I was glued to my computer screen with bated breath waiting and hoping for some news that would change my year!
It was a cold Saturday afternoon in early February and I was tuned into the Live Chris Kostman show and he was about to announce the selected 100 competitors for the Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, AKA ‘the World’s Toughest Footrace’. Chris Kostman is the Race Director and Chief Adventure Officer of a number of Badwater Ultras. With sweaty palms, an elevated heart rate and fingers crossed, I listened patiently as both rookies and veterans were being read out from his hidden list from all over the world. Chris is very good at this!
I had worked really hard to get invited back to Badwater 135 for the third time. In 2023 my notable 100 mile plus achievements were Badwater 135, North Downs Way 100, Spartathlon 153 and Daytona 100. I couldn’t have done any more but the competition for the 33 or so veteran spots out of the 100 chosen starters is so fierce I just didn’t know if it was enough.
Suddenly I heard Chris say “From the United Kingdom……….47 year old Veteran runner……. coming back for her third in a row……..welcome back…….. Laura Watts”.
WOW
OMG.
I was shaking. I was ecstatic. I was in disbelief but I was in! It was a dream come true to be going back to the best race in the world in July. I was off the charts buzzing.
It was such a huge honour to be invited back.
As before, I started preparing for Badwater 135 in intricate detail.
At the top of the priority list, was the team selection.
At Badwater 135, you have to have a support crew of between 2-4 people. For us, three people is optimum. I was literally inundated with awesome selfless people offering to be on the crew so it was a very difficult decision to choose the best people to get me to the finish line.
You just have to consider the balance of the team and not just individuals. Matthew, my husband was obviously my Crew Chief with a lot of solo and team Ultra crewing experience having crewed me at all my ultras, including the Spartathlon 153 miler Ultra Marathon and my two previous Badwater 135 races.
We chose James Ellis to be on the team. James and I had run about 60 miles together in Spartathlon and I knew we ran at a similar pace and he hadn’t been put off seeing me in my worse for wear stages of the race.
We also chose Julia Wellings. Julia has run over 200 marathons and had crewed at Spartathlon plus is a nurse and a lovely person so I thought we had a great team.
We had all met each other in Greece last year at Spartathlon, another plus.
Another vital ingredient in becoming a Badwater finisher is to become a slave to Heat training. It is so effective. For me I had a five pronged attack.
- Heat training with the professionals at Chichester University
- Heat training at home with blast heaters on my Peloton Tread
- Running outdoors with multiple winter type layers worn
- Training overseas at work in hot destinations.
- We have an Infrared Sauna at home.
Months became weeks became days…. It was time to fly.
With 5 and a half months of preparation now behind me, we headed out to the US West Coast. Matthew and I chose Las Vegas to begin with. Training in Red Rock Canyon works well for us plus we topped up with some essential US supplies not available in the Badwater area. We couldn’t wait to escape the craziness of Las Vegas and head to the wonderful place that is Lone Pine, which lies below the last 13 miles of the brutal Mount Whitney climb!
It was so tranquil here as we had got here before nearly all the other competitors, crews and Race staff. It was like coming home. We had a couple of days, doing some short training runs, doing some filming along the course and just relaxing. It was wonderful.
James and Julia flew out to the States on Friday and drove up to meet us in Lone Pine on Saturday. We were excited about their arrival and the team finally being together!
Sunday things started to get serious. We had a team breakfast at the Alabama Hills Cafe in Lone Pine, our favourite breakfast place and I was interviewed by Victoria and Susie on the Badwater 135 Social Medial Team. The place was busy with lots of different teams from around the world now and I had a quick catch up with several running friends and their crews.
At Badwater in 2022, I had imposter syndrome but in 2024 I actually surprised myself with how many people I knew here. We call it the Badwater Family and it really is a family. So much love and support from people who come back to the race year after year, either running or on a support crew or a race staff. There is an overwhelming amount of love for the race and being part of it and I feel that too. It was an absolute honour to be there and I thought to myself that if I was back in the UK watching this all on social media I would be so disappointed I was missing out.
Racer check in complete, it was time for me to get my “mugshot” in front of the “world’s toughest” board then have my team join me for some photos. We had a quick catch up with Chris Kostman, RD and Chief Adventure Officer then it was over to get some new Badwater 135 merchandise and catch up with friends. As much as I wanted to stay and just chat to everyone, it was also important to keep things real and take me away from the excitement of the situation, just to keep my nerves in check.
We went back to our hotel and Matthew and James loaded the crew van with all our gear then it was a quick relax before we headed back to the Lone Pine High School for the “Pre Race Briefing”. This is a 90 minute recap of a lot of the rules and regulations plus Chris recognises all previous Badwater finishers from people with one finish to the legendary Danny Westergaard who this year was going for his 17th (yes 17th) finish and he had Danny stand up in front of everyone to rapturous applause. That is some achievement.
At 1830 all the runners lined up outside with their country flags for a photo of the class of 2024 then it was a quick dinner at The Grill, our favourite restaurant in Lone Pine before Team Laura Watts set off for Furnace Creek to stay the night before the race Monday night. It was awesome driving the Badwater route in reverse, mostly in day light so we could check it out one last time. When we got to Stovepipe Wells the car temperature gauge read 115ºF so we got out and it was like being in an oven. James and Julia had not experienced this before. The sky was littered with stars, it was so beautiful and remote.
We arrived at the Oasis at Death Valley at Furnace Creek just before 10pm and it was just as warm as Stovepipe Wells. This was our base until we set off for Badwater Basin, 17 miles away for the race start on Monday night. I felt very relieved to actually be here. We got to our rooms and crashed out.
We had a team lunch in the Wild Rose Tavern on the Furnace Creek Golf Course. After a lunch of pizza, we tried to rest before the race. I don’t think I got any proper sleep as my mind was in overdrive so Matthew and I went for a relaxing swim in the beautiful spring fed pool. The hotel car park was full of activity with crew vehicles, some fully prepared and some in the process. Race numbers, caution runners signs and special touches a must for runners to identify their team day and night. As always, we had 4 Union Jack window car flags, Team Laura Watts magnetic signs, Union Jack signs, MegaWatts signs and 4 small individual country flags representing our team. England flags for myself, Matthew and Julia and a Greek flag for James representing his life spent in Greece. Our vehicle was VERY identifiable! Day and Night!
At 1930 the team gathered, ready for the off.
There was frantic activity at the Ice Lorry that was positioned in the car park. We had bought our first 8 bags of ice earlier to start cooling down the 2 x 52 litre Igloo cool boxes and the 5 gallon water container plus some other cool boxes we had. We set off from Furnace Creek at 1945 for the Badwater Basin and start line which was 17 miles away.
It was 108°F/ 42ºC when we started the drive, however in the distance we could see lightning and some very ominous looking biblical clouds. About halfway to the Badwater basin the wind started to pick up to 45mph, the sand was blowing and the temperature plummeted to 70°F/21°C soon followed by lashing rain. The car was lurching about in the gusts with wipers on full speed. It was insane. I have seen never seen anything like it.
It didn’t last for long and was followed by a beautiful rainbow and the temperature shot back up to 108ºF, however it was unprecedented weather. I felt for all the starters on the 8 o’clock start line who were going to be running into this! As we drove down to Badwater basin, we had some great tunes playing through the car speakers such as ‘Danger Zone’ by Kenny Loggins from Top Gun (what a tune!), Thunderstruck by AC/DC which was actually very apt as there was thunderstorms and a huge lightning show going on in the background and Republica’s ‘Ready to go’! The team was excited!! I was pumped with adrenaline. My mouth was so dry.
I was on the 9pm start. The first wave starts at 8pm so we caught the 30 or so runners who had just started their 135 mile journey at about a mile and a half from the start line and we were beeping our horn and cheering all of them as we passed.
I went to get weighed by the medical team. All the competitors have to do this in case anyone needs medical attention later in the race, the medics can see how much weight people have lost. My team and I went down to the Badwater Basin to have some photographs taken by the famous sign. We had lots of time to spare so we sat in the car keeping cool and just reflecting on what was to come. I sorted out my head torch and race lights. Runners had to be down on the start line for 20:40 so I said my goodbyes to my crew. Matthew and I had a final pre-race chat and a big hug. This was it. It was showtime!
It was now dark and I headed down to the start line down the ramp and past a huge hologram saying Badwater 135. World’s Toughest. It was quite a spectacle looking back up at all the race staff, support crews and the support cars. All the race staff were wearing bright orange. The support crews were all wearing neon yellow with their class 3 high visibility tops and blinking lights (front and rear) flashing and twinkling away plus there were all the lights of the support cars. Our friend Joyce sang the Star Spangled Banner which was fantastic and very patriotic and we had some photographs taken of us and a few words from Chris which included “don’t think about the 135 miles of dark hot tarmac in front of you!”
Ha ha! Very funny Chris! My mouth was so dry but I felt calm. We had a countdown from 10 and we were off! It was happening, my third Badwater 135 ultra Marathon.
I had chosen to start the race in my Nike Alpha Fly 3 Neon running shoes to give me an early boost of speed in the early miles but then to switch them out for my super comfy Hoka Bondi’s around the marathon distance. This would be way sooner than I had done at Spartathlon as after 50 miles my quads were in a bad way and I regretted it.
The race started really well and I felt great, despite the strong headwind I was currently facing which was blowing sand and dust around. Matthew gave me some clear Sand proof glasses to stop the sand blowing in my eyes at the start. I started to settle down and got into a good early rhythm.
All the 9pm crew cars were leaving the car park and the 10pm start crew vehicles were all now passing us on their way to the start line. It looked incredible seeing all the other 9pm runners out on the route with their personal head torches and blinky lights, it really was quite a sight. Shout out to Nathan Sports who kindly gifted me and my crew all the Blinky lights we needed for the race and 360º reflective vests for all of us too. Thank you Nathan Sports.
I first saw my crew at 3 miles. As it was James and Julia’s first time crewing at Badwater, Matthew was having to show them how the crewing system worked. Though we’d all discussed it and they had watched videos about Badwater 135, there’s nothing like seeing it in real life to see how things go. As always the first few crew stops are always a bit chaotic until the team finds a rhythm. Matthew came across the road with James with the icy water spray and a fresh handheld water bottle. I was going to alternate a 500ml bottle of water with a 500ml bottle of Precision Hydration 1500 electrolyte throughout the race. I didn’t need anything else at this early stage.
We decided the first few crew stops would be every 2 miles. We had a 1 foot high flashing red magnetic arrow affectionately known as the dildo! They deployed this on the car for me to identify them easily at night along with some other flashing items we had. I also had some white flashing wristbands around my wrists as well as my head torch and my Noxgear Tracer 2 Led Safety Vest was set to red so they could identify me too.
I was mixing the water and electrolytes with some sips of ginger ale or Sprite after about 8 miles. I asked for the ice bandana at this point too as the temperatures, even though there was no heat and it was night, was still over 108°F/42°C. It was really hot, but I was going at a good pace.
In my two previous Badwater races, I had laminated cards of Zwitty’s Guide, which break the course down into doggy size chunks of the best way to run Badwater 135 and my first focus was mile 17 and Furnace Creek. As I turned off the Badwater Road I could see the lights of Furnace Creek about a mile ahead of me and I reached Furnace Creek 45 minutes quicker than my 2023 time. I was delighted and I was feeling good.
My Crew stopped for gas, more ice and they bought me a strawberry lolly which was heavenly. Last year I had been overtaken by the leading five runners, including the incredible Ashley Paulson (who went on to win the race overall – girl power) before I got to Furnace Creek. This year I hadn’t been overtaken by any of the last wave yet and had started overtaking some runners from the first wave myself. I put my head down and carried on. My next focus was the marathon mark, mile 26.2.
Matthew and the crew decided that at mile 25 was where I would take off the Nike Alpha fly 3’s and put on my Hoka Bondi 8’s. I was reluctant to do this as I was running well in the Nike’s but I listened to their sound advice. The Hoka Bondi’s were like comfy slippers, so cushioned however wearing these shoes slowed my pace.
The crew were doing a great job of stopping every 2 miles and were working well. They had been told off by a Japanese competitor who didn’t like our red flashing arrow who thought it was a route diversion, so they changed the arrow to just a red flashing line so I could still see it. I was drinking well and had had a few Gu liquid energy gels which were also working well so far. Next on Zwitty’s guide was the big hill at mile 30. This is where Simen Holvik from Norway overtook me. He was in first position this year and last year’s male winner. I gave him a whoop and he was off.
This is where the first pangs of nausea arrived. I ran/hiked up this hill which did seem to go on forever, but I’m pleased to say I ran more than I walked. I was regularly getting leapfrogged by different runners and leapfrogging people myself and it was nice to say well done or great running to people and see their crews.
Even though the temperatures were over hundred degrees, we were managing my core temperature well. From my month of heat training, including seven sessions at Chichester University in the heat chamber, I wasn’t feeling hot. The combination of icy water sprays, fresh ice bandanas, new cold drinks was really working well.
Mile 36 was the start of a nice downhill 10k section which took me to ‘The Pipe’ a.k.a. Stovepipe Wells, mile 42. This is the first point you could have a pacer. This section went smoothly with the same routine from the crew and I was feeling good.
The crew went ahead to Stovepipe Wells to go and restock on ice. Very sadly the person supplying the ice had passed away a week before so all crews were limited to 4 bags of ice here.
As I came into Stovepipe Wells the crew were parked on the left outside the small hotel. I went to use the toilet, luxury compared to the use of a biffy bag!
Then started the 16.7 mile climb up Townes Pass, the first major climb of the race. This climb can be split in half. In the first half, the next milestone is the 2000 foot sign, mile 50.8, which has to be reached by 10 am and I was still at least 45 minutes ahead of my 2023 time. This race was going brilliantly so far so I decided to press on, listening to my music.
At 7 am we were allowed to remove the night gear including the high viz top and flashing lights. This was a good opportunity to put on my long sleeve white SPF 50 top and apply some suntan lotion for what was going to be a scorching day ahead of us.
A couple of miles up the hill we activated James. He was apparently a little nervous and was about to experience ‘real heat’ as joined me for his first pacing stint.
During the Keys 100 in May I suffered with massively swollen hands which we worked out was down to lack of salt and electrolytes. I’d been determined that the same problem wasn’t going to happen again during Badwater so had been making a huge effort with lots of PH1500 electrolytes and SaltStick Electrolyte Fastchews. However, at mile 44 we noticed my hands had started to swell. I am not sure if this is just a byproduct of running in the heat but it had happened again (although no way near as bad as in the Keys).
Matthew and Julia also reduced the 2 mile stop to 1.5 miles. This was because I was running out of water in the 2 mile section between crew stops. James was carrying a walkie-talkie so was able to radio ahead to the Crew van with my requirements. We reached the 2000 foot sign at approximately 7:30am (2.5 hours ahead of the strict 10am cut off) I was very happy and felt I could relax a bit now! This was where fellow British competitor Andy “Daysey” Day caught me up. Daysey won the Keys 100 in 2023 so got an automatic place into Badwater 135. He is a fantastic runner. I was over the moon that I had held him off until 50 miles!! It was lovely to see him and his support Crew of his wife Diane, David Bone and Nathan Flear, two outstanding British runners. Daysey went on, despite a rough start, to finish in 9th place. Outstanding running!
At the Wildrose carpark, the Crew started to deploy the folding chairs but it was a quick turnaround and I had some delicious watermelon and we were off. James took the water spray with him so he could keep us cool as we were on the move. This year we had our trusted 1.5L Hoselock pressurised water spray which is just fantastic for these hot races but it is quite heavy to run with, so we had invested in two 0.5L fishing bait sprayers we had found online from a fishing shop! They were perfect lightweight pressurised spray guns so weren’t too heavy for James to carry, but they needed refilling sooner.
Things were about to get a lot steeper with the next 8 mile section taking us to the top of Townes Pass, mile 58. This section was much more power hiking with a few short runs down some small descents only to be met with another hill and it was getting hotter and hotter.
James helped me get to the top of Townes Pass where we were all first introduced to the desert bees! Last years were smaller and very few, this year they were everywhere, flying in our faces, getting in the crew van and generally being a nuisance. Thankfully no one was stung. The guy at the timing checkpoint had left a sticky sweet decoy on the side of the road to try and attract them to this away from his check point and us competitors, but it wasn’t really working.
As James was going to be pacing me on the Panamint Valley/Father Crowley climb, we decided it was time for him to have a rest and a cool down in the crew van whilst I started the 9 mile runnable 3000ft descent into the Panamint Valley a.k.a. the Valley of Death, the hottest part of the course.
With every few hundred feet of descent came a significant temperature gain. The course went from 5000ft to 2000ft at the valley base. I was still feeling pretty good despite being hot, struggling to eat and feeling a little nauseous, but that was to be expected.
I remember Julia commenting and being surprised that I was still smiling. This was my dream race; it was an honour to have been invited back and I was enjoying the self-inflicted torture and savouring every moment.
Down near the bottom of the descent into Panamint Valley it was really getting really toasty and I requested James to come and join me again complete with the ice water spray, as I needed him to start cooling me down again. We ran into Panamint Valley and soon adopted a run walk strategy. It was brutally hot. James would pick out a roadside post in the distance which we would run to and then we would have a walking break. For me this was the only way to cross this valley in the temperatures which had risen to 122°F and keep my heart rate under control.
Matthew continued to tell us that it was only 102°F (he does try some psychological techniques on me to trick the mind) and maybe the sleep deprivation made us believe him…almost.
About halfway across this 5 mile stretch of scorching black asphalt, we were buzzed by the United States Air Force in two of their F15 fighter jets, line astern formation flying directly over our heads at about 100 ft and 500 mph! The first time they buzzed us, they came from behind, and we nearly jumped out of our skin. The noise was deafening and adrenaline pumping. It was absolutely incredible. A few minutes later they returned in the opposite direction and I stood out in the middle of the road with my arms in the air waving – I was fully adrenalised. The two F-15s gave me a full wing waggle salute. I hope they enjoyed the view of all the runners in the valley as much as we enjoyed seeing them. I wanted to cry. That has to go down as one of the most incredible moments in my running career. James was pretty impressed with this too as were all the runners were that we passed and were all talking about the low level flypast.
The Valley Crossing was long and arduous and we reached the Panamint Springs resort, mile 72.6 in the afternoon. Matthew and Julia had gone ahead to stock up on ice, fuel and to get some real food ordered for us all. Although I was not the slightest bit hungry, it was important for the crew to have some real food. In 2022 we stopped at Panamint Springs for one hour and a half. Way too long. In 2023 we stopped at Panamint Springs for 40 minutes where my crew member Brian Hamilton lanced my blisters. Way too long again.
This year I wanted to be in and out swiftly, however we still probably spent 30 minutes here. Matthew had got me fish and chips but my tummy was not in a state to eat that. It was good for all of us to get out of the sun and intense UV for a bit. When I sat in a chair inside the restaurant, my feet started stinging with intense pain. I didn’t know how I was going to start running on them again! We went out to the car to get sorted for the push up the Crowley climb and I tried to eat a small piece of fish. This is where nausea turned into throwing up. Being sick is part of being an Ultra runner. You just have to be patient and get out the other side of it.
For me, the Father Crowley climb is the hardest part of the course. You go from being boiled alive in the Panamint Valley to continue to be boiled whilst climbing 3000 ft in 12.2 miles in this steep climb with the sun beating down on your head. James and I set off and met Matthew and Julia at each of the eight authorised crew stops in this section. There are only eight as it is a narrow meandering dangerous road.
We tried different cooling techniques during this climb, including the introduction of ice cold towels over my back and arms and head. This worked to cool me down initially, it took my breath away but as soon as we were on the move again we boiled. It was time to suck it up. I felt like this section was very slow progress and it was relentless forward movement stuff but we were getting it done. Arriving at the car park nearly at the top of the Father Crowley climb where you can see Star Wars Canyon, I had a sit down in the chair which was lovely. This was 4000 ft so we had another 1000ft to go over 4 more miles but the worst part was almost behind us.
We had heard that approximately 13 runners had not made the mile 50.8 cut off at the 2000 ft sign including several incredible runners and legends of the race including my friend Pamela Chapman Markle and Ray Sanchez. This made me feel so sad. But that is the thing with ultrarunning, every day is different.
Finally, as we reached the crest of the Father Crowley climb, I felt so happy. Two gigantic climbs done and just one to go. I was at Mile 85. The next section was 30 miles of flat into Owen’s Valley with some downhills. An interesting section where hallucinations, fatigue and snakes feature!
Matthew had been driving and crewing the race straight for 22 hours, he had been absolutely incredible but I could see he was struggling and needed to have some sleep. I told James this and thanked him for his huge effort getting me across Panamint Valley and up Father Crowley. James took over driving and Matthew tried to lie across the second row of seats to try and sleep. James and Julia resumed crewing duties. As I was now running on my own, I didn’t have the luxury of a walkie-talkie to radio ahead any requests but I really couldn’t face anything other than trying to sip water, to keep myself as hydrated as I could.
Mile 90.7 was the small, inhabited ghost town of Darwin. The website for which touts “NO broadcast TV; NO AM/FM radio, NO cell signal; NO stores; NO restaurants.” The timing Checkpoint here is very cool and one of my favourite checkpoints of the race. There was a surfboard and a calf stretching machine attached to it which James suggested I try. I think I managed 30 seconds, it felt good but painful. The guy that runs the Darwin checkpoint is Canadian and there is a Canadian flag proudly blowing in the hot desert wind.
I was in 31st place at this point. This was the position I’d been in throughout most of the race, The sun was starting to set as I continued pushing forward on these long straight unforgiving roads of tarmac. It was still very hot although cooling down a little.
Some of this section is now a bit of a blur however it was run a bit, power hike a bit, stop, spray down and swap my drinks over and repeat. After short while Matthew woke up and resumed driving and crewing duties.
James and Julia both tried to take a short break as well as they both needed it and had been awake and suffering sleep deprivation for many hours. This is why having three Crew is perfect as two people sit in the front two seats and the second row can be used for crew sleeping. By now I couldn’t hold anything down. Anything I ate or drank just came straight back up again, which was worrying me as I was worried about dehydration, but apart from my lack of fuel in the tank, I didn’t feel too bad. I was just getting fed up with being sick.
As we went into the second night, I started my usual second night sleepwalking. I asked if I could have a 10 minute sleep in the chair outside the back of the van. I immediately fell asleep and I think I had 15 minutes sleep, that was five minutes too long, so I jumped up and set off again.
This section of the course we saw three rattlesnakes one of which was a sidewinder and actually slithering across the road. James and I stopped and let it move past and gave it a very wide birth as we moved round.
I felt like I was making quite slow progress at this point but every step forward was a step towards the finish line but at approximately 3am I decided I needed to have another short sleep as was struggling to continue awake. I had taken some caffeine tablets but due to the sickness I don’t think they stayed inside me very long so hadn’t worked their magic. This time I laid across the back row of the car in the cool and James got in the front seat and both of us were gone. I slept for 30 minutes, again too long but I definitely needed it.
I was woken then had a chat with myself. Come on Laura, let’s get this done. I could see Lone Pine and its lights ahead plus cars on the highway there which pass through it straight ahead, but it just did not get any closer!
Mile 108.4 is the town of Keeler, Population 50. I still had 14 miles to get to Lone Pine. This was where having a pacer really pushed me. James was trying to make me run for short bursts which really helped by doing 30 seconds of running before a few minutes of walking; every little bit of extra pace really did help.
Finally, we finished the 100 mile stretch of Highway 190 and turned right onto the road into Lone Pine.
Matthew told me that I would finish this race as I had so much time in the bank. Finishing was everything, my time seemed irrelevant now, due to the savagery of this Badwater. From here it was 2 miles until the next timing checkpoint at the Dow Villa Hotel in Lone Pine. And now I had the “world’s toughest half marathon” to go to finish the “world’s toughest foot race”.
For the 2024 race, there was a small diversion of 1.5 miles on the Alabama Hills Trail which ran almost parallel to the Whitney Portal Road which had been damaged by last year’s flooding. We had recced this section a few days ago which I was glad of. Matthew and Julia did the 6 mile or so diversion in the car and then they were there waiting for us on the other side of the diversion.
It was a beautiful trail section where we had to jump over a stream and there were some fantastic views. I saw my friend Susie Chan who was on the social media team for a brief interview. Then I knew it was going to be a hard 4 to 5 hours slog up Mount Whitney. This section of the race takes in 5000 ft of elevation. The day was hotting up again so I requested my ice bandana and James was armed with the bait sprayer filled with ice cold water. James really kept pushing me to do a power hike rather than just basic walk.
I did feel quite emotional at this point and had a chat on the phone with my Mum and Dad back in England where I think I cried and talked gibberish at them for about three minutes. I pulled myself together and had another chat with myself. The higher we climbed, the course got steeper and steeper and hotter and hotter. Several cars were heading down the mountain with victorious runners inside and I received several beeps and whoops from them which was fantastic.
Mile 131 is the last timing checkpoint and the base of the famous switchbacks and my friend Randy Stephenson was manning this. It was great to see him and I gave him a wave. 4 miles to go. I had nearly done it. I was about to finish Badwater 135 for the third consecutive year. This was like a dream come true. As we rounded the switchbacks with 3 miles to go we saw a competitor actually running up the mountain behind me! We could not believe somebody at this point in the race was running and running so strongly. It was no other than Harvey Lewis! Harvey had staked out for 4 1/2 hours in Lone Pine for a major reset. He was now finishing incredibly strongly. As he reached us, he gave me a hug which was so nice of him. It was so funny as James asked him what his name was – And Harvey simply said Harvey. I said to James…that’s Harvey Lewis the Legend! Harvey sprinted off up the hill to meet his support Crew, what an incredible athlete.
James and I powered on and on and were captured by one of the many Badwater official photographers in which I made sure I was smiling in the photos. The final couple of miles are definitely the steepest and but I kept thinking to myself that every other competitor in this race has been through this section too, everyone has gone through the same suffering. I must just keep moving forward. With half a mile ago, I put on a fresh top. Matthew and the team drove to the finish line. They parked and walked a couple of hundred metres back down the course to meet me and escort me in formation. Matthew, James and Julia all held the Union Jack up behind me as I ran across the finish line.
I stood on the Badwater finish line carpet and held up the Badwater 135 finisher tape which was being held by Bob Becker (Keys100 and Daytona 100 RD and inductee of the Badwater Hall of Fame) and Mario Lacerda (Brazil 135 RD) with Race Director Chris Kostman standing behind the tape filming me, applauded by the legendary Harvey Lewis and so many others.
I had done it. What a feeling.
I immediately hugged Matthew, both of us were really emotional. Matthew wrapped me in my Union Jack. Then I hugged James and Julia and thanked them for all their hard work supporting me.
What a team.
We did it.
The team did it.
Thank you!
A few minutes later I was invited to the “world toughest” finisher board where Race Director and Chief Adventure Officer Chris Kostman presented me with my highly coveted Finishers T-shirt and shiny Buckle which on the reverse says “Detur Digniori” which is Latin for “given to those most worthy”. I definitely felt most worthy. Then we had some photos with the team and CK then we were interviewed for Facebook Live where Matthew proudly declared that I was the first British woman to finish the Badwater 135 ultra Marathon three times and fist pump the air. It was a truly wonderful feeling. I was so happy.
I gave that race everything in my training and the buildup and during the race itself but ultimately Badwater 135 is a team effort and I couldn’t have done it without my team.
Matthew was the most incredible Crew Chief. He knows exactly what I want and what I need and exactly how to Crew Badwater 135. He is absolutely fantastic – what a husband I have. James not only was an excellent member of the team, but he also ran over 70 miles with me and I thank him for all the hard work he put in heat training prior to coming out to Death Valley and for pushing me and carrying the bait sprayer to cool me down. And thank you to Julia for being part of the team, doing her heat training too and being thrown in at the deep end “crewing on steroids” and for her hard work, enthusiasm and suffering sleep deprivation to help get me to the finish line. Thank you to Chris Kostman for hosting the Badwater 135 ultra marathon for the last 25 years and allowing us to live our ultra running dreams and to his wonderful race staff for keeping us safe out there and being a credit to the Badwater race and values.
After a few hours’ sleep it was time for the post-race pizza party and awards ceremony. Here Chris recognises all finishers and calls them all up to the front to the applause of the room. When it came to me he said, “first 3 x female finisher from the UK Laura Watts”. That feeling was amazing.
Laura 3 Death Valley 0.
Finishing Badwater for the third consecutive year was like the best dream I have ever had, except this dream has become a reality.
38 hours 4 minutes 58 seconds
11th female, 35th overall out of 97 starters.
74 official finishers. 23 DNFs.
