Announcement from American Trail Running Association Double-Track member AdventureCORPS®.
Borrego Springs, CA: AdventureCORPS®, Inc. – organizers of the world-famous Badwater® 135 Ultramarathon from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in July – hosts the Badwater® Salton Sea 81-Mile Ultramarathon annually in late April. First held in 2013, this eleventh edition will take place this weekend on Saturday-Sunday, April 27-28, 2024, on a course stretching across Imperial and San Diego Counties.
This remarkable event challenges teams of two or three ultrarunners—running together as duos or trios for the duration, NOT in a relay—to tackle an unimaginable traverse of Southern California deserts and mountains. The race begins at 630 a.m. Saturday morning on the shore of the Salton Sea and concludes up to 28 hours later high atop Palomar Mountain. Each team of runners is accompanied by a personal support team that attends to all their needs.
This year, 54 runners—comprising 22 two—or three-person teams—will compete, representing nineteen US states and the United Kingdom. There are 37 men and 17 women, 16 race veterans and 38 rookies. The age range is from 19 (Kaylee Frederick of Johnstown, PA) to 71 (Peter Kline of Bellevue, WA). Three runners (Kevin Delk, Emily Ryan, and Ray Sanchez) are aiming for their seventh finish.
The 81-mile (130km) BADWATER Salton Sea route begins on the shores of the seemingly post-apocalyptic Salton Sea in Salton City, CA at an elevation of 234 feet below sea level and traverses the Anza-Borrego Desert and then two mountain ranges to its finish line atop Palomar Mountain, the almost tallest mountain in San Diego County. With the finish line at an elevation of 5500 feet, there is a total cumulative elevation gain of over 9000 feet along the route. Eight of the 81 race miles pass through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on a single-track trail from Borrego Springs to Ranchita, creating a race route that is a mix of road and trail.
The race is headquartered at the Borrego Springs Resort and then at Palomar Views Lodge. A dedicated team of world-class AdventureCORPS race staff will host the event, roving the course, running timing checkpoints, posting images to Flickr and social media, and supporting the runners and their support crews as they traverse the epic race route. California State Park Rangers will also support the runners.
FOLLOWING THE RACE
Event Webpage: http://www.badwater.
2024 Webcast: https://www.badwater.
2024 Splits and Results: https://dbase.
2024 Roster: https://dbase.
Race Staff Images: https://www.flickr.
Official Hashtags: #BadwaterSaltonSea and #adventurecorps
Twitter: @Badwater
Instagram: @BadwaterHQ
Facebook: @Badwater135
RACE MAGAZINE – ALL THE RACE INFO
Click here to view or download the 2024 issue of the Badwater Salton Sea Magazine in PDF format.
CHARITIES AND LOCAL PARTNERS
Now in its twelfth year producing Badwater Salton Sea – and twenty-fifth year producing Badwater® events – AdventureCORPS thanks the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, Ranchita Bodega, and other generous companies, organizations, and individuals who partner with this event each year.
Official Charities of Badwater include the Challenged Athletes Foundation. As one of the very few charities that provide grants directly to athletes with a physical disability, the Challenged Athletes Foundation has raised over 159 million dollars and directly assisted more than 44,000 challenged athletes in 70 countries worldwide. Since 2002, AdventureCORPS has raised over $900,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Another AdventureCORPS Official Charity is the Bald Head Island Conservancy, a leader in barrier island conservation, preservation, and education. Since 2014, AdventureCORPS has made or facilitated more than $125,000 in donations to the Bald Head Island Conservancy.
AdventureCORPS also supports the Death Valley Natural History Association, Conservation Alliance, and One Percent For The Planet. One goal of the Badwater events is to raise funds and awareness for these organizations. Additionally, many of the race participants compete on behalf of a charity of their choice.
This event is held under permits from Imperial County, San Diego County, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and the California Department of Transportation. AdventureCORPS thanks all the permitting agencies and local area friends for their support!
BADWATER ULTRA CUP
Badwater Salton Sea is the second leg of the BADWATER® ULTRA CUP, a three-event series that also includes Badwater Cape Fear in North Carolina in March and the Badwater 135 from California’s Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in July. Those runners who complete all three events in the same calendar year are featured on the Badwater website and in BADWATER Magazine.
ABOUT ADVENTURECORPS, INC.:
Oak Park, CA-based AdventureCORPS®, Inc. – founded in 1984 – has made its name producing the world’s toughest endurance races in dramatic, remote locations that few people would ever visit, let alone run or bike across. Held under the Badwater® banner, these events have allowed runners and bicyclists to explore the Death Valley, Salton Sea, Cape Fear, Mojave Desert, and Nevada outback regions in the USA, as well as the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Mustang region of Nepal, Yunnan Province of China, and the Republic of Artsakh.
AdventureCORPS®, Inc. owns and represents BADWATER®, “The World’s Toughest Brand, Gear, and Races.” As a brand, BADWATER represents digging deep and going farther; it is the lifestyle brand for all who push their limits while exploring the outer and inner universes.Badwater® is a federally registered trademark owned by AdventureCORPS, Inc.
