Ukrainian wins first place in world’s most difficult death marathon in Death Valley for the first time

Ukrainian runner Ihor Hotsuliak took second place in the Badwater ultramarathon. It is considered the most difficult in the world, as the 217-kilometer route runs in Death Valley, one of the hottest places in the world.

The Ivano-Frankivsk running club, Gutsul Running Club, reported this.

The members of the club, Gotsuliak together with the team of Hryhorii Sunduk, Oleksii Kononenko, and Volodymyr Kondratenko, became the only team of Ukrainians who took part in the Badwater ultramarathon.

During the first 144 kilometers, Gotsuliak held the lead but then lost to American Garvey Lewis, a multiple winner of "Badwater".

In the end, Lewis finished first, and Gotsuliak was second with a result of 26 hours 35 minutes and 8 seconds (45 minutes later). He's the first Ukrainian to be awarded a prize at Badwater.

The annual Badwater Ultramarathon is unofficially called "the toughest race" in the world. The 217-kilometer route runs on an asphalt road in the middle of the desert, in the Death Valley National Park, California.

The race starts from the lowest point, Badwater Basin (85 meters below sea level), and ends at Whitney Portal (2530 meters), on the slope of the highest mountain in the continental United States, Whitney (4421 meters).

The Badwater route runs through three mountain ranges with a total ascent of 4,450 meters and a descent of 1,859 meters. All this, as well as the heat (Death Valley often sets temperature records), complicates the race.

During the race, participants must provide themselves with food, water, and spare clothes on their own, so the team helps athletes.

Badwater participants must cover a 217-kilometer distance in 48 hours. Every year about 90 people take part in the race, 20-40% of them cannot reach the finish line. But those who still overcome the "Badwater" are given a branded T-shirt and a medal in the form of a belt buckle.

In 2020, Badwater was canceled due to a coronavirus pandemic.