Badwater® 135
Badwater® 135 Ultra Marathon
July 6, 2023
Unbelievable effort, and an amazing team experience. Unfortunately Peter did not make one of the last timing checkpoints and ultimately finished his journey with a grand total of 118 miles, and a time of 42:10. Peter left it all out on the course, putting his entire heart and soul into this epic journey. Thanks to all for the well wishes!
Photos and updates courtesy of Josh Kline
July 6, 2023 - approximately 9am
Thursday morning, and still moving in the right direction!! Have made every time cutoff so far!
Photos and updates courtesy of Josh Kline
July 5, 2023 - approximately 9pm
Amazing day in Death Valley! Peter continues to amaze. We made the first time cutoff by just seconds. Took a nice break to recover, then marched onward to make the second cutoff by 45 minutes!!! Spirits are high, and everyone doing great! Looking forward to the night shift!
Photos and updates courtesy of Josh Kline
July 4, 2023 - approximately 8pm
Currently at mile 46. Just another 4.8 miles to the 10am PST cutoff, and Peter is looking strong. Was a good night with just some minor ups and downs. Peter’s spirits are solid, and we should make the cut!
#bw135peter
Photos and updates courtesy of Josh Kline
June 27, 2023
As many of you know I have been invited to run the hardest road ultra in the world, the Badwater® 135 Ultra Marathon. The race starts at 8:00 PM July 4th and I must complete the course by 8:00 PM July 6th. To complete the race you must cover the 135 mile course with cumulative elevation gain of over 19,000 feet in under 48 hours. Most people ask “why would you want to run a 135 mile race in the first place let alone from Death Valley, the lowest point in continental United States, to the highest mountain in the continental United States, Mt. Whitney”. Then add in that race is held in the hottest month of the year; July. The hottest temperatures on earth have been recorded in Death Valley; 134.1 degrees on July 10, 1913.
My journey to running the hardest road ultra in the world started when I was 52 years of age, running a fun 10k in San Diego. Since then I’ve run over 150 marathons and ultra marathons. Now at the age of 70, nearly 71, I still have the burning desire to compete and finish. The competition is mostly with myself; I will be one of the slowest runners at Badwater. The fast gals and guys will run the 135 miles in about 24 hours. I will likely take some where closer to 42 to all 48 hours to complete the course. My motto has always been “get to the start line, enjoy the journey, and get to the finish line”.
My passion is now nearly always running marathons with rider-athletes that can’t run for themselves. They love the experience, crowds, movement and being “included." I will not be running Badwater® 135 with a rider-athlete due to permits and road conditions. I will be back running with my rider-athlete companions at the Twin Cities, Chicago and Athens Marathons and the Daytona 100 mile ultra over the remainder of the year.
If I could bottle how I feel right now I could sell it for $1,000,000. There is something very compelling about putting your mind, body and soul to a task and doing everything possible to make it a reality. Some do it with work, marriage, family, children - I hopefully have done those as well and added running and doing for others too.
For those that want to follow my progress at Badwater see the link below:
https://share.garmin.com/PeterBadwater135
#bw135peter
The link will be activated at the start of the race on Tuesday, July 4th, 2023, at 8:00pm PST. If the dots stop moving forward at anything less than 135 miles…not good.
No one gets to goals without support and a Team. Michelle has supported and encouraged me from day one on my running. The time commitment has been incredible. I’ve had a training coach, Glen Rossi, for the last 17 years. He got me to the Boston Marathon and keep me fit and solid for all my mileage, which has probably been over 45,000 miles of running. Josh, my nephew, running partner and coach, has been with me since my first 10k and many of my marathons and ultras. Josh will be crew chief along with Johnny and Dave, who started out as complete strangers but volunteered to crew at Badwater. This is like war, a battle; when you come through it you will be friends for life. I’ve also added an incredible lady, Emily Edison, as my nutritionist. While newest to the Team she has been so supportive and taken “ownership” of helping me succeed. We should all be so blessed to have people in our lives that selflessly help you accomplish your goals. One last person that has supported me with more prayers than I deserve is Paul Tomlinson.
Like all acknowledgments it’s much more than you can list. To all my friends and soon to be friends - Thank you for believing and supporting me. To all my rider-athletes and your families - you bless me daily and your encouragement means the world to me. I couldn’t possibly get up on the dark, cold and wet mornings without knowing how much you endured and overcome.
I will do my best to succeed at Badwater so we can all share stories. We all overcome so let’s all “Keep moving…Love Unconditionally…and Give it Away”
Previous Badwater Races
2023
Badwater 267 VR Ultra Jan. 1-31, 2023 Completed 267 miles in the month of January
Badwater Cape Fear March 23, 2023 Completed 51 miles
Badwater Salton Sea April 29 - 30 , 2023
2022
Badwater 267 VR Jan. 1-31, 2022 Phoenix Boyles
Badwater Salton Sea Ultra Apr 30-May 1, 2022