Badwater 135 for 2023 just finished last week. It’s one of the toughest races in the world and one of my favorites to track. This year was a very special one because I had many friends of the podcast either running or crewing it.
For those not familiar, Badwater is an ultrarace that starts in the Badwater Basin of Death Valley and finishes at the foot of Mt Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous United States. It happens in July, the hottest time of year. It’s a difficult race to enter as well. Please check out my Episode 131, released in July 2021, where I give the history, course details and the scoop of how to enter.
2023 was a stellar year for the historic race. The temperatures, although always hot, weren’t as hot as in past years, were mostly under 120 degrees during the day.
100 runners participate in the race. This year, only 11 runners DNF’d. That’s a very small number compared to past years, when the DNF (Did Not Finish) numbers are closer or above 20.
Each year, the video-online coverage gets better and better. The race production crew does their best to update the runners tracking as much as possible. As it is in Death Valley, it is in a very remote part of the country, so it’s not race updates are not always easy to get. But it was a terrific year for live coverage. I followed along from work and then at home and cheered (quietly at work) all the participants as they made their way along the course.
As each runner crossed the finish line, Chris Kostman, the man responsible for Badwater, makes sure each runner is filmed and each finisher gets to run through the Badwater banner as well. Finishing Badwater isn’t like finishing most other races; it’s an incredible accomplishment that very few people will ever achieve.
I praise each and every person attempting to finish Badwater and I am amazed with every participant who finished. You all rock.