2026 Mount to Coast® Badwater® 135 Pre-Race Press Release
THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST FOOT RACE CELEBRATES 39th ANNIVERSARY OF ICONIC ROUTE FROM DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK TO MOUNT WHITNEY
For the duration of the 2026 race, fans can follow the race through a “live” webcast at this link (which will remain archived there.)
Facebook Live-Streaming will be available at the Start Line, Finish Line, and in various locations along the route.
Follow the 2026 time splits and results at this link.
To download the July 2026 issue of BADWATER Magazine (20MB, 60 pages), click here.
For the 2026 Press Kit, click here.
See the bottom of this page for many more useful links.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lone Pine, CA: On July 27-29, 2026, AdventureCORPS – now in their 43rd year producing world-class events – will host its legendary Mount to Coast BADWATER® 135 Ultramarathon, the 135-Mile World Championship.
Now in its 39th year, this world-renowned event pits up to 100 of the world’s toughest athletes against one another and the elements in a crucible like no other. From below sea level in scorching temperatures to altitudes as high as 8,360 feet (2548m), 98 endurance athletes representing 21 nations plus 24 American states will face off in a grueling 135-mile non-stop running race from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA. Widely recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race,” the invitational Mount to Coast Badwater 135 is the most demanding and extreme running race on the planet.
New for 2026, as these amazing athletes continue to explore the frontiers of human potential, the overall time limit for the race has been lowered from 48 to 45 hours.
The start line is at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,360’ (2530m). The course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600’ (4450m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100’ (1859m) of cumulative descent. Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Competitors travel through places with names like Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, Darwin, Keeler, Alabama Hills, and Lone Pine.
The Badwater 135 Ultramarathon is held under permits from – and in close collaboration with – Death Valley National Park, California Department of Transportation, United States Forest Service, and the County of Inyo. We thank them for their support and salute them for all they do to steward this majestic landscape year-round.
Above: Death Valley National Park Superintendent Mike Reynolds welcomes the 2026 Badwater 135 runners, crew, and staff.
AdventureCORPS – on behalf of all competitors and support crews – also gratefully acknowledges that these lands have been lived upon for at least 1000 years by native peoples, including the Timbisha Shoshone and the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone tribes who live on the race course today. We honor and share their deep reverence for these lands.
While runners began running the course in the 1970s, the race itself has been part of the fabric of life in Inyo County since 1987. A recent study indicated an annual economic impact of 1.2 million dollars, half of it spent in Death Valley National Park and surrounding gateway communities such as Lone Pine, CA. The race is supported by the Inyo County Board of Supervisors, the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, and a wide panorama of businesses and charities which are positively impacted.
THE 2026 RACE FIELD
The ultimate “challenge of the champions,” the 2026 Mount to Coast Badwater 135 features 33 Badwater previous finishers and 65 rookies: world-class ultra-runners who have the necessary running credentials to not only apply for, but be selected, to compete in the race.
As always, the race will boast a very impressive, very international field.
The 98 athletes (28 women and 70 men) in the 2026 Badwater 135 represent twenty-one nations: Australia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Ecuador, France, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America. See the full roster here.
Twenty-four different American states are represented: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia.
There are 28 women and 70 men, 33 of whom have previously finished. The youngest runner is rookie entrant Nicholas Cerbone, 27, of West Palm Beach, FL and the oldest is seven-time finisher Pamela Chapman-Markle, 70, of San Leon, TX. The overall average age is 46.
Of special note, this year Gerald Tabios is going for his tenth finish, Karla Kent is going for her fourteenth consecutive finish, Harvey Lewis is going for his fifteenth consecutive finish, Ray Sanchez is going for his 17th finish, and Danny Westergaard is going for his 19th consecutive finish.
Every year is a new year at the Badwater 135, with both veterans and rookie athletes impressing everyone with incredible, gutsy performances. With every single runner hungry to go home with the coveted Badwater 135 Official Finisher Belt Buckle – and give their absolute best performance – both known and new stars will shine as the race unfolds.
COURSE RECORDS and FINISHING TIMES:
Men’s: Yoshihiko Ishikawa, 2019, Japan: 21:33:01.
Women’s: Ashley Paulson, 2023, USA, 21:44:35.
For Age Group records and more info, click here.
It is expected that the winners of the 2026 Badwater 135 will finish in record – or near record – time for both men’s and women’s divisions. The average finishing time is approximately 36 hours, while the overall time limit is 45 hours. For those who finish in less than forty-five hours, their reward is the coveted Badwater 135 belt buckle, referred to as “the Holy Grail of Ultra Running.” There is no prize money.
The 2026 edition of the Holy Grail of Ultra Running. On the obverse is engraved DETUR DIGNIORI = “Let it Be Given to those Most Worthy“ in Latin.
WAVE STARTS
As detailed on the race roster, the race will begin in three waves on Monday evening, July 27, at 800pm, 900pm, and 1000pm. They are assigned according to their predicted finishing time, with the Fast Runners going first, Faster Runners going second, and – at least on paper – the Fastest Runners going third. There are approximately 30-33 runners per wave.
A LEGENDARY HISTORY
This year’s race celebrates the 39th anniversary of the race, but also the 49th anniversary of Al Arnold’s original trek from Badwater Basin to Mt. Whitney in 1977. Arnold, an ultrarunning pioneer, human potential guru, and health club manager, competed in a solo effort: it was just Arnold and his support crew against the elements and the clock. It took him three efforts before he was successful, having first attempted the route in 1974 and then 1975.
Four years later, Jay Birmingham also completed the course, in 1981. The official head-to-head race began ten years after Arnold’s pioneer trek, in 1987, and has been held annually since then without serious incident, fatality, or any citations issued by any branch of law enforcement. (The race was sadly canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020.)
AdventureCORPS brought Al to the race in 2002 and inducted him into the Badwater Hall of Fame. This was the 25th anniversary of his run, and he was treated like a rock star by everyone in attendance. Sadly, we lost our incredible friend Al Arnold when he passed away on September 6, 2017 at the age of 89. He is sorely missed, but his spirit lives on with each year’s edition of the world’s toughest foot race.
Jay Birmingham, who turns 81 in July this year, remains very active with the world of Badwater, not only by serving on the Badwater 135 Application Review Committee for more than 15 years, but also as an athlete. He has competed in all of the Badwater races over the past twenty years.
The first women to complete the course were Jeannie Ennis (USA) and Eleanor Adams (United Kingdom), both of whom competed in the inaugural race in 1987, along with American Tom Crawford and Brit Kenneth Crutchlow. Ennis was brought to the race as a special guest in 2005 and inducted into the Badwater Hall of Fame. Eleanor Adams (now Robinson) will be brought to the race in 2027 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her historic win at the first Badwater race.
Al Arnold at the start line of the 2002 Badwater Ultramarathon.
For more info about Al Arnold and the original race click these links:
1977 Al Arnold / 1981 Jay Birmingham / 1987 Race
The Badwater 135 is the final event in the Badwater® Ultra Cup, a three-race series which began with the 51-mile Badwater® Cape Fear in March, continued with the 81-mile Badwater® Salton Sea in late April, and now concludes with the Badwater 135 in July. Those runners who complete all three events in the same calendar year are featured on the Badwater.com website and their virtues are extolled throughout the Internet and in future editions of BADWATER Magazine. In 2014, seven athletes completed the entire Badwater Ultra Cup, nine completed it in 2015, sixteen in 2016, fifteen in 2017, eight in 2018, eleven in 2019, six in 2021, seven in 2022, and 12 in 2023, 7 in 2024, and 11 in 2025. This year four Badwater 135 runners have already completed both Badwater Cape Fear and Badwater Salton Sea, and will now attempt the final – and most difficult – leg of this epic, three-event series.
OFFICIAL SPONSORS AND CHARITIES
Now in its twenty-seventh year producing this race, AdventureCORPS is pleased to recognize Mount to Coast – the first performance shoe brand to specialize in ultra running and long-distance pursuits – as the Title Sponsor of the Badwater 135 and the Presenting Sponsor of all other AdventureCORS / Badwater races in 2026. Mount to Coast is also the Official Shoe of Badwater.
AdventureCORPS also recognizes RoadID, Fenixlight, Hyk Energy, and Runner Bar as Official Sponsors. We also thank the Oasis at Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells Resort, Panamint Springs Resort, and Dow Villa of Lone Pine, the community of Lone Pine, CA, the County of Inyo, the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, and other generous companies and individuals who support Badwater 135 each year. More info about our sponsors.
Official Charities of Badwater include the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few charities that provides grants directly to athletes with a physical disability, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over 200 million dollars and directly assisted more than 60,000 challenged athletes in all 50 states and 70 countries world-wide. Since 2002, together with our athletes who fundraise, we have raised over $900,000 for Challenged Athletes Foundation.
AdventureCORPS also supports the Bald Head Island Conservancy, Death Valley Natural History Association, and One Percent For The Planet. One of the goals of the Badwater 135 is to raise funds for, and awareness of, these organizations. More info. Additionally, many of the race entrants are competing on behalf of a charity of their choice, and these are noted and linked from the race roster.
FOLLOWING THE BADWATER 135 ONLINE
For the duration of the 2026 race, fans can follow the race through a “live” webcast at this link (which will remain archived at that link.)
Follow the 2026 time splits and results at this link.
Official Hashtags across all social media: #Badwater135 and #WorldsToughestFootRace and #adventurecorps
Follow the AdventureCORPS staff’s live photostream on Instagram @BadwaterHQ
Follow the AdventureCORPS race staff’s photostream archive on Flickr
Follow our Facebook @Badwater135 page and the #Badwater135 Facebook conversation
Follow the AdventureCORPS YouTube Channel
Download the July 2026 issue of BADWATER Magazine at this link.
WEBCAST, RACE UPDATES, PRESS CREDENTIALS, AND FURTHER INFO:
A stock image gallery – for bona fide media use only – may be accessed at this link, with Photographer Name / Badwater.com attribution required.
For media wishing to attending the event in person, please download the Press Kit and submit the included Press Credentials Application.
ABOUT ADVENTURECORPS, INC.:
Founded in 1984 by Chris Kostman, Oak Park, California-based AdventureCORPS® has made its name producing the world’s toughest endurance races in dramatic, remote locations that few people would ever visit, let alone run or bike across. Held under the Badwater® banner, AdventureCORPS events have allowed runners and bicyclists to explore the Death Valley, Salton Sea, Cape Fear, Mojave Desert, and Nevada outback regions in the USA, as well as the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Mustang region of Nepal, Yunnan Province of China, and the Republic of Artsakh.
AdventureCORPS has now produced more than 175 endurance sports events, and this is our 27th Badwater 135. For our 40-year (1984-2024) history, click here.
AdventureCORPS®, Inc. owns and represents BADWATER®, “The World’s Toughest Brand, Gear, and Races.” As a brand, BADWATER represents digging deep and going farther; it is the lifestyle brand for all who push their limits while exploring the outer and inner universes.
Badwater® is a federally registered trademark owned by AdventureCORPS, Inc.
More info: Adventurecorps.com and Badwater.com.
CONTACT:
Chris Kostman
Chief Adventure Officer and Race Director
AdventureCORPS, Inc.
638 Lindero Canyon Road, #311
Oak Park, CA 91377 USA
