Build your Badwater 135 plan
The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so this one comes from the coach itself. Tell it your race date, your weekly mileage, and the terrain you can get to, and it writes the whole build and keeps adapting it as you log the training. Free account, no card. You are about 38 weeks out.
- Distances
- 135 miles
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Field
- Up to about 100 invited athletes
- Taper starts
- July 1, 2027
Course
The Badwater 135 course
A 135-mile road race from Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and the lowest point in North America, to Whitney Portal at about 8,360 feet in the Sierra Nevada above Lone Pine. Runners start in evening and night waves and cross three mountain ranges, with the major climbs over Towne Pass, up Father Crowley and the final ascent of the Whitney Portal road.
Read the full course notes
Cumulative gain is about 14,600 feet with 6,100 feet of descent, all on public highway that stays open to traffic. Every runner has their own crew and vehicle, the field is limited to about 100 invited athletes, and the time limit is 45 hours from each wave's start.
- Terrain
- Hilly
- Distances
- 135 miles
- Field
- Up to about 100 invited athletes
- Weather on race day
- July in Death Valley averages highs around 116 °F and lows around 88 °F at Furnace Creek, and summer highs often exceed 120 °F with very dry air. Heat management decides the race: pace by heart rate and body temperature, keep a constant cooling routine with your crew, and expect cooler air only on the climbs toward Whitney Portal.
What to train for
Heat training is the core of preparation: build two to three weeks of daily heat exposure (sauna sessions, overdressed runs or training in desert heat) before race week.
Train long road climbs at a steady power-hike and run mix, including 20 to 30 mile days on hot asphalt, and practise long descents to protect your quads for the drop off Towne Pass.
Rehearse your crew system in training runs: leapfrogging the vehicle, ice, sprayers, fluids and electrolytes every mile or two.
Sample week
A sample Badwater 135 training week
A week from the middle of the build, about six weeks out. Your plan sets the real distances and paces from your own fitness and adjusts them every week as you train.
- Monday
- Rest, or 20 minutes of mobility
- Tuesday Key session
- Hill repeats: 10 × 2 min up a steady grade, jog back down
- Wednesday
- Easy run, 6 mi
- Thursday Key session
- Goal-pace run, 8 mi with 4 mi at race pace
- Friday
- Recovery run, 4 mi, or cross-train
- Saturday Key session
- Long run, 18–20 mi on trail, with as much climbing as you can find
- Sunday Key session
- Second long day, 10–12 mi easy on tired legs
Your build to race day
Taper
Tapering for the Badwater 135
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on July 19, 2027, your taper starts around July 1, 2027.
Badwater 135 training questions
How long should I train for the Badwater 135?
Most runners give a 135-mile race twenty to twenty-four weeks of focused training on top of a season of consistent aerobic mileage. The coach counts back from your actual race date, so if you have less time than that it builds the best plan the remaining weeks allow rather than pretending you have longer.
Is the Badwater 135 course hilly?
Hilly. A 135-mile road race from Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level and the lowest point in North America, to Whitney Portal at about 8,360 feet in the Sierra Nevada above Lone Pine.
What is the weather usually like at the Badwater 135?
July in Death Valley averages highs around 116 °F and lows around 88 °F at Furnace Creek, and summer highs often exceed 120 °F with very dry air. Heat management decides the race: pace by heart rate and body temperature, keep a constant cooling routine with your crew, and expect cooler air only on the climbs toward Whitney Portal.
When should I start tapering for the Badwater 135?
Start the taper two to three weeks before race day. Cut your weekly volume by about a third, then by half in race week, and keep a few short efforts at race pace so your legs stay sharp. The course is hilly, so keep one short hill session in the first taper week to keep the climbs familiar. With the race on July 19, 2027, your taper starts around July 1, 2027.
Do I need an account to get a Badwater 135 training plan?
For this one, yes. The instant browser builder stops at the marathon, so an ultra plan comes from the coach itself, which needs a free account. Still no card, and the plan adapts as you log the training.