FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

To download the full Press Release, Media Kit, and Credential Application in PDF format, click here.

Death Valley, CA: On July 28-30, AdventureCORPS presents its legendary Nutrimatix BADWATER® 135. Now in its 38th year, the world-renowned event pits up to 100 of the world’s toughest athletes against one another and the elements. In scorching temperatures and at altitudes as high as 8,300 feet, runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers from 24 countries and 22 American states face off in a grueling 135-mile trek non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA. Widely recognized as “the world’s toughest foot race, “ it is the most demanding and extreme running race on the planet.

The start line is at Badwater, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 280’ (85m) below sea level. The race finishes at Whitney Portal at 8,300’ (2530m). The course covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600’ (4450m) of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100’ (1859m) of cumulative descent. Whitney Portal is the trailhead to the Mt. Whitney summit, the highest point in the contiguous United States. Competitors travel through places with names like Mushroom Rock, Furnace Creek, Salt Creek, Devil’s Cornfield, Devil’s Golf Course, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs, Keeler, Alabama Hills, and Lone Pine.

A true “challenge of the champions,” the 2015 Nutrimatix Badwater 135 features 59 Badwater veterans and 38 rookies: die hard “ultra-runners” of every speed and ability, as well a athletes who have the necessary running credentials, but are primarily known for their exploits as adventure racers, mountaineers, triathletes, or in other extreme pursuits. With the most international field in race history, the athletes represent twenty-four countries by citizenship or residence: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States of America (with 22 different American states represented).

While runners began running the course in the 1970s, the race itself has been part of the fabric of life in Inyo County since 1987. A recent study indicated an annual economic impact of 1.2 million dollars, half of it spent in Death Valley National Park and surrounding gateway communities such as Lone Pine, CA. The race is supported by U.S. Congressman Col. Paul Cook (Ret.) of California’s 8th District, the Inyo County Board of Supervisors, the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, and a wide panorama of businesses and charities which are positively impacted.

There are 29 women and 68 men. The youngest runner is 22 (rookie entrant Breanna Cornell of Florence, AL) while the oldest is 80 (14-time competitor Jack Denness of Rochesteer, United Kingdom), with an average age of 46. Full roster details are available here: http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/roster.php?bw_eid=74&bw=Go

The men’s course record is held by Valmir Nunez of Brazil with a time of 22:51:29 set in 2007, while the women’s course record of 26:16:12 was set in 2010 by Jamie Donaldson of Littleton, CO. It is expected that the winner of the 2015 Nutrimatix Badwater 135 will finish in under 24 hours. The average finishing time is approximately 40 hours, while the overall time limit is 48 hours. For those who finish in less than forty-eight hours, their reward is the coveted Badwater 135 belt buckle, pictured below. There is no prize money.

The 2015 race field is particularly competitive. Veteran contenders include 2007 champion and course record holder Valmir Nunez of Brazil, 2014 champion Harvey Lewis of Ohio, 2011 men’s champion Oswaldo Lopez of Madera, CA (Mexico citizenship), two-time men’s runner-up Grant Maughan of Australia, and other notable contenders.

The women’s field, with 29 entrants, includes 13 rookies and 16 veterans. Contenders include the 2014 women’s champion, Alyson Venti, 33, of New York, NY and Pam Reed, 54, of Jackson, WY, the 2002 and 2003 overall champion who also won the women’s field in 2005 and was the second female in 2012, 2013, and 2014.

Every year is a new year at the Badwater 135, with rookies and “previously unknown” athletes surprising the contenders with top performances. New stars will shine as the race unfolds.

The Badwater 135 is the final event in the Badwater® Ultra Cup, a three-race series which began with the 51-mile Badwater® Cape Fear in March, continued with the 81-mile Badwater® Salton Sea in May, and now concludes with the Nutrimatix Badwater 135 in July. Those runners who complete all three events in the same calendar year are featured on the Badwater.com website and their virtues are extolled throughout the Internet and in future editions of BADWATER Magazine. In 2014, seven remarkable athletes completed the entire Badwater Ultra Cup, while this year ten have completed the first two Badwater races and will toe the line at the third and final race. Info: http://www.badwater.com/event/badwater-ultra-cup/

Now in its sixteenth year producing this race, AdventureCORPS is pleased to welcome a new title sponsor, Nutrimatix, makers of the world’s best tasting, all-natural vitamin powder sticks, blended using a combination of personal fitness data and responses to an interactive lifestyle questionnaire. These customized supplements are backed by real science and more than 30 years of pharmaceutical and exercise research, as well as through three consecutive Badwater 135 finishes by the company’s founder and CEO, Sergio Radovcic. We also greatly appreciate the support of Caring House Project Foundation, ZZYXXZ, Nathan Performance Gear, and ZombieRunner.com, plus the local support of Furnace Creek Ranch, Stovepipe Wells Resort, Panamint Springs Resort, Dow Villa, Pizza Factory, the community of Lone Pine, CA, the people of Inyo County, and other generous companies and individuals. More info: http://www.badwater.com/about-us/sponsors/

Official Charities of the Badwater 135 include the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few charities that provides grants directly to athletes with a physical disability, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over thirty million dollars and directly assisted thousands of challenged athletes world-wide. AdventureCORPS also supports the Bald Head Island Conservancy, Conservation Alliance, and One Percent For The Planet. One of the goals of the Badwater 135 is to raise funds for, and awareness of, these organizations. More info: http://www.badwater.com/about-us/charities/

This year, over 50 of the race entrants are competing on behalf of a charity of their choice. Some of those include Be Change, Caring House Project Foundation, Challenged Athletes Foundation, Death Valley Natural History Association, Hope So Bright, Operation Eyesight Universal, Running Works, The Herren Project, and others.

This year’s race celebrates the 38th anniversary of Al Arnold’s original trek from Badwater to Mt. Whitney in 1977. Arnold, an ultrarunning pioneer and human potential guru, competed in a solo effort: it was just Arnold and his support crew against the elements and the clock. The official head-to-head race began ten years after Arnold’s pioneer trek, in 1987, and has been held annually without serious incident, fatality, or any citations issued by any branch of law enforcement. For more info about Al Arnold and also the original race click these links:

1977 Al Arnold: http://www.badwater.com/blog/category/al-arnolds-insights/

1987 Race: http://www.badwater.com/blog/1987-the-year-badwater-became-a-race/

WEBCAST, RACE UPDATES, PRESS CREDENTIALS, AND FURTHER INFO:

To download the full Press Release, Media Kit, and Credential Application in PDF format, click here.

A stock image gallery – for bona fide media use only – may be accessed at the following link, with Photographer Name / Badwater.com attribution required: www.flickr.com/photos/chriskostman/sets/72157654693333871

For the duration of the 2015 race, fans can follow the race through a “live” webcast at http://www.badwater.com/2015-badwater135-webcast/

Download the current issue of BADWATER Magazine here:
http://www.adventurecorps.com/downloads/bw/2015July.pdf

The Badwater 135 is held under permits from Death Valley National Park, California Department of Transportation, Inyo National Forest, and Inyo County. Media attending the event may be required to obtain permits from some of those same agencies.

CONTACT:

AdventureCORPS, Inc.

Chris Kostman, Race Director and Chief Adventure Officer

638 Lindero Canyon Road, #311 Oak Park, CA 91377 USA

Email: adventurecorps at gmail dot com

ABOUT ADVENTURECORPS, INC.:

Oak Park, CA-based AdventureCORPS®, Inc. is an athlete-run firm producing and promoting ultra-endurance sports events and the world’s toughest brand, BADWATER®. AdventureCORPS’ world-class events for athlete-adventurers include epic races such as the Badwater® 135, BADWATER® Salton Sea, BADWATER® Cape Fear, and Silver State 508™, and other events. AdventureCORPS 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.” More info: www.adventurecorps.com and www.badwater.com. Badwater® is a registered trademark owned by AdventureCORPS, Inc.

FOLLOWING THE BADWATER 135 ONLINE

Follow the 2015 webcast at:

http://www.badwater.com/2015-badwater135-webcast/

Follow the time splits and results at:

http://dbase.adventurecorps.com/results.php?bw_eid=74&bwr=Go

Follow the race on Twitter via @Badwater (Join the conversation by adding hashtag #Badwater135 to all your tweets about the race.):

http://twitter.com/badwater

Follow the race staff’s live photostream on Instagram via @BadwaterHQ (Contribute to the photostream by adding hashtag #Badwater135 to all your IG images about the race.):

http://instagram.com/badwaterHQ

Follow the race director’s live photostream on Instagram via @ChrisKostman :

http://instagram.com/chriskostman

Follow the race staff’s photostream archive on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adventurecorps/

Follow the race director’s photostream archive on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chriskostman/

Follow the photostream of runners and crew members on Flickr (Racers and crews who are members of the group may submit up to 25 photos per day during the race and afterward.):

http://www.flickr.com/groups/badwater135

Join the Facebook conversation:

http://www.facebook.com/badwater135

As per new guidelines from the National Park Service:

On the Father Crowley / Panamint Pass climb (a 12.2-mile stretch from Time Station 3 at Panamint Springs Resort at Mile 72.7 to “Panamint Pass” at Mile 84.9), support vehicles may only stop at eight designated locations along the route. These will be identified in the route book and with signage along the roadway. Except in a legitimate emergency situation, stopping at any other location along this stretch of roadway, even momentarily, will result in the immediate disqualification of the racer associated with the stopped crew. In addition to Badwater race staff, this will also be monitored by National Park Service staff who have the authority to disqualify racers. The photos depict the eight designated parking zones.

Furthermore, crew members, other than pacers, may never cross the roadway during the entire Father Crowley / Panamint Pass climb (a 12.2-mile stretch from Time Station 3 at Panamint Springs Resort at Mile 72.7 to “Panamint Pass” at Mile 84.9). Also, each racer, or racer’s pacer, is strongly encouraged to carry a walkie-talkie for communicating with his or her support crew during this 12.2-mile stretch of the race route. In addition to Badwater race staff, this will also be monitored by National Park Service staff who have the authority to disqualify racers.

Because there is limited parking at the designated eight parking zones, and because, of course, support vehicles can make this ascent far faster than runners, support teams are encouraged to remain at Panamint Springs Resort long enough to give their runner a good “head start” while he or she begins the ascent. (This also allows time for the support team to purchase water, ice, food, supplies, gas, and REAL FOOD at Panamint Springs Resort.)

Parking Zone #1: Located at Mile 74.5, or 1.7 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed on Right in gravel pullout with yellow left arrow.”

Parking Zone #2: Located at Mile 76.1, or 3.3 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed on Right in small gravel pullout on right.”

Parking Zone #3: Located at Mile 77.4 to 77.6, or 4.6 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed on Right in large gravel shoulder on right.”

Parking Zone #4: Located at Mile 78.1, or 5.3 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed in large gravel pullout on left just before sweeping left-hand curve.”

Parking Zone #5: Located at Mile 80.75, or 7.9 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed in parking lot at Father Crowley’s viewpoint parking lot.” NOTE: Please no sleeping on the ground in parking spaces!

Parking Zone #6: Located at Mile 81.6, or 8.8 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed in elevated lot accessed via small driveway on right.” NOTE: This is the best place to view the Air Force jets which often “strafe” the runners during the race! (If you pull into the dirt lot and look down, that is “Star Wars Canyon.”

Parking Zone #7: Located at Mile 83.3, or 10.5 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed in wide gravel pullout on right.”

Parking Zone #8 at “Panamint Pass” (unsigned, but just before a 65 MPH speed limit sign): Located at Mile 84.9, or 12.2 miles beyond Panamint Springs Resort. “Parking Allowed on right in large gravel pullout.” Support vehicles may resume parking wherever it is safe and prudent to do so from here onwards. The Death Valley National Park boundary sign is just a half-mile ahead on the left, while Time Station #4 at the Darwin turnoff is just 5.7 miles ahead.

Additionally, support vehicles may not stop during the one-mile stretch which begins at Harmony Borax Works at Mile 19.1 (just after leaving Furnace Creek), while runners pass through the curvy “Harmony Curves” section of Hwy 190. Each support vehicle should wait at Harmony Borax Works long enough to allow the runner to cover the next, mostly uphill mile, then drive ahead (no stopping nor slowing until Mile 20.1).

For all the race route details, click here.

We are very excited to take the legendary Badwater 135 belt buckle – the holy grail of ultra running and endurance sports – in a new direction this year, and we found the perfect partners for doing so. First, in Lone Pine over the winter, we met Judyth Greenburgh of Darwin, CA (yes, Darwin, near mile 90 of the race route), who is a remarkable artist, fascinating woman, and a very legit desert denizen. After a visit to Darwin to get to know her, tour the area, and discuss the belt buckle art concept, she got to work on the design. She immediately “got” the concept, made it her own, and wildly exceeded our expectations.

Next, we met Kim Ashworth at Badwater Cape Fear in March. A marathoner, she was there to support her sister, Kelly Facteau, who was competing in the race. Their father, George Lavallee, made a point of telling me that they ran an awards company based in Boston. When I met Kim, she confirmed that they do, indeed, produce their awards domestically, including for the Boston Marathon, and I was thrilled to learn that. (We’d been told my many other awards companies that nobody produced such items in the USA anymore.) Thus Ashworth Awards became our new awards manufacturer, because we believe in supporting AmericaStrong companies.

The result of these two new collaborators is depicted here: the 2015 Badwater 135 belt buckle design, as well as a commemorative coin we’ll have available this year which features the centerpiece of the new art, but references 1977, the year that Al Arnold made his original, ground-breaking, history-making run from Badwater to Mt. Whitney.

We’ll post photos of both items in July, once the actual finished products are in hand. As always, the buckles will only be awarded to Official Finishers of the 2015 Badwater 135, while the coins will be available for sale to anyone at the race, and through the Badwater Store hosted by our friends (and Badwater 135 veterans) at Zombie Runner.

As for the origin and inspiration for the art itself, we will save that story for another post, but we will say that it is directly associated with the history and concept behind the new, overall BADWATER® brand logo we started using last year: