RESULTS / ROSTER / RACE WEBSITE
Presenting Sponsor:
OFFICIAL CHARITY: Bald Head Island Conservancy: Please join and donate to BHIC today!
2026 Badwater Cape Fear Image Galleries on Flickr:
• Image Gallery: 2026 Pre-Race Activities
• Image Gallery: 2026 Runner Mugshots by Robert Lee
• Image Gallery: 2026 Start Line at Old Baldy Lighthouse, the race gets under way on Bald Head Island, and runners rounding Cape Fear at Mile 13.1
• Image Gallery: 2026 Badwater Cape Fear Finish Line
• COMING SOON! AWESOME Image Gallery: 2026 Badwater Cape Fear Beach Gallery by Robert Lee of Beamcatchers.com
The twelfth Badwater Cape Fear 50km / 51mi ultramarathon – presented by Mount to Coast and hosted by AdventureCORPS – will take place on March 21, 2026 on Bald Head Island and Fort Fisher, North Carolina. A field of 170 runners competed in either the 50km race or the 51-mile race, with 84 in the 50km race and 86 in the 51.4-mile race. By the end, 80 officially finished the 50km and 86 completed the full 51mi race. (Thirty runners “dropped down” to the 50kim race after initially registering for the 51.4-mile race.) Full race results are here.
The 2026 race included runners representing Canada, Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, United States, and United Kingdom, plus residents of 33 American states and territories: Alabama, California, Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Ages range from 18 to 78. There were 50 females and 120 males, and 125 Badwater Cape Fear rookies and 45 race veterans. For the full race roster, click here.
With 50km and 51-mile race options and a start line at the foot of the Old Baldy Ligthouse, Badwater® Cape Fear features a twelve-mile warm-up on the car-free, one-lane-wide roads and maritime forest trails of Bald Head Island, followed by either 19 or 38 miles of running on the wild and secluded sandy beach between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher. The beach stretch features spectacular views of the Frying Pan Shoals to the east and the wild and undeveloped Cape Fear River marshlands to the west. Running this remote coast is a dramatic, invigorating, and inspiring manner in which to experience Bald Head Island, Fort Fisher State Recreation, and the Cape Fear region in all its grandeur!
This exquisite natural setting is the perfect antidote to the “real world” and a wonderful counterpart to the desert sands and mountains of Death Valley and Anza-Borrego Desert featured in the two West Coast BADWATER® races.
Charity
The official charity of Badwater Cape Fear is the Bald Head Island Conservancy, a leader in barrier island conservation, preservation and education. Race participants and supporters appreciate that BHIC cares for this race route’s pristine setting and its role as a sea turtle nesting site, and are encouraged to fundraise for BHIC and support its mission.
Since 2014, AdventureCORPS has made or facilitated more than $180,000 in donations to the Bald Head Island Conservancy.
According to Chris Shank, Executive Director of the BHI Conservancy, “Badwater has been a wonderful supporter of the Bald Head Island Conservancy for a decade through generous sponsorships and magnanimous donations from racers. We love working with Chris Kostman and his team each and every year – it is an annual highlight for the Conservancy and for all of Bald Head Island!”
The Presenting Sponsor of Badwater Cape Fear, and all AdventureCORPS-produced 2026 races, is Mount to Coast, the first performance shoe brand to specialize in ultra running and long-distance pursuits. Male and female winners of all four 2026 AdventureCORPS events will be awarded Mount to Coast shoes.
Partners and Volunteers
Local partners are Village of Bald Head Island, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, Friends of Pleasure Island State Parks, and Maritime Market.
Volunteer teams based on Bald Head Island, on the beach along the Fort Fisher coast, and at the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area Headquarters work closely with Bald Head Island Public Safety officers and volunteers and North Carolina State Park Rangers to host the event each year.
Special thanks, Volunteers! YOU make it happen! (Below is NOT complete!)
Racer Check-In: Keith Weitz, Julie Lee, Robert Lee, Thomas & Anne Marie Brock, Doug & Sheila Campbell, Erika Small, Victoria Negri, Chris Kostman, and others
Trail Marking: Chris Kostman, Erika Small, Doug & Sheila Campbell
Start Line: Keith Weitz, Julie Lee, Erika Small, Doug & Sheila Campbell, and Chris Kostman
Broom Wagon (first 10.5 miles, following the runners): Sal Armato
Trail Sweep: Jim Macaluso and Donna Melton
Morning Directions: Chris Shank, Julie Lee, and many Bald Head Island Public Safety volunteers and other Bald Head Island residents
UTV Pilot: Julia
AS1 at Bald Head Island Conservancy: Emily Ryan, Leslie Carboni, Rita Castro, Geoff Moore, Morgan, and others
AS2 at Mid-Beach: Marcia Bosch and her team from Friends of Pleasure Island State Parks, Anne-Marie Brock, Thomas Brock, with assistance from Fort Fisher State Recreation Area rangers!
AS3 at Fort Fisher: Keith Weitz, Randy and Dawn Stephenson, Dawn Steinfolt, Abby Wasserman, and David Bailey
Timing: Julie Lee
Finish Line: Chris Kostman, Erika Small, Doug & Sheila Campbell, Steve, Chris Shank, and others
Photography: Robert Lee of BeamCatchers and Chris Kostman
Public Safety Support: Village of Bald Head Island Public Safety and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area Rangers
Thank You!
This event is held under permits from the Village of Bald head Island, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, and North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, and with the incredible support of Bald Head Island Conservancy and Friends of Pleasure Island State Parks. We thank them, and all our North Carolina friends, for their support!
