DOUBLE OR NOTHING: The Death Valley 300
(Badwater Double) by Mark Cockbain

‘The greatest distance to cover in any race is the distance between your ears’


It is the 24th of July 2007, and I’m back in Death Valley. I’ve just managed to recover from severe dehydration yet again, as I shuffle out of the baking heat of Owens Valley towards Lone Pine with the help of my chief crew and pacer, Liam Douglas.
It’s near midnight, and I am approaching the end of my 3rd Kiehl’s Badwater Ultra Marathon, with just 13 miles left to go before I cross the finish line. Ahead of us, my other two crew members, Julia Gale, and Cheri Wold await with some food and coffee for me to give me a boost, before I make my final push up Mount Whitney towards the finish line.
However, this year it will be different for me, as I will attempt a ‘double crossing’. This means I will run the 135 miles back to the start where I have just come from at Badwater at -282ft, after summiting the 14,497ft peak of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in America. This is a total distance of just under 300 miles, and it is a legendary task amongst the world’s ultra running community.
This will be the toughest running challenge of my life, and as I get closer and closer to the race finish line, I start to wonder just how I will manage to push myself on, as I am already exhausted with my feet badly blistered.
I slowly move up around the Whitney portal roads with Cheri pacing me, and I eventually spot the finish line and cross it in a respectable 46hrs 12mins, to again receive a coveted sub 48hr belt buckle.

Runners from 14 countries will line up at the start line of the Badwater Ultra Marathon this July- the legendary road race covering 145 miles in a mere 60 hours from Badwater Death Valley to Mount Whitney California.

This race is truly a test of human endurance- temperatures can reach a fierce 130o F and runners complete a course which crosses three mountain ranges.

Ages range from 28 years old to 69- and those taking part come from all walks of life and all four corners of the world.

For Immediate Release

Badwater Ultramarathon 135 mile running race

Applications Accepted in January for World's Toughest Foot Race

Globally recognized as the toughest race of its kind, the July 24-26, 2006 Badwater Ultramarathon is a pure athletic challenge of athlete, shoes, and support crew versus a brutal 135 mile stretch of highway, a hellish environment of up to 130 degrees, and a sixty hour time limit. From the start line in the bowels of 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.

Mimi Anderson writes:

For the next 17 miles the course heads uphill, starting at sea level and climbing to 4,965 feet. And then, just when you think its over, there’s a 9 mile downhill section going back down to 1,640 feet! (down hills are definitely not all they are cracked up to be!!) Tim and Karyn had been taking it in turns to keep me company during this stage as it was dark. The sky was stunning and covered in a blanket of stars, I spotted quite a few shooting starts which sadly Karyn missed as she was far too busy chatting!! (She chatted no stop to everyone, encouraging other runners and passing on tips to other crews!!) I eventually reached CP 3 72.3 miles (Panamint Springs Resort) in 19hrs 10 mins. The temperature at night was still high 80 – 100 degrees.

Mimi Anderson writes:

10th July 2005

I have just returned from competing in the 2005 Badwater Ultramarathon. My aim was to finish the race in less than 48 hours in order to qualify for the “Buckle” – a coveted prize for the race.

Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135mile non-stop qualifying invitation only race that starts in Death Valley 282 feet below sea level finishing at the foot of Mt Whitney, the Whitney Portals at 8,360 feet above sea level. There are 13,000 feet of ascent during the race and 4,700 feet of decent!

Media Release

AdventureCORPS, an event production firm specializing in ultra-endurance and extreme sports events, will host the 2005 Kiehl's Badwater Ultramarathon on July 11-13, 2005. A true "challenge of the champions," this legendary, 28-year-old foot race pits approximately 80 of the world’s toughest athletes – runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers – against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55 centigrade), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.

Ray Zahab writes:

Hey Gang!
I am emailing you from Denver airport returning from Lisa and Jay's Bawater Training Camp! For those of youwho I spoke to about the training camp before I
left and told it would be tough- well, it wasn't much of a shock that it was way tougher then I thought.