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Badwater Ultramarathon

Start 20:008:00 PM Death Valley

The Badwater Ultramarathon is a hilly course of 217.3 km (135 miles) with 4,503.8 m (14,776 ft) of climbing. Its lowest point is 79 m (259 ft) below sea level and its highest 2,530 m (8,301 ft) above it. Next race: Monday 19 July 2027, starting at 8:00 PM.

Badwater Basin
Badwater Basin. Photograph by Christian David, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons . Course line © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Race day
The 2027 race
Start
20:008:00 PM
Waves until 22:0010:00 PM
Distance
217.3 km135 mi
135 miles
Total climb
4503.8 m14776 ft
Highest point 2609 m8560 ft above lowest
Entry fee
US$1,695
For the 2027 race

The course

Pick a place, or drag along the profile

The Badwater 135 runs 135 miles (217 km) from Badwater Basin, 85 m below sea level, to Whitney Portal at 2,530 m, with 4,450 m of cumulative ascent and 1,859 m of descent over three mountain ranges.

StartFinish

© OpenStreetMap contributors

  1. Photo: buzzard525, CC BY 3.0
  3. Photo: Jason Hickey, CC BY 3.0
  4. Photo: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0

km 67.8mile 42.1

Stovepipe Wells

The organiser lists Stovepipe Wells among the places on the route; its general store opens through the first night.

Photo: buzzard525, CC BY 3.0

Height drawn many times taller than life · GEDTM30

Course elevation profile, 8× vertical exaggeration Elevation along the course from km 0 to km 217. The trace runs between -79 and 2530 metres, a range of 2609 metres, drawn at 8 times vertical exaggeration so the shape is legible. Smoothed over 1 km before this profile was derived. An unsmoothed urban surface carries the buildings and would assert a climb that is not there.
0 50 100 150 200 km
0 50 100 134.8 mi

  • From 85 m below sea level to 2,530 m135 miles, 4,450 m up, 1,859 m down, three mountain ranges.
  • Three waves and a 45 hour limitStart 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00; cut-offs at miles 50.5, 72, 90 and 122.
  • Below sea level to Whitney PortalLow at 1.0 km, high at the finish, 4,504 m of climbing.
Course notes 3 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradientFrom 85 m below sea level to 2,530 m135 miles, 4,450 m up, 1,859 m down, three mountain ranges.

The organiser says the start at Badwater Basin is the lowest elevation in North America and the finish at Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit. Its page counts Towne Pass, from mile 42.2 to mile 58.9, as the first of three mountain ascents: 4,956 feet of gain over 16.7 miles, 5.6% on average.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsThree waves and a 45 hour limitStart 20:00, 21:00 or 22:00; cut-offs at miles 50.5, 72, 90 and 122.

The first cut-off, at mile 50.5, is imposed by the National Park Service. The limit was 48 hours from 2011 and became 45 hours from 2026. The organiser describes the race as invitational, with applications taken from 2 to 20 January 2027 and an entry fee of $1,695.

Sourced

km 0 to 216.8GradientBelow sea level to Whitney PortalLow at 1.0 km, high at the finish, 4,504 m of climbing.

The organiser puts Badwater Basin at 85 m below sea level and Whitney Portal at 2,530 m, with 4,450 m of cumulative ascent and 1,859 m of descent. The ground between them reads 79 m below sea level at its lowest, and about 4,504 m of climbing.

Measured

Race weekend

Bib pickup at Alabama Hills Cafe, Bakery, and Bar, Lone Pine

Before race week 4 key dates

  1. 2 Jan 2027 · 09:009:00 AM

    Applications open The Badwater 135 application is posted after a Facebook Live video about the schedule, application and selection process.

  2. 20 Jan 2027 · 17:005:00 PM

    Applications close

  3. 6 Feb 2027 · 08:008:00 AM

    Race field announced Selected competitors are told by email the same day and are charged the entry fee.

  4. 15 Feb 2027

    Application paperwork deadline Absolute deadline for the paperwork to reach the race office.

Sunday 18 July Bib pickup

  1. 12:3012:30 PM–16:304:30 PM

    Competitor check-in Alabama Hills Cafe, Bakery, and Bar, Lone Pine. Mandatory for each competitor and their crew chief.

  2. 17:005:00 PM–18:306:30 PM

    Pre-race meeting Lone Pine High School gymnasium. Mandatory for all competitors and crew chiefs.

Bib in hand?A number belt holds it without pins through your race top. Clip it on tonight.

Number belt on AmazonAmazon partner link

Monday 19 July Race day

  1. 20:008:00 PM

    Wave 1 start Badwater Basin, Death Valley. Wave 1 competitors check in at 19:30.

  2. 21:009:00 PM

    Wave 2 start Badwater Basin, Death Valley. Wave 2 competitors check in at 20:30.

  3. 22:0010:00 PM

    Wave 3 start Badwater Basin, Death Valley. Wave 3 competitors check in at 21:30.

Tuesday 20 July The day after

  1. 21:009:00 PM

    First finisher expected The organiser's approximate time for the first competitor to cross the finish line.
Cut-offs (2)

  1. 10:0010:00 AM

    First cut-off at mile 50.5 Deadline for all competitors, whatever their wave, at the 2000-foot elevation sign beyond Stovepipe Wells. Set by the National Park Service.

  2. 19:007:00 PM

    Second cut-off at mile 72 Deadline for all competitors at Panamint Springs Resort.

Wednesday 21 July 2 days after

  1. 20:008:00 PM–22:0010:00 PM

    Post-race get-together Lone Pine High School gymnasium. Pizza and drinks, no charge.
Cut-offs (2)

  1. 03:303:30 AM

    Third cut-off at mile 90 Deadline for all competitors at the Darwin time station. Competitors must pass mile 122 at Lone Pine within 40 hours of their own elapsed time.

  2. 17:005:00 PM

    Course closes Closes at 17:00 for wave 1, 18:00 for wave 2 and 19:00 for wave 3: a 45 hour limit from each wave's start.

Times as published by the organiser, in Death Valley time, checked . Confirm on their site before you travel.

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Death Valley time

Entry

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

Gels for Death Valley, between the aid stations

Over 100 km a gel every 40 minutes stops being a plan: most runners eat real food at the aid stations and take gels between. Practise what you will eat on your longest runs.

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
A small balm stick
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
A pack of blister plasters
Illustration · drag to turn

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Questions about the Badwater Ultramarathon

Is the Badwater Ultramarathon course flat?
No, it is a hilly course: 4,503.8 m (14,776 ft) of climbing over 217.3 km (135 miles). The highest point is 2,609 m (8,560 ft) above the lowest. It finishes 2,607 m (8,553 ft) higher than it starts.
When is the Badwater Ultramarathon 2027?
Monday 19 July 2027. The first wave starts at 8:00 PM and the last at 10:00 PM.
How do I enter the Badwater Ultramarathon?
Entry is through the organiser. Entry fee: US$1,695 (for the 2027 race). Entry details on the organiser’s site
Where does the Badwater Ultramarathon start?
Start: Badwater Basin, Death Valley.
Runner talk Questions, tips and race reports from other runners about the course and the city.

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