Death Valley’s Badwater 135 Pushes Limits as 66-Year-Old Marks 18th Finish

The annual Badwater 135 ultramarathon, staged 4–5 July in California’s Death Valley, again lived up to its reputation as one of the world’s toughest footraces. Ninety-nine runners set off from Badwater Basin, 86 metres below sea level, to climb 2,548 metres to the trailhead of Mount Whitney, covering 217 kilometres (135 miles) in temperatures that peaked near 117 °F (47 °C). Norway’s Simen Holvik won the 37th edition, finishing in just over 22 hours, with Spain’s Iván Penalba taking second in 22 hours 07 minutes 16 seconds—his third podium in four years and nearly two hours faster than his previous best. Competitors battled radiant heat so intense that the road surface has been known to soften shoes; crews doused athletes with ice water every few minutes to ward off dehydration and heat stroke. Among the most closely watched entrants was 66-year-old Danny Westergaard of Wisconsin, who extended his record of consecutive finishes at the event to 18, reaching the line in 45 hours 29 minutes. Westergaard, who trains year-round in saunas to acclimate, said the race has become a “summer ritual,” despite studies showing older athletes face greater cardiovascular stress in extreme heat. Death Valley’s searing conditions have intensified as climate change pushes global temperatures higher; seven of the park’s hottest summers have occurred in the past decade, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Medical staff reported the usual mix of heat-related ailments, but no fatalities, underscoring both the risks and the careful logistics required for anyone aiming to conquer what organisers call ‘the world’s toughest footrace.’