With temperatures that can reach 130 °F (54 °C) Death Valley is the hottest and driest of the national parks in the United States. 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 United States. The two places are only 80 miles apart but the course’s cumulative elevation gain exceeds 19,000 feet (5,800 m).
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Badwater 135
Jul 7, 2025
Badwater, CA, USA
Jul 9, 2025
Mt. Whitney, CA, USA
Globally known as “the world’s toughest foot race”, Badwater 135 takes place every Summer in Death Valley, California, USA.The most challenging part of the race is the heat, as temperatures can reach 130 °F (54 °C). Up to 100 BadAsses yearly toe the line and attempt to cover the 135 miles (217 km) route non-stop, from the bottom of Death Valley to high on Mt. Whitney. It started with Al Arnold’s original trek from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977. Arnold, an ultrarunning pioneer and human potential guru, competed in a solo effort: it was just him and his support...
First Winter Badwater - Marshall Ulrich
Feb 21, 2021
Badwater, CA, USA
Feb 27, 2021
Mt Whitney, CA, USA
From February 21 through Feb 27, 2021, Marshall Ulrich completed the first-ever Winter Badwater in California, USA! The 69-year old running legend crossed the desert on foot from the Badwater Basin at 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley National Park to the Whitney Portal closure gate above Lone Pine, (the typical Badwater ultramarathon course), then climbed to the 14,508-foot summit of Mount Whitney via the Mountaineer’s Route. The lowest to the highest points in the continental US. Marshall completed this crossing in honor of his dear friend, and always and forever Stray Dog Mark Macy, who has early...
30th crossing of Death Valley in 30 years - Marshall Ulrich
Aug 24, 2020
Badwater, CA, USA
Aug 27, 2020
Mt Whitney, CA, USA
“I’m excited to announce my next adventure: the Death Valley 30/30. Thirty years ago, in 1990, I completed my first 146-mile crossing of Death Valley from Badwater to the summit of Mount Whitney. Now, 30 years later, I will attempt my 30th crossing of the Valley along the same route.” “In addition to completing twenty Badwater races – where I always did 146 miles to the summit, as intended to complete the “lowest to highest” in honor of Al Arnold and others – additional crossings include:- a 133 mile south to north crossing of (then) DV national monument- a solo,...
29th crossing of Death Valley in 29 years
Jul 22, 2019
Badwater, CA, USA
Jul 25, 2019
Mt Whitney, CA, USA
On July 22, 2019, Marshall Ulrich went up to the 14,505 foot summit of Mount Whitney to complete his 146 mile crossing from Badwater to the top of the mountain. It took him 78 hours. It was his 29th crossing of Death Valley in 29 years. Not bad for 68 years old! He had a great crew joining him including two of his children, Pete Kostelnick, Greg Pressler, Catra Corbett and Faye Guastamacchio. Marshall has *always* completed the lowest (Badwater basin -282 feet) to highest (summit of Mount Whitney 14,505 feet) as done by Al Arnold back in 1977. It’s not a crossing if...
2nd Death Valley Expedition - Ray Zahab, Will Laughlin
Jul 6, 2019
Death Valley, CA, USA
Jul 7, 2019
Death Valley, CA, USA
In 2019 Ray Zahab and Will Laughlin traversed Death Valley National Park (DVNP) together for the 2nd time. In summer 2011 Ray Zahab and Will Laughlin traversed Death Valley National Park (DVNP) off-road, through intense heat every terrain imaginable. It took them 4,5 days to cross the roughly 250km, with limited crew access at road crossings. A tough expedition. This time they decided on ‘attempting to transect’ Death Valley from West to East, which would mean crossing both the Panamint Mountain and Amargosa Mountain Ranges, and cross Death Valley. They started on the western side of the park at Surprise...
Badwater SOLO - Croix Sather
Aug 23, 2012
Aug 26, 2012
Just two years after Croix began running, and 1 year after his run across, he challenged himself to beat one of the world’s hardest races. It’s called the Badwater SOLO self-contained crossing ultramarathon – commonly called the Badwater-Solo. He was the third person to ever finish the completely unassisted self-contained crossing. At age 41 Croix beat the 13-year-old record set in 1999 by running legend Marshall Ulrich by almost five hours for a new world record time of 72 hours and 55 minutes. Croix made two attempts at Badwater Solo in less than four days. His first try started on August...
Circumnavigation Death Vally - Marshall Ulrich, Dave Heckman
Jul 22, 2012
Badwater, CA, USA
Aug 7, 2012
Badwater, CA, USA
When 38-year old firefighter Dave Heckman came up with the idea to circumnavigate the US Death Valley National Park during the hottest part of the Summer, completely unaided and unassisted, even the 61-year old accomplished adventurer Marshall Ulrich thought it was crazy and impossible.Nevertheless the two men began their journey of 425 miles on 22 July 2012. No one has attempted to circumnavigate the park, and certainly not during the heat of Summer when the threats of dehydration and heat stroke are dire, with temperatures exceeding 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Imagine remote areas, immense sand dunes, rock formations, salt flats, steep...
Badwater Quad - Marshall Ulrich
Jul 20, 2001
Badwater, CA, USA
Jul 30, 2001
Mt Whitney, CA, USA
In 2001, Marshall Ulrich was the first runner to complete the “Badwater Quad”, consisting of two back-to-back Death Valley 300s for a total of four consecutive Badwater/Whitney transits. He completed the course, a distance in excess of twenty-two marathons, in ten days. In 2003, Sawyer Manuj became the first Asian-American to complete the Badwater duo. In 2012, Terry Abrams (54) became the first woman to complete a solo Triple 146 crossing, 438 miles, which includes two summits of Mt. Whitney. She is also the oldest woman to complete the Double, 292 miles. In 2014, Lisa Smith-Batchen (54) became the first woman to...
Badwater Basin to Mt Whitney Summit solo - Al Arnold
Aug 3, 1977
Badwater, CA, USA
Aug 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...
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