The official race website bills this as “athlete, shoes, and support crew versus a brutal 135-mile / 217km stretch of highway and a 48-hour time limit”.
There are 100 prized start slots and those who finish in less than 48 hours are rewarded with the coveted Badwater 135 belt buckle. There is no prize money.
It takes place in California’s Death Valley, starting at the Badwater Basin – which at 85m is the lowest elevation point in North America – in mid-July, when temperatures are at their highest in the area.
The course is 135 miles long, taking in three mountain ranges for a total of 4450m of elevation gain between the start and finish, which comes at Whitney Portal. And it also doubles as the 135-Mile World Championship
It was first run by Al Arnold in 1977, after failed attempts in 1974, 1975 and 1976. It took him 84 hours to reach the summit of Mount Whitney.
It became an organised event in 1987, but two years later the race was shortened to its current format as the Badwater 135 due to the difficulty in obtaining the required permits for runners to run up to the peak of Whitney.
American ultrarunner and former US Navy SEAL David Goggins has completed the race on three occasions, finishing third in 2007.
The event is also part of the Badwater Ultra Cup, which comprises of the Badwater Cape Fear in March, the Badwater Salton Sea in late April and then the Badwater 135 in July.
The 2024 Badwater 135 takes place between Monday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 24.
The race will begin in three waves on Monday evening, with competitors assigned a wave according to their predicted finishing time, with the ‘Fast Runners’ going first, ‘Faster Runners’ going second, and – at least on paper – the ‘Fastest Runners’ going third.
- Wave 1 (8pm): 23 men and 11 women; 24 rookies and 10 veterans = 34 runners
- Wave 2 (9pm): 23 men and 10 women; 24 rookies and 9 veterans = 33 runners
- Wave 3 (10pm): 21 men and 12 women; 14 rookies and 19 veterans = 33 runners
There will be a live webcast throughout here.
Time splits and results are here.
For live videos, such as the start and finish you can check out Badwater’s Facebook page here.
Badwater 135 Ultramarathon
start list
The full start list is here.
The 100 athletes (33 women and 67 men) in the 2024 Badwater 135 represent 21 nations: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Colombia, Czech Republic, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America.
The age range this year is 19 to 69.
The youngest runner is Kaylee Frederick of Johnstown, and the oldest is Keith Straw of Malvern, both Badwater 135 veterans.
In terms of ultrarunning stars – Harvey Lewis, who was part of the legendary Barkley Marathons earlier this year, is looking for a 13th consecutive finish and a third win.
But that’s topped by 65-year-old Danny Westergaard, aiming for his 17th finish in a row.
As an invitational race, entrants must apply for one of the limited spots available. There are a set of minimum entry qualification rules, which are generally increased each year. For the 2024 race these entry requirements, of which one at least must be met, are:
- You have officially finished the Badwater 135 at least once in 2021-2023 AND have completed at least one 50-mile or longer ultra running event between January 1, 2023 and the day you submit your 2024 application.
- You have officially finished the Badwater 135 between 1987 and 2019 AND have completed at least 100-mile or longer ultra running event between January 1, 2023 and the day you submit your 2024 application.
- You have officially finished at least FOUR ultra running races of 100 continuous miles or longer, at least one of them between January 1, 2023 and the day you submit your 2024 application. Additionally, you must have been running 100-mile or longer ultras for three years (your first 100 was in 2021 or earlier.) Note: Officially finishing the 81-mile BADWATER SALTON SEA race “counts” as a 100-mile race for this qualifying purpose.
Notable runners
Route
Starting at Badwater Basin, the 135-mile route has a total elevation gain of 4,450m and a total descent of 1,859m.
The route takes runners across three mountain ranges and has three predominant mountain climbs; up to Towne Pass, Father Crowley and to the finish at Whitney Portal, which results in a brutal end to the race.
Along the way there are eight time checkpoints. These are at Furnace Creek Ranch, Stovepipe Wells, Towne Pass, Panamint Springs Resort, Father Crowley’s Turnout, Darwin Turn-Off, Keeler, Lone Pine and Portal Road.
The main town which plays host to the runners and the Badwater Ultramarathon event is Lone Pine, which is around a four-hour drive from the start line at Badwater Basin.
Course record times
The current record is held by Japanese ultrarunner Yoshihiko Ishikawa, who finished in a time of 21:33:01 in 2019.
The women’s record is held by Ashley Paulson, who finished the 135 mile route in 24:09:34 in 2022. She then bettered her time by over two hours when winning the race overall in 2023 in a time of 21:44:35.
Badwater 135 winners (past 20 years):
2002 – Men: Darren Worts (United States) 32:38:57. Women: Pam Reed (United States) 27:56:47
2003 – Men: Dean Karnazes (United States) 28:51:26. Women: Pam Reed (United States) 28:26:52
2004 – Men: Dean Karnazes (United States) 27:22:48. Women: Monica Scholz (Canada) 29:22:29
2005 – Men: Scott Jurek (United States) 24:36:08. Women: Pam Reed (United States) 30:29:55
2006 – Men: Scott Jurek (United States) 25:41:18. Women: Monica Scholz (Canada) 32:07:01
2007 – Men: Valmir Nunes (Brazil) 22:51:29**. Women: Lisa Bliss (United States) 34:33:40
2008 – Men: Jorge Pacheco (Mexico) 23:20:16. Women: Jamie Donaldson (United States) 26:51:33
2009 – Men: Marcos Farinazzo (Brazil) 23:39:18. Women: Jamie Donaldson (United States) 27:20:18
2010 – Zach Gingerich (United States) 24:44:48. Women: Jamie Donaldson (United States) 26:16:12**
2011 – Men: Oswaldo Lopez (Mexico) 23:41:40. Women: Sumie Inagaki (Japan) 28:49:27
2012 – Men: Mike Morton (United States) 22:52:55. Women: Sumie Inagaki (Japan) 29:53:09
2013 – Men: Carlos Alberto Gomes de Sá (Portugal) 24:38:16. Women: Catherine Todd (Australia) 29:55:29
2014 – Men: Harvey Lewis (United States) 23:52:55. Women: Alyson Venti (United States) 28:37:28
2015 – Men: Pete Kostelnick (United States) 23:27:10. Women: Nikki Wynd (Australia) 27:23:27
2016 – Men: Pete Kostelnick (United States) 21:56:32. Women: Alyson Venti (United States) 25:53:07
2017 – Men: Wataru Iino (Japan) 24:56:19. Women: Sandra Villines (United States) 34:34:43
2018 – Men: Michele Graglia (Italy) 24:51:47. Women: Brenda Guajardo (United States) 28:23:10
2019 – Men: Yoshihiko Ishikawa (Japan) 21:33:01*. Women: Patrycja Bereznowska (Poland) 24:13:24
2020 – Cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic
2021 – Men: Harvey Lewis (United States) 25:50:23. Women: Sally McRae (United States) 30:48:47
2022 – Men: Yoshihiko Ishikawa (Japan) 23:08:20. Women: Ashley Paulson (United States) 24:09:34
2023 – Men: Simen Holvik (Norway) 22:28:08. Women: Ashley Paulson (United States) 21:44:35*
*Denotes course record
Past winners
Tab 2 content.
![Shaun Burke Badwater 135 finish line 2024 [Photo credit: ©AdventureCORPS® / Badwater.com]](https://run247.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Shaun-Burke-Badwater-135-finish-line-2024-912x719.jpg)
