Badwater 135

Results: 2026

88 of 95 starters finished.

AdventureCORPS lists these as official results and records 88 official finishers from 95 starters. The badwater.com age-group and overall course-record table, updated on August 27, 2026, lists both times as overall course records, replacing Yoshihiko Ishikawa's 21:33:01 (2019) and Ashley Paulson's 21:44:35 (2023).

Source: AdventureCORPS — 2026 Badwater 135 official race results. Checked October 20, 2026.

Next edition: July 19, 2027. The 2027 edition runs July 19–21, 2027, with applications accepted January 2–20, 2027.

Event Overview

A 135-mile (217 km) invitational road ultramarathon each July from Badwater Basin in Death Valley to Whitney Portal on Mt. Whitney, with a 45-hour limit.

Course & Terrain

Point-to-point road ultramarathon on paved highways open to traffic, from Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park via Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs and Lone Pine to Whitney Portal. It includes three big climbs: Towne Pass, the Father Crowley climb and Whitney Portal Road. There are two divisions, men and women, and each runner is supported by their own crew vehicle.

Key course features to know before comparing this race:

• Start at Badwater Basin, 282 ft below sea level, the lowest point in North America
• Furnace Creek (mile 17.7) and Stovepipe Wells (mile 42.2) on the floor of Death Valley
• Towne Pass climb: 4,956 ft of gain over 16.7 miles from Stovepipe Wells
• Father Crowley climb from Panamint Springs (mile 72.8) to an unmarked summit at mile 84.9
• 100-mile mark at Gunsite Notch, past the Darwin turn-off
• Owens Valley via Keeler to Lone Pine (mile 122.8)
• Final 12.2-mile, 4,750 ft climb up Whitney Portal Road to the finish at 8,360 ft

The whole route is paved highway open to traffic: Badwater Road and Highway 190 through Death Valley National Park, whose boundary the route book places at mile 86.5, then Highways 190 and 136 across the Owens Valley to US 395 in Lone Pine, and Whitney Portal Road to the finish. The organizer's profile breakdown counts about 69 flat miles, 46 uphill miles and 20 downhill miles. Runners must stay single file on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Shoulders are soft or narrow in places, including near Devil's Cornfield and on Highway 136.

The National Park Service gives Furnace Creek, near mile 17, a July average high of 116°F (47°C) and average low of 88°F (31°C); summer highs often top 120°F (49°C), and the world-record air temperature of 134°F (57°C) was measured there on July 10, 1913. At the 2018 race the park reported 118°F at the start line, more than 110°F through much of the first night and 127°F on the second day, a Death Valley record for the date; 69 of 99 starters finished. Temperatures fall 3 to 5°F per 1,000 ft of climbing, and the organizer warns that night finishers on Whitney Portal Road can meet near-freezing temperatures.

Format & Support (as run)

Why This Race Matters

Badwater 135, also called the Badwater Ultramarathon, is a 135-mile (217 km) non-stop road race held each July from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, 282 ft below sea level, to Whitney Portal at 8,360 ft on Mt. Whitney, with 14,600 ft of climbing over three mountain ranges. The Badwater race grew out of solo crossings: Al Arnold completed the route from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977 on his third attempt, in 84 hours, and Jay Birmingham followed in 1981. The first race, on July 31, 1987, had five starters and was won by Britain's Eleanor Adams in 53:03. From 1987 to 1989 the course ran 146 miles to the summit of Mt. Whitney; since 1990 it has finished at Whitney Portal. AdventureCORPS, founded by race director Chris Kostman in 1984, has organized the race since 2000. In 2014, while Death Valley National Park paused event permits for a safety review, the race used a different 135-mile route from Lone Pine; it returned to Badwater Basin in 2015 with evening starts, and the 2020 edition was cancelled because of COVID-19. Entry is by invitation: about 100 runners are chosen from written applications, and each one races with their own crew and support vehicle. At Badwater 135 in 2026, the first year with a 45-hour limit, Max Jolliffe set the course record of 20:53:41 and Carmen Maria Perez set the women's record of 21:05:32, second overall, as 88 of 95 starters finished. The 2027 race, July 19–21, marks the 40th anniversary of the first race.

Historical benchmark notes in the directory record (verify current records with the linked official sources):

• Men's course record: Max Jolliffe (USA), 20:53:41 in 2026, a first-time finisher and the first runner under 21 hours. Previous record: Yoshihiko Ishikawa (Japan), 21:33:01 in 2019.
• Women's course record: Carmen Maria Perez (Spain), 21:05:32 in 2026, second overall. Previous record: Ashley Paulson (USA), 21:44:35 in 2023, when she won outright; that official time includes a 21-minute credit for a shuttle detour around flooding.
• Men's record progression since 2007: Valmir Nunes (Brazil) 22:51:29 in 2007, Pete Kostelnick (USA) 21:56:32 in 2016, Yoshihiko Ishikawa 21:33:01 in 2019, Max Jolliffe 20:53:41 in 2026.
• Women's record progression since 2010: Jamie Donaldson (USA) 26:16:12 in 2010, Alyson Venti (USA) 25:53:07 in 2016, Patrycja Bereznowska (Poland) 24:13:24 in 2019, Ashley Paulson 24:09:34 in 2022 and 21:44:35 in 2023, Carmen Maria Perez 21:05:32 in 2026.
• Ashley Paulson's 2023 win was the first overall win by a woman since Pam Reed in 2003.
• First race, July 31, 1987: Eleanor Adams (UK) won the 146-mile race to the summit of Mt. Whitney in 53:03, and Tom Crawford and Jeannie Ennis finished together in 58:57.

Preparing for a Race Like Badwater 135

The fixed-distance race guide covers the format as a whole. These guides go deeper:

• Walking strategy for ultramarathons: When and how to walk by terrain, effort and cutoffs.
• Crew and aid-station strategy: Crew tables, aid stops, drop bags and runner preferences.
• Hydration and sodium for ultramarathons: Fluid, sodium, thirst, sweat rate and hyponatremia risk.
• Tapering for ultramarathons: Plan the taper and race week around your own recovery.

Best Fit

• Runners with several 100-mile finishes who meet the qualifying standard and have heat experience
• Athletes who can bring a crew of two to four people and a support vehicle
• Road ultrarunners who want a point-to-point race with 14,600 ft of climbing

Planning Notes

• Prepare for sleep decisions, weather swings, and aid-station discipline. The distance is only one part of a multi-day fixed-distance race.
• Heat, sun, and dry air require event-specific preparation. Test sun protection and cooling, drink in response to thirst, and remember that sodium cannot make overdrinking safe.
• The directory does not mark this as having simpler logistics. Confirm qualification, terrain, support, registration, medical, and withdrawal requirements before planning around it.

Event FAQs

Related Preparation

• Compare this race in the full 2026 calendar
• Open the Fixed-Distance format guide
• Compare all race formats
• Use the timed-race pace calculator
• Plan checkpoint arrivals and cutoff buffers
• Print a pace band for your goal time
• Estimate race calories and plan fueling
• Build a crew and drop-bag plan
• Build a race-specific gear checklist