Badwater Solo - Al Arnold - Trail Runners Connection

Badwater Solo – Al Arnold

August 3, 1977

Badwater, CA, USA

August 6, 1977

Mt. Whitney, CA, USA

Al Arnold’s 146-mile trek from Badwater, 282 feet (86m) below sea level and the lowest point in North America, to Mt. Whitney, California, USA, took place in 1977 after two previous attempts. The 2 places are only 84.6 miles (136.2 km) apart, but the course’s cumulative elevation gain exceeds 19,000 feet (5,800 m).

The route had been hiked in 1969 by Stan Rodefer and Jim Burnworth.
In 1970, Kenneth Crutchlow (1944-2016), originally from England, had raced Bruce Maxwell (1948-1998), a tennis professional, across Death Valley (lengthwise) for five days.

In August 1973, Kenneth Crutchlow and Paxton “Pax” Beale (1929-2016), from San Francisco, ran a two-man relay from Badwater to the top of Mt. Whitney.

In September 1974, Bruce Maxwell and Tate Miller (1948-), both from Santa Cruz, California wanted to also attempt the two-man relay, by alternating every three miles and broke the previous record in 33 hours, 15 minutes better than Crutchlow and Beale.

Al Arnold was the first to run the 146-mile from Badwater Basin to Mt. Whitney solo, self-supported.

Distance: 146 total miles (235 km).
Finish Time: 84 hours (3.5 days).
Attempts Needed:

1974: Failed after 18 miles due to severe dehydration.
1975: Failed at 50 miles due to a knee injury and extreme heat.
1977: Succeeded on his 3rd try, at age 52.

Training Volume:
Lots of heat training in 1974, but longest run had been only 4 hours.
Logged roughly 12,000 miles in total over his 3-year preparation cycle.

Runner

World Record

First to run Badwater solo

Al Arnold

California, USA

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.

Trail

From Desert

to snow

Lowest to Highest Route

Badwater Basin, CA, USA

Mount Whitney, CA, USA

The route from Badwater to the top of Mount Whitney connects the lowest point, 282 feet below sea level with the driest, hottest place in the USA. The two places are only 80 miles apart but the course's cumulative elevation gain exceeds 19,000 feet (5,800 m).

Location

Hottest place

North America

Death Valley

California, USA

With temperatures that can reach 130 °F (54 °C) Death Valley is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States.