Badwater 135, touted "the world's toughest foot race," covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Badwater Basin, 280 feet below sea level, to Mount Whitney portal, at an elevation of 8,360, in the 120-degree heat of mid-July, was the first ultra-marathon event that I ever read about, thanks to Dean Karnazes. In 1995, 70 miles into his first attempt at Badwater 135, heat-induced hallucinations got the best of Karnazes, and he didn't finish. He wasn't the only one who struggled out in Death Valley, California: I read stories of racer's running shoes melting into the pavement and others soaking in coolers brimming with ice. Impossible, I thought, never having run a race over the marathon distance of 26.2. The distance, the heat. No way. But with that no way, a what if was born.
History of the race
The history of the trek from Badwater Basin to Mount Whitney stems back to 1969, when Stan Rodefer and Jim Burnworth were the first to make the hike by way of the salt flats. Al Arnold is credited with the first attempt to run the route in 1974, but after 18 miles, was pulled from the course due to dehydration. Arnold returned in 1975, but 50 miles in, a knee injury cut his journey short. In 1977, he ran the course and summited Mount Whitney, some 80 hours after he started. It wasn't until 1981 that the second running of Badwater to Whitney was completed by Jay Birmingham.
In 1987 the Badwater trek became an official footrace. At the onset, there was no particular route, so runners attempted shortcuts to get to the finish line. That first year, five runners managed to finish. Currently AdventureCorps, under the direction of Chris Kostman, manages Badwater 135, for which a specific course route now exists. The race is held each July, invitation-only, and racers have to qualify to apply. Whereas the race typically started in the early morning, as of the last few years, it starts at night, and the use of intravenous fluids now disqualifies a runner. There is currently a 48-hour course limit, and each runner supplies his/her own support crew and vehicle. Crews -- of which no more than four are allowed per runner -- are responsible for providing their runners with ice, water, food, gear, first aid, emotional support, and pacing.
The record for the 146-mile (235 km) race, which includes summiting Mount Whitney -- the highest point in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet -- was set in 1991 by Marshall Ulrich at 33 hours and 54 minutes. Records for the current 135-mile (217 km) course are 22 hours 51 minutes 29 seconds (men), set by Valmir Nunes, and 26 hours 16 minutes 12 seconds (women), set by Jamie Donaldson.
Why does anyone want to run Badwater 135?
For many runners and adventurists, entry into Badwater 135 is the jackpot of endurance sports. The Badwater 135 journey comprises hard work, a sense of adventure, keen determination, a deep-rooted belief in yourself, and unwavering faith in your crew. It's about survival, persistence and surpassing obstacles -- both internal and external. Athletes aspire to run Badwater 135 in the same vein that driven individuals aspire to do anything: for the opportunity to evolve and grow.
How do you sign up to run?
One doesn't just sign up for Badwater 135. You need to submit an application, but before you can do that, you need to meet one or more of the qualifying criteria:
- At least three (3) 100 mile races completed with at least one in the past 12 months.
- An official finish at a prior Badwater 135 or Brazil 135 in 48 hours, plus one significant ultra-event in the past 12 months.
- Extensive experience in endurance sports as determined at the discretion of the race director and application committee.
Completing the Badwater Ultra Cup, which consists of Badwater Cape Fear (51m) and Badwater Salton Sea (81 m) as well as Badwater 135 in a prior year is a great application booster! The experience gained crewing out in Death Valley also adds to one's application resume, as it's a good idea to know what you are in for and have experience with the heat and conditions. If you do plan to apply, be sure to set aside some time. Far from a fill-in-the-blanks form, the application resembles a comprehensive college application-like essay, complete with fact-based and subjective questions. You even get to share the name of your favorite author and book!
The BW135 website offers the full details on the application process which typically starts the end of January, and concludes a few weeks later, when the race committee sends out acceptance letters. According to Race Director, Chris Kostman, this year's STYR Labs Badwater 135 will host 25 women and 75 men from 25 American States and Territories with 20 countries represented by residence or nationality. Of the 100 runners invited, 45 are rookies and 55 are Badwater veterans. Per Race Director Kostman, "2016 will feature one of the most competitive race fields in the history of the race."
What do you get for completing Badwater 135?
If you finish under 48 hours, the prize is the coveted Badwater 135 belt buckle. One that you can wear around your waist; you supply the belt. But beyond the buckle, Badwater 135 enables you to live out the extremes of your life- the highs, the lows, the suffering, the survival, the joy, and presents you with the opportunity to discover all of the amazing things that you just may be capable of. It may not make sense to an outsider, but perhaps Louis Armstrong's sentiment on jazz sums up the Badwater experience best -- "If you have to ask what jazz is, you will never know."
The course
The course consists of three mountain ranges, a total of 13,000 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700 feet of cumulative descent. Temperatures are typically in the 115 degree to 120 degree range, but can go up to 130 degrees, with 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. temperatures in the 90s. The heat, the dry and mountainous terrain, the rollercoaster climbs and dips, not to mention the surreal nature of being so removed from the world makes this race a unique challenge.
There is minimal cell phone reception on the course, and a total of three restaurants and gas stations along the way, until you hit Lone Pone at mile 112. Ice costs roughly $5 per 10 lb. bag out in Death Valley, and it's hard to imagine how many bags runners and crews use! Communication on the course is best served via walkie talkies and satellite phones.
If you are really beginning to wonder about the folks who ascribe to run Badwater, consider this: dozens of movies and television shows have been filmed in Death Valley, to include the first Star Wars (1977), and subsequent editions, such as Return of the Jedi (1983). Fittingly, episodes of The Twilight Zone were also filmed out in Death Valley. Lone Pine, the town in which the race culminates, also boasts a long list of movies and television shows filmed in the famed Alabama Hills and Whitney Portal, to include the Gunga Din series, Maverick (1994) and Disney's Lone Ranger (2013). It's hard to imagine actors and film crews stationed out in the middle of nowhere, but one thing is clear: the allure of Death Valley is palpable.
The Badwater 135 Experience
In 2015, after years of training -- a feat that I took on during the depths of my mother's cancer -- and over a dozen ultra-marathons at the 100-mile distance which I completed after my mother's passing, my Badwater 135 what if became a reality. I was granted entry and along with my father and crew, I traveled to Death Valley to run Badwater 135! I even became a Badwater Ultra Cup finisher -- a feat that enabled me to visit the amazing Cape Fear, N.C. and Salton Sea, Calif. Was the Badwater 135 adventure all that it was hyped up to be? Yes. And then some.
My sneakers did not melt into the pavement, and I didn't have to soak in a cooler full of ice, but I did have my own share of meltdowns traversing from Stovepipe Wells to Townes Pass Summit to Father Crowley's Turnout, and my crew even created our famous "ice babies" which consisted of Ziploc bags stuffed with ice which I carried close to my heart to cool my core. For me, Badwater 135 was about so much more than running. Throughout the 135-mile odyssey, I struggled, but in the effort, I also surrendered to my fears, my dreams, to the possibility of who and what I am and all that I may become. The desert is a wise and demanding teacher, and while it's rewarding to finish and receive buckles and accolades, what every Badwater finisher knows is that what you gain from the race is something far beyond the external show of it all -- a deep-rooted knowledge that you are so much stronger than you imagined, that your capabilities far surpass the limitations you may impose, and that at your darkest hour, there will be people there to guide you, support you, cheer you on.
I'll be back out in Death Valley to run Badwater 135 in 2016, for the camaraderie that Badwater races breed, the lure of the desert, and for possibility to become a better version of myself. As of 2013, Dean Karnazes had completed Badwater 135 ten times, and even won the race in 2004. Sometimes in life we aspire to goals that seem impossible. We hope and wish and yet when we ground our dreams in reality and commit to the hard work -- when we carve it into our daily lives -- something curious happens. Not only do we transform, but what seemed far off and impossible becomes attainable, and with that knowledge, we seek to lift others up to their potential as well. While I have a lot of miles ahead, I have a new appreciation for the what if's in life, and have come to savor the long and winding roads, and all of the amazing places they may lead me.
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