Badwater Finishers Furious to Learn Course Was 63 Miles Short

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The course for this year’s Badwater 135 ultramarathon was short by 63 miles, Dumb Runner has learned, leaving finishers fuming.

The event, which bills itself as “the world’s toughest foot race,” is a 135-mile run from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney every July. This year’s race began Monday, July 7; participants weren’t told of the snafu until Friday, July 18.

“Unfortunately, an error by a volunteer course marshal led competitors off course, resulting in a race that fell a bit short of the advertised distance of 135 miles,” organizers said in a statement released online. In essence, the statement explained, the unidentified volunteer directed runners left at a critical juncture when they should have gone right.

As a result, runners completed 72 miles, organizers said—not the full 135.

“The volunteer in question has been reprimanded, and we regret the mistake.”

The announcement did not sit well with Badwater finishers, many of whom had been celebrating their faster-than-expected race times.

“I crossed the finish line thinking I’d run a huge personal record,” said John Fogerty, a three-time Badwater finisher. “So much for that, I guess.”

Badwater officials did not respond to a request for comment, because Dumb Runner never made one.

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