An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
Badwater is a locale in Inyo County, California. It is located in Death Valley 7 miles (11 km) northeast of Bennetts Well, at an elevation of −266 feet (−81 m).
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 135-mile (217 km) Ultramarathon race starting at −282 feet (−86 m) below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8,360 feet (2,550 m) at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures can reach 130 °F (54 °C).
Scott Gordon Jurek is an American ultramarathoner, author, and public speaker. Throughout his running career, Jurek was one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Spartathlon, and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999–2005). In 2010, at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, Jurek won a silver medal behind Shingo Inoue and set a new US record for distance run in 24 hours with 165.7 miles. In 2015, Jurek set the Fastest Known Time running record for the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail.
Pamela J. Reed is an American ultrarunner who resides in Tucson, Arizona and Jackson, Wyoming.
Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set number of days. Multiday races can range from continuous 48-hour track events to staged transcontinental treks.
The Whitney Classic is an 136-mile-long (219 km) endurance mountain bike race that is held in late September or October every year. The ride runs from the Badwater Basin in Death Valley to Whitney Portal. Badwater, at 279 feet (85 m) below sea level, is the lowest place in the North America and Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet (2,550 m) is the trailhead that leads to Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).
Marshall Ulrich is an American ultramarathon runner and mountaineer. He holds distinctions in several sports: he has completed 124 ultra marathons averaging over 100 miles each, has climbed the tallest summit on each continent, a feat known as the seven summits, and has finished 12 expedition-length races in adventure racing.
Fergus (‘Ferg’) Hawke is an international ultra-distance runner, residing in South Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.
David Goggins is an American retired United States Navy SEAL. He is also an ultramarathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, triathlete, public speaker, author of two memoirs, and was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in sport. Goggins was also awarded the VFW Americanism award in 2018 for his service in the United States Armed Forces. Goggins also published a New York Times Best Seller book titled Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.
Ákos Kónya is a Hungarian ultramarathon runner from Oceanside, California.
Valmir Nunes is a Brazilian runner. A former world record holder, he currently holds South American and Brazilian Ultramarathon records.
Arun Bhardwaj is an ultramarathon runner from New Delhi, India. In 2009, he won the 567 km George Archer 6 day race in South Africa. In December 2010, he ran 186.4 kilometres (115.8 mi) in 24 hours in Kolkata, India and thus beat his previous best of running 177 km in 24 hours.
Sumie Inagaki is a Japanese ultramarathon runner from Hokkaido. Inagaki holds current women's world record in 24-hour run Indoor, and in 48-hour run Track. She is a two time female winner of IAU 24-Hour Run World Championship. She was the female winner of 2006 and 2009 Spartathlon, and the female winner of 2011 and 2012 Badwater Ultramarathon.
Raj Vadgama is an ultramarathon runner from Mumbai, India
Eleanor Robinson is a British former ultramarathon runner and two-time winner of the IAU 100km World Championships. She was the first woman to run over 150 miles in a 24-hour endurance race. She was the winner of the first Badwater Ultramarathon in 1987. She was twice bronze medallist at the IAU 100 km European Championships.
Harvey Sweetland Lewis is an American ultrarunner.
Michele Graglia is a model, author, fitness coach, and ultra marathon runner. His book Ultra was published by Sperling & Kupfer in May 2017. Originally from Taggia, Liguria, Italy, Graglia became an international model represented by Major Model Management in New York and the now defunct Irene Marie Model Management in Miami, FL, where he was initially discovered. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Gerald Tabios is a Filipino long-distance runner and Ultramarathon runner. Among his most notable races in the United States is the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is an annual race that stretches 135 miles through Death Valley, California in July and ends after a steep climb of Mount Whitney. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, where temperatures often reach 130 °F, is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Tabios is a 7-time Badwater 135 finisher.
