First Ever Badwater Race on the East Coast:
Badwater Cape Fear on Bald Head Island, NC
For Immediate Release
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AdventureCORPS, Inc., the masterminds behind the world-famous 135-mile Badwater® 135 Ultramarathon running race held every July between Death Valley and Mt. Whitney, have announced a three-race Badwater Ultra Cup for 2014. The series kicks off with the first ever East Coast Badwater event, Badwater Cape Fear on Bald Head Island, NC on March 22, continues with Badwater Salton Sea on May 5-6, and then culminates with a new and improved Badwater 135 on July 21-23. More information is available hre at www.badwater.com
The BADWATER® ultra running experience comes to the East Coast for the first time when the inaugural BADWATER CAPE FEAR race takes place on Bald Head Island, North Carolina on March 22, 2014. Registration is now open and an image of the 51-mile race finisher's buckle is attached, along with other images from the race route.
With 50km and 51-mile options, the race features a twelve-mile warm-up on the car-free, one-lane-wide roads of Bald Head Island, followed by either 19 or 39 miles of running on the wild and secluded sandy beach between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher. The race is held along the Atlantic Seaboard with spectacular views of the Frying Pan Shoals to the east and wild and undeveloped marshlands to the west. It is a dramatic, invigorating, inspiring setting to experience Cape Fear in all its grandeur!
This exquisite natural setting is the perfect antidote to the "real world" and a wonderful counterpart to the desert sands of the Mojave Desert and Anza-Borrego Desert featured in the two West Coast BADWATER® races.
Bald Head Island and nearby Southport, NC (featured in the film "Safe Haven") are ideal vacation get-away spots for the entire family, located less than one hour from Wilmington, NC and its major airport with Delta and US Airways service.
Once the remarkable beauty and quaint southern charm of this area are experienced once, we anticipate that most Badwater Cape Fear participants will make this race an annual pilgrimage.
Eighty-six runners are registered for the inaugural edition and there is room for more adventurous runners to be part of this historic new event and registration is now closed. Remember, there can only be one first edition and one chance to say "I was there!"
 The Official Charity of BADWATER CAPE FEAR is the Bald Head Island Conservancy, a leader in barrier island conservation, preservation, and education. Race participants will appreciate that BHIC cares for this race route's pristine setting and its role as a sea turtle nesting site, and are encouraged to fundraise for BHIC and support its mission.
The goal of the race is to raise $10,000 for Bald Head Island Conservancy, which is enough to purchase one of the special electric UTV vehicles which BHIC uses to patrol the beach and care for sea turtle nesting sites, as shown in the photograph below. Learn more at www.bhic.org
Local Sponsors include Coastal Urge, which will host a pre-race social at their Bald Head Island location, featuring local brew by Natty Greene's. The finish line feast and the post-race breakfast will be catered by Maritime Market on Bald Head Island. Special home rental offers on Bald Head Island are available through Bald Head Island Limited, Seabreeze Rentals, and Wendy Wilmot Properties, while the Hampton Inn in Southport has also extended a special rate. The event is being hosted under special permits from the Village of Bald Head Island and Fort Fisher State Recreation Area.
Badwater Cape Fear is the first leg of the BADWATER ULTRA CUP, which includes Badwater Cape Fear on March 22, the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea on May 5-6, and then Badwater 135 on July 21-23. Those runners who complete all three full-distance events in the same calendar year will be featured on the Badwater website and their virtues will be extolled throughout the Internet and in future editions of BADWATER Magazine. The male and female runners with the lowest combined times for the three events will be recognized as the 2014 Badwater Ultra Cup champions. More information is available at here at www.badwater.com
AdventureCORPS®, Inc. is an athlete-run firm producing and promoting ultra-endurance sports events and BADWATER® lifestyle products. Adventure is our way of life. AdventureCORPS' world-class events for athlete-adventurers include epic races such as the BADWATER® 135, BADWATER® SALTON SEA, BADWATER® CAPE FEAR, The 508™, The 308™, plus CORPSCamp™ Santa Monica Mountains, Death Valley Century, Ultra Century, & Double Century™ (Spring and Fall editions), and other events. Our products include Badwater® Apparel, Badwater® Skin Care, Badwater® Gear, as well as other great lifestyle items and services.
Founded in 1984 by Chris Kostman, this group effort is dedicated to exploring the inner and outer universes, seeking adventure, energy, and insight both in daily life and "out there."
The Route
See the map of the route that we had drawn, as depicted below: Click here for a large Pdf.
See a slideshow video of the entire route: Click here.
See a selection of videos of the race route: Click here.
See a gallery of 269 images of the entire route: Click here.
See the full route on Garmin Connect: Click here.
See the full route - with mileage markers - on RidewithGPS: Click here.
See the full route on Strava: Click here.
BADWATER CAPE FEAR will take place on Bald Head Island, North Carolina. That is Cape Fear in the foreground. It constantly changes shape an size and its shallow depths offshore have waylaid many a seagoing vessel over the century, hence the name "Cape Fear."
A BHIC volunteer installs a special protective screen around a sea turtle nest, having accessed the location with a special electric UTV. Location: East Beach, between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher (along the Badwater Cape Fear race route.)
The route features for a twelve-mile warm-up on the car-free, one-lane-wide roads of Bald Head Island, followed by 39 miles of running on the wild and secluded sandy beach between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher. The race is held along the Atlantic Seaboard with spectacular views of the Frying Pan Shoals to the east and undeveloped marshlands and Cape Fear River to the west. It is a dramatic, invigorating, inspiring setting to experience Cape Fear at ground level in all its grandeur!
Nearly forty miles of beach trekking against the clock, even in this absolutely gorgeous setting, is no small feat. After those first twelve miles on paved roads and trails, it will be just you and your fellow BADWATER® runners amidst the sand, wind, sun, and ocean. Emphasizing self-sufficiency and minimal distractions, there will be just three aid station locations along the route, passed either six or ten times. Other than fishermen, you will see almost no modernity and hear nothing but wind, birds, and waves. This exquisite natural setting is the perfect antidote to the “real world” and also a wonderful counterpart to the desert sands of Death Valley and Anza-Borrego Desert featured in the two West Coast BADWATER® races.
All runners will run the same initial 12 miles together, back and forth across the island, entering south beach near its western end, and then heading east along south beach to Cape Fear. From Cape Fear, the runners will head north, all the way to Fort Fisher and return south on east beach to the Bald Head Island Conservancy headquarters. Those running the full 51 miles, assuming they meet the time cut-off at the finish of the 50k route, will then run to Fort Fisher and back to BHIC again.
Above: 50km runners will run everything you see in red above, while 51-mile runners will do all of that, plus a second north-sound out-and-back along East Beach to Fort Fisher and back.
Bald Head Island and nearby Southport, NC (featured in the film "Safe Haven") are ideal vacation get-away spots for the entire family, located less than one hour from Wilmington, NC and its major airport with Delta and US Airways service. Once the remarkable beauty and quaint southern charm of this area are experienced once, we anticipate that most BADWATER® CAPE FEAR participants will make this race an annual pilgrimage and that most will incorporate a family vacation as well. It is really that fantastic!
Your faithful race director, Chris Kostman, stands at Cape Fear.
Badwater 135 and Badwater Salton Sea veteran Meredith Dolhare runs the beach between Cape Fear and Fort Fisher.
Main Badwater Cape Fear page | Entry
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