Badwater 135 — Run Time

Next Race

July 27, 2026

113

days to go

The Badwater 135 is a 135-mile (217km) invitational road ultra held each July, starting at Badwater Basin in Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level and finishing at Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet elevation. The course runs entirely on paved roads through Death Valley in temperatures that regularly exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The invitation-only field is capped at approximately 100 athletes with a 48-hour time limit.

ITRA 6 Endurance Points

Est.

1987

Distance

217km / 135mi

Course

Point-to-point

Surface

Road

Elev. Gain

4450m

Field Size

~100

When

July

Time Limit

48h

THE COURSE

Gain

+4450m

MI 0

KM 0

Badwater Basin

The race starts at Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point in North America. Air temperatures in July regularly exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and road surface temperatures can surpass 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

MI 17.5

KM 28.2

Furnace Creek

Furnace Creek sits at 190 feet below sea level and serves as race headquarters and the first major service point. Runners restock on ice and supplies here before a long exposed stretch of desert highway toward Stovepipe Wells.

MI 42.2

KM 67.9

Stovepipe Wells

Stovepipe Wells marks the transition from the valley floor to the Sierra Nevada foothills, sitting at roughly sea level. It serves as the medical headquarters for the opening portion of the race and is the last resupply stop before the major ascent to Towne Pass.

MI 58.7

KM 94.5

Towne Pass

Towne Pass is the highest point on the course at 4,956 feet elevation. The 17-mile climb from Stovepipe Wells gains 5,000 feet at an average grade of 5.6 percent, and a mandatory time cutoff applies at the 2,000-foot elevation sign near mile 50.8.

MI 122.7

KM 197.5

Lone Pine

Lone Pine, at 3,610 feet elevation, is the last town on the course and the final opportunity to resupply before the finish. Runners turn here onto Whitney Portal Road for the concluding 12.3-mile climb, which gains approximately 4,700 feet to reach the finish line.

MI 135

KM 217

Whitney Portal

The finish line sits at Whitney Portal, elevation 8,360 feet, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. Runners finish having traveled from the lowest point to near the highest point in the contiguous United States, covering 14,600 feet of total elevation gain over 135 miles.