Badwater 135 is without doubt one of the stand-out - iconic and absolutely wild ultramarathons that exists.
If you Google Top 10 ultramarathons on the planet then Badwater is almost always on that list.
There are a series of things that make this race (either totally) unique or at least like very few others out there.
HEAT: Clearly a major feature of Badwater and it's Death Valley USA location is the temperature. Pre race we stayed at Furnace Creek and clocked up the classic tourist picture of 52 degrees!
ENTRY: With the National Park only allowing 100 runners (and each runner having a mandatory minimum of 2 or maximum of 4 crew) you have to submit an essay to race organisers on 'Why you feel you should be selected?' - A decent run CV often needs to include commitment to the event as well as some alround support and dedication to the overall ultramarathon community
LOGISTICS: If you have been involved with Badwater then you will know that the seriousness of the heat and the Death Valley Park rules means that there is a high level of compliance with this race. You just can't be a runner who wings it. You need to appreciate how to get to the area and buy the things you need - to get a car that complies with the rules and have raided Walmart to have every spare inch of the car ready for battle.
Our amazing friend and Spartathlon buddy Andy Day won the brilliant (Florida) Keys 100 race in 2023 and an automatic spot in Badwater. He contacted Camino Coach David as well as Nathan Flear and alongside his amazing wife Diane a crew team was formed.
DAVID: Badwater 135 what did you do to me. The whole week was just a non-stop whirlwind. Truly grateful to have received the crew invite from Andy and to experience the whole thing with Diane and long-time bestie Nath.
Over the years it is a big debate on whether you should take the support of a crew or experience everything alone. In Badwater it is mandatory to have a crew. So the question leans more towards using experienced crew (possibly using US based runners - Nath almost missed the trip because of the IT Global outage) and whether the crew member are able to do long sections as pacers as well as drive some of the tricky mountain passes.
I've learnt a huge amount about Badwater and the crew situation and owe a great deal to the wonderful Allan Anderson and Ian Thomas as well as buddy James and his legendary runner Laura Watts for all the brilliant ideas and wisdom.
You just can't wing Badwater - It's another ultra that 'eats its young' - another year with a high DNF rate and plenty of runners taking advantage of the full two day cut-off to get the job done.
Huge personal thank you to Hylo Athletics and Precision Fuel & Hydration for their amazing support to this years Badwater efforts.
Massive respect to you Andy for the way that you kept going through all the tough spots and for a brilliant overall performance. Loved sharing those special moments with you x'
Highlight - truly difficult to pick out one highlight - I just fell in love with Lone Pine and the people and I can see why one of the allures to folk going back is actually Mount Whitney (you finish pretty high up as you hit the 135 mile line but you need to get a permit to be able to do the actual scramble climb to the summit - when you see how beautiful it is you really want to experience more).
For anyone thinking about this race then the choice of crew and how many crew you have is massive - I don't think there is one perfect way of doing this but it's inevitably a team effort and if you want to have as many giggles as we did then you need a class act like Nath in there x
ANDY DAY:
"The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile (217 km) ultramarathon race starting at −282 feet below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8,360 feet (2,550 m) at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures can reach 130 °F (54 °C).
I came into the race in what I believed was great condition & my preparation appeared to be spot on. I knew the race had plenty of elevation & this was factored into my training, with numerous progressive treadmill interval sessions, aswell as running hills outside.
I started sessions in the sauna to get my body used to the heat from about 3 months out & then had 6 sessions in the Heat chamber at Loughborough University the week before we flew out to Las Vegas. Hitting 50 degrees & maintaining my core temperature. We were all set!
On 16th July I flew out to Vegas, with my wife & crew member, Di.
We spent 4 days in Vegas, getting used to the heat before my other two crew members arrived (Nathan Flear & Dave Bone)
We then drove to Lone Pine to register. The race starts in three waves, 8,9 & 10pm. I was off in the last wave. I spent race day relaxing. A couple of naps & trip to the thermometer at Furnace Creek for a photograph (it registered 52 degrees) & everything was set.
It’s funny because we all know how hard these races are before we enter them, but somehow they don’t seem so daunting when they’re in the distant future. However, in the days leading up to the race & race day itself, the realisation of what lies ahead & how much this is really going to hurt, sets in.
I was nervous of the possibility that I might not finish. I was excited at the thought of having my perfect race & maybe being right up there at the pointy end.
I was a little scared of the unknown of what lay ahead & if I was up to the challenge & targets set in my own head.
With ultra races we start out with Plan A, but can end up at Plan Z!
I’m a competitive person, that’s why I still compete. I’m blessed with good health, a drive to succeed & get the hard training done & stubbon stupidity to keep going when it hurts.
I don’t actually always enjoy the physical feeling of ‘just running’, but I do love that feeling when you cross the line, knowing you gave it all you had on that particular day & obviously I love winning or being right up there & all the things that come with that.
Now, I was fully aware that this race had 3 mountain accents, but what I naively thought was that the rest of the course was predominantly flat…..
In the immortal words of Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman “Big mistake….. Huge!”
I initially became aware of this as we drove to Registration in Lone Pine from Vegas. My crew pointed this out on a number of occasions, much to their amusement.
I had felt heavy legged & sluggish in the two runs I had done in Vegas, & whilst a little concerning, I just put it down to Ultra maranoia.
I felt pretty good at the start of the race & the first marathon ticked off nicely. It was apparently a ‘hot year’ at the start & higher than usual humidity, due to a rain storm I was lucky to miss just before we started. The lightening however on the drive to the start was spectacular to watch.
From around mile 30 the heavy leg feeling returned. My crew were telling me “ It’s normal” “Of course your legs are going to hurt”. Now, that’s a fact & it may also have been down to the heat, but to me something just didn’t feel ‘normal / right’. However, I have no excuses & I gave it everything I had on the day.
At Stovepipe Wells (mile 42) I was able to have a ‘Pacer’ for the first time & it was here Dave started to run with me. Daylight had now broke through & the temperature was rising.
From here it was straight up the 17 mile, 5000ft climb of Towne Pass. It was here that I had a run / walk strategy. I say it like I had a choice, but in reality this was the beginning of a low patch & my legs decided they didn’t overly like running.
It was also here that we caught up with (now) 3 time finisher & fellow Brit Laura Watts. She was running with our good friend James Ellis. Laura is a true example of an ultra runner. This lady was clearly suffering at times, but she NEVER stopped smiling & always sending out positive vibes. This was / is something I need to master, because I often become a ‘negative Nelly’
We leap frogged each other a couple of time up the climb & then over the top, hitting the steep 9+ mile decent into Panamint Valley.
My thighs were not enjoying this downhill & I did have to take a couple of quick walk breaks.
Into the infamous Panamint Valley, the hottest part of the course in the heat of the day. The legendary heat hazed stretch of ‘black top’ (tarmac to us Brits) lived up to its billing. You could see Panamint Springs (mile 72) in the distance, but it seemed like you were on a travelator….. in the wrong direction! FFS!
It was here that we were ‘buzzed’ by two F15 fighter jets. They train in the valley & knowing the race is on they fly about 100m above your head along the road. Absolutely breath taking & a sight to behold.
It gets a little bit sketchy from here, as to what order things went in. I know I had a couple of patches where I simply had nothing let in the tank & my crew made / insisted I eat loads of food before heading off. I have to say thank you to them all, because this did give me short bouts of recovery, where I was able to slowly run again.
This was something I hadn’t experienced before. I had been eating (taking on gels) but for some reason these weren't enough. Like a sketch from Little Britain “ Computer says No “.
The second 5000ft, 14 mile climb of Father Crowley, was mostly (if not all) a walk.
The flatter / downhill (allegedly) road into Darwin (mile 90) & past the aptly named ‘Grave Site’ & through Keeler (mile 105) was mostly in the dark & id decided to run alone. The boys had run many miles with me, but I thought I needed some ‘alone time’ & get into a zone. We had been picking people off & I was now using each torchlight ahead, as a carrot.
It was around this point Di told me that I was actually in 11th place. I had moved my goalposts several times during this race & was purely focused on just finishing. It had really seemed a slim possibility at around mile 30. I had thought to myself, ‘I have no idea how I can run another 100 miles’.
When I heard this news & the fact that I could still actually get into the top 10, it gave me a will to drive forward. Not fast, mostly not running. but what little I had left was propelling me towards Mt Whitney. Di reminded me “Forward, Relentless. Motion”.
Each time I stopped at the crew car, I looked back to see where the runners lights were.
“I’m burning my matches, but I can’t let them catch me”.
“They’re not catching you” Nathan said, but I was a little tired & not really thinking straight, so I didn’t believe him.
I do remember I very briefly fell asleep, whilst running & jolted myself awake again, just before a ‘crew point’.
Now I’ve never hallucinated before, but heard some great stories of people seeing monsters, bears, people etc. However mine were a lot less fun. I thought the white line in the middle of the road was a train platform edge & I nearly fell onto the track. The other time the line appeared to be the light between two swinging rubber doors into the produce warehouse in a supermarket. WTF!
The miles between Keeler & the right turn at Lone Pine (mile 120) went on foooooooor ever! I could see the road running horizontally ahead of me, but it seemed like it was never getting any closer. This was a tough section.
I eventually turned right & ran (scrap that, walked the entire way!!) into the checkpoint at mile 122.
Di, Nath & Dave were there waiting for me. Apparently Dave said to the Marshall “There’s our runner”’. To which he replied “He ain’t doin no running”.
So 122 miles behind me, no ‘running’ left in the legs, legs feel like I’m walking through treacle & now I have to complete ‘the worlds toughest ½ marathon’. Another 5000ft climb, finishing at 8000ft up Mt Whitney. Oohhhh the joys!
But, to start that off, there was a 1.3 mile extra trail diversion, adding another 300ft.
Following flooding last October the road had been damaged, so they threw in this single track diversion to get us around it. I’m sure you can image, this section on uneven ground was great fun. I progressed through, looking like Bambi on ice, but thankfully didn’t fall off the edge!
Di joined me a couple of times & I really enjoyed us power walking up together. The night disappeared & we were blessed with a glorious sunrise & again, breathtaking views. Although I was a man on a mission & attempting to power up this climb, I still took the time to look around me & take it all in.
Past the last check point at 5k to go & up the last few hairpins.
It’s tradition in this event to meet your crew just before the finish & all cross the line together. I grabbed the Unionjack & we all linked up. All now smiling like Cheshires cats, knowing that the job was finally done.
I was over the moon to be told I had finished in 9th position. It was a great team effort & I know they suffered as much as me during this 33hr adventure.
I want to say a massive thank you to Di, Nathan & Dave. There is no way that I would have finished this race without them. I know they went through some rough patches too & in many ways their job was harder than mine. I ‘just have to keep moving forward’. They had to make sure I ate, drank, was peeing. They had to keep me cool, make sure we all had enough ice, water, food, fuel & get to every ‘meet point’ ahead of me, to be there for when I arrived.
It’s true that during this race I questioned my life choices & mentioned possibly retiring & never doing this again. This was shared by Di aswell.
However, fast forward 30hrs. Picture the scene…. We’re sitting on the side of the pool, dangling our feet in the cool water.
Me “I want to come back, I believe I can do better”
Di “ Yes, I know things that we could change next time” & so it begins! 🙏 x"
CAMINO: As Andy mentioned we enjoyed the experience of being with our fellow British runners and crew.
Special mention must go to Andy's better half Diane - how anyone can crew their partner inside an event like Badwater is truly amazing. Diane shares the shareable stuff below - Thank you Diane - Camino are immensely proud of you x
James who crewed Laura and Nathan share their favourite crew bits x
SUPERSTAR DIANE:
'Crewing Bad Water is an honour but don’t take it lightly.
If you take your eye off the ball your runner will suffer, if you take your eye off the ball the crew will suffer snd your runner cannot carry on without the crew.
There are massive highs, none more so than crossing the finish line at Mt Whitney, ( Don’t do what I did and run ahead of your runner lol 😂 totally clueless, as so sleep deprived until I saw the video after 🙈)
But also some low points like sleep deprivation, the heat, being attack and stung by dessert bees, having the car infested by bugs 🐛 and ordering vegetarian wraps then opening them at the top of the mountain with no time to go back to find out they were chicken 🙈
Totally agree everyone needs to get on and work as a team as you need to be very prepared, organised and motivated for the duration.
I do think it os hard crewing your husband as you are emotionally invested too, so maybe not the best idea.
However, I never thought I’d want to do it again, but all I’m remembering now is the good stuff and I’m happy to go back and do it all again for Mr Day.'
JAMES:
'What an incredible race with so much love from the race staff, other runners and support crew. Being buzzed by fighter planes as we pushed through Panamint Valley is right up there with my greatest ever race experiences.
Top tips:
You’ll be working hard from the start at a relentless pace perhaps making up to 70 stops to attend to them – you need to be fit and heat trained. And you need to take care of yourselves as well as your runner. It’s exhausting for everyone.
Pick crew wisely. When the stakes are high, the temperatures are through the roof, space is cramped and people are sleep deprived it can get tetchy. The right team can make a race, but it can also break it. You need people who will get along.
Lap it up. We run or support runners on races like this because they challenge us to dig into the deep stuff and push us to the edge of where we’ve never been. It’s an incredible experience – soak it in, learn and grow. You’ll leave better than you came. "
NATH:
'For me, the whole experience was wonderful, testing and stressful at times, but always wonderful.
Crossing the finish line with Andy, seeing what he went through to get there, inspiring stuff.
But from start to finish it felt like an adventure, our shared runs in Vegas and Furnace creek pre race, the briefing and the vibe around Lone Pine, the drive down to Badwater Basin, and then the real adventure started, it was Andy’s race but definitely always felt we were part of it, there was never time to switch off, it was go go go and although it was a hard crewing gig, I loved it.'
CAMINO: So wraps up our 2024 Badwater Adventures
Huge thank you to everyone who supported this journey. To the support we received from Race Director Chris Kostman and his team. To the Badwater Legend Susie Chan and all her kind words of support. To the many international runners and their crews who became one big family.
Will Camino be back - You bet we will x
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