(2015 Overall Champion Pete Kostelnick)
Welcome to ZWITTY ULTRA's second-annual STYR Labs Badwater 135 Ultramarathon men's preview! For the women's preview, click here.
While the women's field is top-heavy -- with three clear favorites -- the men's field features the most-talented and deepest field in the illustrious history of the Badwater 135: about a dozen guys have at least some legitimate shot of not only a podium race, but winning the race outright. At least 6 former champions return, including each winner from the past three years. We start with them...
While the women's field is top-heavy -- with three clear favorites -- the men's field features the most-talented and deepest field in the illustrious history of the Badwater 135: about a dozen guys have at least some legitimate shot of not only a podium race, but winning the race outright. At least 6 former champions return, including each winner from the past three years. We start with them...
1. The Favorites to Win.
With multiple former champions, world-class rookies, and hungry veterans headlining the elite field at Badwater this year, it truly is a wide-open race. While about a dozen runners have some chance to win the race, I believe the winner will likely come from this group of five race favorites:
-Pete Kostelnick:
The 2015 Badwater 135 champion, Pete Kostelnick is one of only a handful of runners to ever break the magical 24-hour barrier at Badwater (finishing last year's race in 23:27, and in the process, winning the race by about 2 hours). To give you a sense of just how hard it is to run a "sub-24" Badwater, consider that the greatest American ultrarunner of all-time, Scott Jurek, ran (and won) Badwater twice, and each time, failed to break 24 hours. (In fact, even though the 153-mile Spartathlon is almost 20 miles longer than Badwater, Jurek always took several hours longer to finish Badwater than he did when he won the Spartathlon . . . just to give you an idea of how hard Badwater truly is to race.)
Since Badwater last year, all Pete has done is run an incredible 163 miles at the Desert Solstice 24-hr run (held on a track in central Phoenix), making him one of the top 24-hour runners in American history. And just last weekend, Pete -- a road runner from flat Nebraska -- finished the venerable Western States 100 in under 20 hours.
Now, Pete is attempting something only Scott Jurek has accomplished in ultrarunning history: following up Western States with a win at Badwater just three weeks later. Can he do it? I -- for one -- will not be betting against him; he has the talent, the experience, and is wearing bib number 1 for a reason.
Since Badwater last year, all Pete has done is run an incredible 163 miles at the Desert Solstice 24-hr run (held on a track in central Phoenix), making him one of the top 24-hour runners in American history. And just last weekend, Pete -- a road runner from flat Nebraska -- finished the venerable Western States 100 in under 20 hours.
Now, Pete is attempting something only Scott Jurek has accomplished in ultrarunning history: following up Western States with a win at Badwater just three weeks later. Can he do it? I -- for one -- will not be betting against him; he has the talent, the experience, and is wearing bib number 1 for a reason.
-Harvey Lewis:
The 2014 Badwater 135 champ, Harvey is seeking a first win on the traditional Death Valley-based course. Given his background in road ultrarunning, his experience in 24-hour races, and his extensive (and very successful) history at Badwater (Harvey has run the race the last five years, and has several podium finishes among those races), Harvey is always a race favorite whenever he toes the line at Badwater.
Like Brenda Guajardo on the women's side of the race, Harvey is most-comfortable as a front runner, and will gain more and more confidence the longer he leads the field as at the race progresses. So the field will need to keep an eye on him at all times, as Harvey possesses the leg speed, experience, and drive to simply run away from everyone else. Will this be the year Harvey breaks the tape on the traditional course? Time will tell. One thing is for sure: it will be a monumental upset if anyone but Harvey is leading the race after Mile 1 . . . per Harvey's tradition, he clocks the first mile somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 minutes!
Like Brenda Guajardo on the women's side of the race, Harvey is most-comfortable as a front runner, and will gain more and more confidence the longer he leads the field as at the race progresses. So the field will need to keep an eye on him at all times, as Harvey possesses the leg speed, experience, and drive to simply run away from everyone else. Will this be the year Harvey breaks the tape on the traditional course? Time will tell. One thing is for sure: it will be a monumental upset if anyone but Harvey is leading the race after Mile 1 . . . per Harvey's tradition, he clocks the first mile somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 minutes!
-Carlos Sa:
A Portuguese runner -- and good friend of Harvey's -- Carlos is a professional ultrarunner who won the extremely-hot 2013 Badwater 135, and followed that up with a third place finish in the 2014 race.
This year, all Carlos did was finish an amazing 8th place overall at the 150-mile Marathon des Sables stage race in Morocco. (It is exceedingly rare these days for men from the U.S. or Western Europe to finish in the top 10 of MdS . . . the race is always dominated by Moroccans and other desert-based runners).
It would shock no one to see Carlos Sa standing atop the podium when the dust is settled at the end of the race.
This year, all Carlos did was finish an amazing 8th place overall at the 150-mile Marathon des Sables stage race in Morocco. (It is exceedingly rare these days for men from the U.S. or Western Europe to finish in the top 10 of MdS . . . the race is always dominated by Moroccans and other desert-based runners).
It would shock no one to see Carlos Sa standing atop the podium when the dust is settled at the end of the race.
-Oswaldo Lopez:
Probably the most-consistent elite runner in the field, "Mr. Podium" Oswaldo Lopez has won the race (2011), finished second four times (2009, 2010, 2012, and 2015), and finished third (2013). This guy simply knows how to race Badwater really well.
This year, Oswaldo has likely trained harder than ever before. And in full disclosure, he is the guy I will be pulling for to win, given that (a) he is -- easily -- the nicest runner in the field (seriously, he's one of the nicest guys you will ever meet), and (b) Mexicans such as Oswaldo who live and work in the U.S.A. have experienced a lot of vile and nasty things said about them recently by one of our major presidential candidates and his supporters. So I would like nothing more than for Oswaldo to win the race, and in the process, send a "deport this, you bloviating hot air bag!" message to Mr. Drumpf!
This year, Oswaldo has likely trained harder than ever before. And in full disclosure, he is the guy I will be pulling for to win, given that (a) he is -- easily -- the nicest runner in the field (seriously, he's one of the nicest guys you will ever meet), and (b) Mexicans such as Oswaldo who live and work in the U.S.A. have experienced a lot of vile and nasty things said about them recently by one of our major presidential candidates and his supporters. So I would like nothing more than for Oswaldo to win the race, and in the process, send a "deport this, you bloviating hot air bag!" message to Mr. Drumpf!
-Dan Lawson:
The lone Badwater rookie among the race favorites, British runner Dan Lawson is certainly no "rookie" to the world's iconic road ultra marathons. He is the course record holder at the 145-mile Grand Union Canal Race (from Birmingham to London) in England, he is an accomplished 24-hour runner for England, and -- perhaps most impressively -- he was the runner-up at the 2015 153-mile Spartathlon in Greece (from Athens to Sparta), finishing as one of only two runners to break 24 hours at that race!
Lawson has the "big-race" experience to perform very well at Badwater, and even win the race. The only X-factor is whether this Brit will be able to manage the intense, otherworldly heat at Badwater, that has taken out several former Spartathlon top runners from Western Europe (including last year's Badwater race favorite, Piotr "Polish Rocky" Kurylo of Poland). If he can thrive in the heat, however, Dan certainly has the chops to be the one to break the tape at this year's race.
Lawson has the "big-race" experience to perform very well at Badwater, and even win the race. The only X-factor is whether this Brit will be able to manage the intense, otherworldly heat at Badwater, that has taken out several former Spartathlon top runners from Western Europe (including last year's Badwater race favorite, Piotr "Polish Rocky" Kurylo of Poland). If he can thrive in the heat, however, Dan certainly has the chops to be the one to break the tape at this year's race.
2. The OTher Top Contenders.
In addition to the five race favorites mentioned above, it would not be a huge upset for any of the following six runners to finish on the Badwater podium, or even win the race . . . they are starting the race just a tick below the race favorites, for one reason or another:
-mick Thwaites:
The third place runner at last year's Badwater 135 (and as a rookie, no less), Aussie Mick Thwaites continued the age-old universal Badwater truth: Aussies always kick ass at Badwater!
Reports are that Mick has trained much harder than ever for this year's race, and is looking to improve his placing from his incredible finish in 2015...
Reports are that Mick has trained much harder than ever for this year's race, and is looking to improve his placing from his incredible finish in 2015...
-Grant Maughan:
The other elite Aussie in this year's men's field, Grant Maughan is well-known in the Badwater community, given his second-place finishes in the 2013 and 2014 races, as well as a top-10 finish in the 2015 race, when -- despite it clearly not being his day -- he simply willed his way to a 30-hr finish and a top-10 placing.
While Grant may not possess the pure leg speed of some of the race favorites like Pete or Harvey, he more than makes up for it with perhaps the strongest mental resolve of any runner in the field . . . the guy has a superhuman ability to knock out 8-9 min miles forever, despite his level of suffering. He simply presses through the pain and does not slow down.
Grant has spent much of 2016 going up and down some of the biggest mountains in the world, so we know his endurance is in top form. He also has a history of putting up big results when the spotlight is on others, so do not surprised at all to see him on the podium this year...
While Grant may not possess the pure leg speed of some of the race favorites like Pete or Harvey, he more than makes up for it with perhaps the strongest mental resolve of any runner in the field . . . the guy has a superhuman ability to knock out 8-9 min miles forever, despite his level of suffering. He simply presses through the pain and does not slow down.
Grant has spent much of 2016 going up and down some of the biggest mountains in the world, so we know his endurance is in top form. He also has a history of putting up big results when the spotlight is on others, so do not surprised at all to see him on the podium this year...
-michele "mickey" Graglia:
The other ZWITTY ULTRA coach toeing the line at Badwater this year (besides yours truly), Michele is one of the most-versatile and determined runners in the elite field. From winning a 175-mile race in Italy (the gorgeous UltraMilano-Sanremo in 2014), to winning mountain trail races (such as this year's highly competitive San Diego 50-miler), to winning multi-day stage races (such as his course record at the 167-mile Grand to Grand Ultra in 2014), Michele is simply used to standing on top of the podium when all is said and done. (To demonstrate his incredible versatility, Michele won a 100-mile race in the fricking Yukon Territory this past winter, dragging a sled of supplies with him the entire time in sub-zero temperatures! Mind you, this is a guy with 1% body fat who lives in L.A. and Italy!)
Even though this is his first attempt at Badwater, do not be surprised at all to see Mickey at the front of the pack...
Even though this is his first attempt at Badwater, do not be surprised at all to see Mickey at the front of the pack...
-Mohamad Ahansal:
To our knowledge, the first Moroccan to ever toe the line at Badwater, Mohamad is a former winner of the Marathon des Sables, and finished in 11th place overall this year, so we know he can "handle the heat."
He is perhaps the biggest wild card among the race contenders, however, as he has done very little racing in Western Europe or the United States. Can his prowess on the sand translate to success on the road? We will find out in two weeks...
He is perhaps the biggest wild card among the race contenders, however, as he has done very little racing in Western Europe or the United States. Can his prowess on the sand translate to success on the road? We will find out in two weeks...
-Jared FeTterolf:
Jared, who finished just outside the top-10 at last year's race, has started 2016 with a vengeance, already winning the first two legs of the "Badwater Ultra Cup" (the 51.4-mile Badwater Cape Fear in March, and the 81-mile Badwater Salton Sea in May).
Despite this success, Jared apparently prefers to stay under the radar, as he indicated in his race application that he didn't even want to start the race in the elite (11pm) wave, but rather run the race "Ferg Hawke-style," and contend from the middle wave!
Given his year so far, do not be surprised at all to see Jared finish in the top-10 or even top-5 of this year's race.
Despite this success, Jared apparently prefers to stay under the radar, as he indicated in his race application that he didn't even want to start the race in the elite (11pm) wave, but rather run the race "Ferg Hawke-style," and contend from the middle wave!
Given his year so far, do not be surprised at all to see Jared finish in the top-10 or even top-5 of this year's race.
-George "the heartland heat" myers:
One of the many TEAM ZWITTY runners toeing the line at Badwater this year, rookie George Myers has been spending the spring racing multiple marathons in the sweltering Kansas heat and finishing them in the 2:50 to 3 hour range. He has several very fast heat 100s to his name, including a 16:30 at the 2014 Keys 100, a win at the Honey Badger 100 in the July Kansas heat (2014), and a win at a Missouri 100k just two weeks ago.
If you are looking for a dark horse contender who could sneak into the top-5 or even the podium, Heat Myers might just be your guy!
If you are looking for a dark horse contender who could sneak into the top-5 or even the podium, Heat Myers might just be your guy!
3. Other notable runners.
Should some of the above runners falter, and one of the guys below has the race of his life, well . . . anything can happen! Here are some very talented runners to keep in mind throughout the race:
So, how do you think this year's race will shake out? Any other runners that deserve mention?
One thing is for sure . . . with the best and deepest field in Badwater 135 history, the drama will be high in the desert in two weeks! #seeyouinfurnacecreek
www.zwittyultra.com
- Luigi Dessy: Puerto Rican runner who finished in sixth place at last year's Badwater 135, narrowly getting beat for 5th by some bum from Florida! Luigi has run some major international races, including the Spartathlon, and he has the experience and know-how to do very well at Badwater once again;
- Mark Matyazic: The "man with the muscles," if Badwater were a MMA-style fight instead of a 135-mile run, he would be the prohibitive favorite. Turns out he is a hell of a runner as well, almost always finishing in the top-10 for the past five years at Badwater;
- Ed Ettinghausen: Known globally as "the Jester," Ed holds the world record for most 100-mile races in one calendar year (40, I believe, which he accomplished in 2014). His 100-mi PR is under 15 hours, so he possesses the speed and experience to be a factor in any race he enters;
- Jimmy Dean Freeman: The head of the "Coyotes," an L.A.-based running/coaching group, Jimmy returns to Badwater as a runner for the first time in several years, and looks to be in top form;
- Marcus Berggren: Swedish runner who has won the 135-mile Arrowhead Ultra in Northern Minnesota (2015), Marcus is a gritty and experienced runner who always puts forth a solid performance at any race he enters;
- Brad Lombardi: Known throughout the ultrarunning world as "the Peacock," ex-Floridian Brad must have realized peacocks are actually not very rare in South Florida, so he moved to the desert in June 2015 and now lives and and works in a village on the Badwater course (Panamint Springs, Mile 72). By all indications -- the "Desert Peacock" is now primed to make his own mark on the race :)
So, how do you think this year's race will shake out? Any other runners that deserve mention?
One thing is for sure . . . with the best and deepest field in Badwater 135 history, the drama will be high in the desert in two weeks! #seeyouinfurnacecreek
www.zwittyultra.com
RSS Feed
