Badwater 135
& IronHikeComparison135 miles of Death Valley heat.
Or 72,000+ feet of Mountain.
The heat test and the vertical testWe have deep respect for the Badwater 135, billed as “the world’s toughest foot race”: 135 miles from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney in July heat. It tests how much heat a body can take. The Olympus Mons Ultra tests how much Mountain it can take, 72,000+ feet up and down in 84 hours, with no invitation needed.
Badwater 135Badwater 135 runs every July from Badwater Basin in Death Valley, 280 feet below sea level, to Whitney Portal at 8,360 feet: 135 miles in heat up to 130°F with a 45-hour limit. It is invitation only, with up to 100 runners, each supported by their own crew vehicle.
IronHike Olympus Mons UltraIronHike’s hardest Event: 72,000+ feet of gain and the same back down in 84 hours, on 1.25 to 1.5 mile laps at Mohawk Mountain or on the Amicalola Falls staircase, with no flat miles. Open registration, three Series a year. Three finishers, ever. Veteran-owned and operated.
The honest assessmentIronHike is better on 15, Badwater on 3, and 4 are a tie. Badwater wins on heat, scenery and the world stage. IronHike wins on the Mountain: five times the climbing, 84 hours, open registration, no crew vehicle required, poles allowed, and a finishers club of three.
Badwater 135 & Olympus Mons Ultra💪 More badassery for the buckLegend: ✓ Better = Tie ✓ Good – Not offeredBadwater
Badwater 135
Death Valley, CA - USAIronHike
Olympus Mons Ultra
All venues - USADistance ✓ 135 miles ✓ 152.5 to 180 miles Vertical Elevation ✓ 14,600 feet up, 6,100 feet down ✓ 72,480 – 72,590 feet up, and the same down Vertical Density ✓ About 108 feet of climb per mile ✓ About 403 to 477 feet per mile Duration ✓ 45 hours ✓ 84 hours Location = Badwater Basin, Death Valley (280 feet below sea level) to Whitney Portal (8,360 feet), California = Mohawk Mountain, Cornwall, Connecticut and Amicalola Falls, Dawsonville, Georgia Scenery ✓ Death Valley salt flats to the foot of Mt. Whitney ✓ The Old Appalachian Trail route in the Litchfield Hills at Mohawk; Amicalola Falls, one of the tallest cascading waterfalls in the eastern US Dates ✓ Once a year in July ✓ 3 Series a year: spring and fall at Mohawk, December at Amicalola Falls Heat ✓ Up to 130°F in Death Valley ✓ All weather; Mohawk runs from the 40s to the 70s°F in June and the 30s to the 60s°F in October; Amicalola in December runs from the 30s to the 60s°F Registration ✓ Invitational: up to 100 runners; apply with four 100-mile finishes ✓ Open to any Mountain Athlete Price Range ✓ $1,595 ✓ $1,260 Solo, $630 each as a Trail Family Cost per Hour ✓ About $35 an hour ✓ $15 an hour Alumni Discount – None listed ✓ Generous Lodging = Room blocks in Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells and Lone Pine for entrants = Tent space included, plus discounted rooms at the Lodge at Amicalola Falls Lodging Fees Included – No. Rooms extra. ✓ Tent space included; Lodge rooms extra, at a discount Cause-Friendly = Yes: raise $8,000 for its charity partner and your entry fee is refunded = Yes Relays – No. Solo only. ✓ Solo, Trail Buddy or Trail Family FlexRelay Crew ✓ Required: your own vehicle and 2 to 4 crew ✓ No crew needed: the Cadre and up to 6 spectators at Base Camp Course Support – None. Your crew carries everything. ✓ Base Camp every lap with snacks and hot drinks Trekking Poles – Not allowed ✓ Allowed and recommended on the Mountain; discouraged on the Amicalola Falls stairs Finisher Awards = The Badwater 135 belt buckle = Finisher medal, hat and a cookie, plus the Iron Award for the Mountain Athlete who shows the most iron, mettle and gumption Finishers Club ✓ 88 finishers in 2026 ✓ 3 finishers, ever World Stage ✓ Course records 20:53:41 men, 21:05:32 women (2026) ✓ No podium. Not a race. Scorecard= Tied on 4 of 22 comparisonsBadwater 135✓ Better = 3✓ Good = 10– Not offered = 5Olympus Mons Ultra✓ Better = 15✓ Good = 3– Not offered = 0We built this comparison from each organizer’s public information, with real respect for every event on it. Scenery and the Better / Tie / Good marks are our own honest judgment, and “Not offered” means not offered to the best of our knowledge. Details change, so check with the organizer before you register, and if you spot something we should update, tell us. We’ll gladly fix it. IronHike is not affiliated with or endorsed by any event on this page. Last checked October 2026.
See the Olympus Mons Ultra 🌋💬 “There is nothing out there like IronHike. The camaraderie, the shared suffering, the sense of brotherhood. I’ve done Tough Mudders, Spartans, and marathons. Nothing compares.”
— Paul · IronHike Everest Finisher
▲ ▲ ▲We want to see you on our Mountain too!Badwater tests how much heat a body can take. The Olympus Mons Ultra tests how much Mountain it can take, up and down, for three and a half days.
Earned the buckle, or still building the resume to apply? Add the Olympus Mons Ultra to your plans. No invitation required.
It’s you versus the whole mountain (up and down) and you against who you were yesterday.
Current EventsPick your Series 🎯12 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 12 laps · 15 miles · 7,140’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 11 laps · 16.5 miles · 6,644’ · 13,288 stairsSee Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 23 laps · 28.75 miles · 13,685’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 22 laps · 33 miles · 13,288’ · 26,576 stairsSee Double Kuwohi24 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 24 laps · 30 miles · 14,280’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 24 laps · 36 miles · 14,496’ · 28,992 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Basic48 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 35 laps · 43.75 miles · 20,825’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 34 laps · 51 miles · 20,536’ · 41,072 stairsSee Denali72 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 49 laps · 61.25 miles · 29,155’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 49 laps · 73.5 miles · 29,596’ · 59,192 stairsSee Everest84 Hours⛰️ Mohawk: 84 laps · 105 miles · 49,980’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 84 laps · 126 miles · 50,736’ · 101,472 stairsSee Answer the Bell - Full84 Hours · Top 4 Hardest Ultra Events in the World⛰️ Mohawk: 122 laps · 152.5 miles · 72,590’🌊 Amicalola Falls: 120 laps · 180 miles · 72,480’ · 144,960 stairsSee Olympus Mons Ultra💬 “I cried at the Final Bell. Not because it was over. Because I proved something to myself I’d been avoiding for years.”
— Stephanie · IronHike Kuwohi Finisher
❓ Get your questions answered here.
Training, gear, tenting, night laps, what to expect at Mohawk and Amicalola, and plenty more. Or ask your own.
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