Nationality: USA
Al Arnold (1928–2017) was a health club manager, marathoner, and ultra-running pioneer from Walnut Creek, California.
He had once weighed 300 pounds before he decided to commit himself to fitness. Eventually, the electro technician became a health club director working with professional baseball and football athletes. His true passion was jogging for hours, or even days on end, nicknamed the ‘Joggernaut.

He became the first person to run from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, California (the lowest point in North America) to the summit of Mt. Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous United States), in one continuous push.
His landmark achievement (August 1977) laid the groundwork for what eventually became the modern Badwater 135 Ultramarathon.

The successful relay crossing in August 1973, by British adventurer Ken Crutchlow and US hospital administrator Paxton “Pax” Beale, proved that traversing the elevation and temperature extremes on foot was humanly possible. It ignited widespread interest among ultrarunners, directly inspiring Al Arnold to spend the next four years attempting to complete the entire route as a solo athlete.