“The World’s Toughest Foot Race”

Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley* to Mt. Whitney, CA, the Badwater® 135 is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet, as well as the 135-Mile World Championship. The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300’ (2530m), which is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States.** The Badwater 135 course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600’ (4450m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100’ (1859m) of cumulative descent. Competitors travel through places or landmarks with names like Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, Darwin, Keeler, Lone Pine, Alabama Hills, and the Sierra Nevada.

*The ancient and still current Native American name for “Death Valley” is Tüpippüh. Learn more here and here.

** Although we anticipate using the same route each year, the final, exact route is subject to approval from various government agencies and may not be fully confirmed until the week of the race. This event is held subject to special use permits from the County of Inyo, National Park Service, United States Forest Service, and the California Department of Transportation.

AdventureCORPS® will host the 46th anniversary of “the world’s toughest foot race” on Tuesday-Thursday, July 4-6, 2023.

IMPORTANT 2023 LINKS (more coming soon):

2022 Webcast | 2023 Roster | 2022 Magazine | 2023 Time Splits | 2023 Results | 2022 Press Release | 2023 Racer Check-In Forms | 2023 Press Kit