Death Valley
All you want and need to know about running in the desert
Libya is approximately 90% desert, with the Sahara Desert covering the vast majority of its landmass.
Other countries with roughly 90% or more of their land covered by desert include Egypt (about 90%), Algeria (about 90%), and Mauritania (about 90%), alongside nations in the Arabian Peninsula like Saudi Arabia and Qatar which have even higher desert percentages.
World desert Day Date: June 17 every year. [1]
Purpose: Declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 1994, this day focuses on raising global awareness of land degradation, drought, and international cooperation to protect dryland ecosystems. [1, 2, 3]
The UN’s World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought in 2027 will take place on Friday, June 17, 2027. [1]
Date: June 17, 2027.
Theme: “Food. Feed. Fibre.”
Goal: Remind everyone that overconsumption can cause desertification and encourage actions to protect fertile land.
Motto: “Healthy land = healthy people.” [1]
Locations → Sahara, Atacama, Gobi, Namib/Skeleton Coast, Death Valley, Wadi Rum, Arabian, Sri Lanka
Runners → 12 of the 29 (Oakes, M. Anderson, Coleman, Mariash, D. Lawson, Pope, Gadams, Karnazes, Ulrich, Sather, Kostelnick, Engle)
Adventures → Running the Sahara, 4 Deserts Grand Slam, Badwater 135, Badwater solo self-contained, Dead Sea→Everest, Death Valley circumnavigation
Trails → MdS course, Badwater→Whitney Portal, Skeleton Coast, Wadi Rum/Desert Cup
Causes → Water, Animal welfare, Wildlife, Cancer, Lyme, Education
Skills/frameworks → Heat Acclimation, Frugal Expedition, The Multi-Day Rig, hydration tricks, gaiters-sewn-on
Gear → Wills Vegan Shoes, HOKA, Nike Cortez, the Cart, Expedition Foods, LifeStraw, poles
Books/media → Running Man, Ultramarathon Man, Running on Empty, Dream Big Act Big, Running for Good (film)
Clubs/brands → Vegan Runners UK, RacingThePlanet, Thunderbird Bars
badwater solo what’s the hardest part of the route / where is most elevation?
For runners tackling a Badwater Solo or the official Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, the consensus is clear: the Whitney Portal climb (the final 13 miles) is universally considered the hardest part of the route, while the highest overall elevation occurs at the very end of the course. [1, 2, 3, 4]
The route accumulates 14,600 feet (4,450 meters) of vertical ascent across three mountain ranges. The elevation breakdown and major difficulties are detailed below. [1]
Where the Elevation Is (The Major Climbs)
The course features three distinct massive climbs separated by long, grueling desert flats: [1]
- Towne Pass (Mile 42 to 59): This is the first major mountain range. Starting from sea level at Stovepipe Wells, the road rises continuously for 17 miles to reach 4,956 feet at the summit of Towne Pass. [1, 2]
- Father Crowley / Darwin (Mile 72 to 90): After dropping 3,400 feet into the Panamint Valley, runners immediately begin a punishing 18-mile climb up from Panamint Springs Resort (2,000 feet) past Father Crowley’s Turnout up to the Darwin Turn-Off at 5,050 feet. [1, 2, 3]
- Whitney Portal (Mile 122 to 135): The final section. Over just 13 miles, the road aggressively rockets upward from Lone Pine (3,610 feet) to the finish line at Whitney Portal, sitting at 8,360 feet—the highest elevation point of the route. [1, 2]
The Hardest Part of the Route: Whitney Portal
While Towne Pass is longer, Whitney Portal Road is the undisputed crux of the course for two main reasons: [1, 2]
- Accumulated Fatigue: Runners hit this massive wall with 122 miles already in their legs and over 24 to 30+ hours of continuous movement. [1, 2]
- Brutal Gradient: Unlike the long, sweeping highway grades earlier in the course, the road to the portal features a punishing 7.4% average gradient that gets progressively steeper with sharp switchbacks. [1]
Honorable Mention: The Monotony of the Owens Valley
Many soloists note that the 30-mile stretch from Darwin to Lone Pine (Miles 90–122) is mentally the hardest part. Though it is largely flat or gently downhill, it is an incredibly straight, visually monotonous desert highway where sleep deprivation fully takes hold. [1]