Badwater Ultramarathon

The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile (217 km) ultramarathon that starts at Badwater Basin in California's Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, and finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when daytime temperatures at the start can reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The race grew out of attempts to run between the lowest and highest points in the contiguous United States, which Al Arnold first completed in 1977, and it became an official organized footrace in 1987. AdventureCORPS now manages it, the field is invitation-only and limited to 100 entrants, and no course support is provided, so each runner must arrange a crew and vehicle.