52. Logan finished second in 4:46.01.

The brothers placed third as a team, representing the Lake Cities Track Club. They qualified for next week's AAU Junior Olympics in Detroit, where they plan to run the 3,000- and 1,500-meter runs.

Briefly: The Dallas White Rock Marathon has been named the Road Runners Club of America state marathon championship for Texas. Overall, masters, and grand masters championship titles will be awarded, along with $50,000 in total prize money. ... Dallas White Rock Marathon officials presented $174,002.15 Wednesday to race beneficiary, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital For Children. ... Melanie Flinn of Dallas and her cocker spaniel Maalei finished in second place in 45 minutes, 35 seconds at the 2008 Iams Doggy Dash 5-mile run last Sunday. ... Houston's Horace Grant, the world's top 800-meter runner in the 55-59 age group, and Kansas' Bob Lida, the world's best 100-, 200- and 400-meter runner in the 70-74 age group, will participate in Saturday's Texas Masters Championships at Coppell High School. For information about the meet, visit www.dallasmasters.com. ... Capital One Bank has become the title sponsor for the annual Dallas YMCA Turkey Trot. The Thanksgiving Day 8-mile and 3-mile runs attract more than 30,000 runners, walkers and dogs. The race also launched a new logo and opened registration. For information, visit www.thetrot.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Plano Pacers Ice Cream & Peaches 5K and 1K Jr. Sprint, Harrington Park, 16th Street & U.S. Highway 75 (behind Spaghetti Warehouse), Plano, 8 a.m., members free, others $5, 972-967-7223 or www.planopacers.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Summer Sizzler 5K, River Legacy Parks, Arlington, 7:45 a.m., $8 through July 23, $10 after, 817-265-4578 or jephaa@yahoo.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Cowboy Capital 5K Stampede and 1-mile, Stephenville City Park, Stephenville, 8:30 a.m., 254-965-2623 or 254-965-7808, ext. 113.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Frisco Family Fun Ride, Frisco RoughRiders' Dr Pepper Ballpark, 7725 Gaylord Parkway, Frisco, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., free, www.frisco familyfunride.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Texas Masters Championships, Coppell High School, 185 Parkway Blvd., Coppell, 9 a.m. field events, 6 p.m. track events, $20 first event and $5 each additional through July 22, $25 first event and $5 each additional event after, Relays: $20, 817-274-0448 or www.dallasmasters .com.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – Kids running clinic, Harris Methodist Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center, 251 Westpark Way, Euless, 9-10 a.m. for kids 7-9 years old and 10:30-11:30 a.m. for kids 10-and over, $35 per person, 817-267-9191 or e-mail: MikeMoore@TexasHealth.org.

SATURDAY, JULY 26 – North Texas Trail Runners Nigh Run 18-mile predicted time run, MADD Shelter at Murrell Park, 8 p.m., 214-405-8600 or www.nttr.org. (Must be a member or invited guest for insurance reasons.)

SUNDAY, JULY 27 – Carrollton Runners 5K and 1-mile, McInnish Park, Carrollton, 7:30 a.m., www.carroll tonrunners.com.

MONDAY, JULY 28 – Red, White & Blue Summer Trilogy 5K, Heritage Park at the far north end of Taylor Street in downtown Fort Worth, 7 p.m., $12, www.runtimeracingservices.com .

TUESDAY, JULY 29 – The Colony Roadrunners Club Prediction Run 5K, Five Star Complex, 4100 Blair Oaks, The Colony, 7 p.m., free, www.tcroadrunners .org.

SATURDAY, AUG. 2 – Dallas Running Club 2-mile X 3-person Cross Country Relay, Norbuck Park, Dallas, 8 a.m., members free, others $10, 214-432-6619 or www.dallasrunningclub.com.

SATURDAY, AUG. 2 – Park Cities YMCA Kids Tri (100-yard swim/3.2-mile bike/1K run or 200-yard swim/6.4-mile bike/2K run for kids 7-10 and 11-14, respectively), Park Cities YMCA, 6000 Preston Road, Dallas, 7 a.m., Individual: $35 through July 20, $45 July 21-30, $50 July 31-Aug. 1. Teams: $60 through July 20, $80 July 21-30, $100 July 31-Aug. 1. No race day registration, 817-707-0500 or www.ironheadrp.com. (USA Triathlon membership required. Youth membership annual fee $5.

SUNDAY, AUG. 3 – Two White dogs Duathlon (2-mile run/9.3-mile bike/2-mile run), Duathlon Relay and 5K Run/Walk, Bath House, White Rock Lake, Dallas, 7:30 a.m. Duathlon $45 through Saturday, $50 after, $60 race day; Relay $75 through Saturday, $80 after, $90 race day; 5K $22 through Saturday, $25 after, $30 race day, 214-821-0909 or www.thruston racing.com.