Globally recognized as the world’s toughest foot race, the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon – hosted by AdventureCORPS – is a pure athletic challenge of athlete, shoes, and support crew versus a brutal 135-mile / 217km stretch of highway and a forty-eight hour time limit. From the start line in Death Valley to the finish line high on Mt. Whitney, this one-of-a-kind foot race offers the promise of a supremely personal achievement along with international accolades for those who rise to the occasion.
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 48th anniversary of “the world’s toughest foot race” on Monday-Wednesday, July 7-9, 2025.
