Two Las Vegas runners are embarking on a race that stretches from the sweltering warmth of Death Valley National Park to the Mount Whitney trailhead.
Set for Monday by Wednesday, the Mount to Coast Badwater 135 Ultramarathon contains three mountain ranges for a cumulative ascent of 14,600 ft and have to be accomplished inside 45 hours.
Ninety-eight athletes representing 21 nations are set to take part. Among them are Las Vegas residents Edher Ruben Ramirez and Karla Kent, who’re bringing completely different experiences to what’s often called the world’s hardest foot race.
Ramirez, a high finisher in a number of ultramarathons, is making ready for his first Badwater 135. Kent, in the meantime, is a veteran of the race who first accomplished it in 2012.
Both runners will face a grueling check of bodily and psychological endurance, battling blistering warmth and steep climbs over 135 miles.
A brand new problem
Ramirez, 41, began working lengthy distance races seven years in the past when just a few of his buddies jokingly determined to join a half marathon. During that race, he discovered about ultramarathons for the first time.
“At the beginning, I thought that’s not even possible or healthy, but I couldn’t get away from it,” he mentioned. “It kept bothering me. So I kept looking at races and how to get there.”
He ran his first 50-mile race after which saved pushing the distance, attempting to discover his restrict. He now maintains a cruel schedule of a few of the sport’s most punishing races.
In May 2025, Ramirez ran the Cocodona 250, an ultramarathon in Arizona, ending third general. In September 2025, he ran The Mammoth, a 214-mile race by the Eastern Sierra, once more ending third. He ran a 100-mile race in February, earlier than taking on the Cocodona 250 as soon as once more. After Badwater 135, he’ll journey to Italy in September for the 330-kilometer Tor des Géants.
Despite this success, Ramirez doesn’t take into account himself an expert. He runs a locksmithing enterprise along with his household and proudly shows the moniker “The Key Guy” on his shirt and hat whereas he runs.
While he mentioned that the cause he runs is ever-changing, he emphasised that mountain working “has to be more fun than serious.”
Still, Ramirez is aggressive. While his coaching plan modifications week to week, he makes positive to match a three- or four-hour long term into his schedule. Sometimes, which means summiting Griffith Peak in Mount Charleston 3 times in a single day.
Throughout the race, he can have a crew of 4 individuals aiding him. His race diet is down to a science. He will purpose to eat 100 to 120 grams of carbs each hour by gels, powders, fruit, salt tabs and boiled eggs.
On race day, he’ll strive to keep on with the finest runners in the area.
“If I want to compete, which is my first goal, I want to try to stay close to the front runners up to mile 100,” he mentioned. “Then, on the last 35, kind of go for it and see what I have left.”
A Badwater veteran
Kent, 63, has run the Badwater 135 yearly it has been held since 2012. Among feminine runners, she holds the race’s file for many finishes and most consecutive finishes.
Like Ramirez, she discovered about ultramarathoning whereas working a separate race: a marathon simply exterior Las Vegas. There, she noticed runners competing in the 50-mile race.
“When I was signing up, I didn’t even realize there was an option like that,” she mentioned. “And I thought, ‘Oh, this is crazy. Why would you do that?’ And, I have to try.”
After that, she turned immersed in the ultramarathon world. In 2010, she crewed for an additional runner throughout the Badwater 135 and determined that she needed to give the race a strive. She accomplished the mandatory necessities and was chosen for the race two years later. Now, she mentioned her objective is to run the race till she will be able to not make the cutoff.
For Kent, working has develop into a “way of life.” She’s taken journeys together with her daughter to race in New Zealand and Jordan and has met individuals from throughout the world. She mentioned this enhances her job. Kent has labored as a supplier at Bellagio because it opened in 1998.
“I like (my job) and I make a living, but it doesn’t really give you a lot of satisfaction. When you have a job that creates something or you’re a teacher, you’re a nurse, you’re helping people — I don’t really get that from my job,” she mentioned. “This was just such a perfect balance to be in a community where you can resonate with people, help each other.”
To keep her endurance, Kent mentioned she indicators up for a race each month or two. In January, she ran the Arrowhead 135 in Minnesota, pulling her gear in a sled. There, temperatures dropped to 20 levels beneath zero.
To put together for the Badwater 135, Kent will do a 30-mile coaching run in the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just a few weeks earlier than the race.
On race day, she listens to her physique. Unlike some runners, she received’t have an enormous provide van. Instead, her crew will function out of her Prius, handing her meals and water when she wants it. She mentioned Chex Mix is her favourite gas throughout races.
“Our bodies are amazing,” Kent mentioned. “You can condition yourself and adjust to a lot of things. It’s uncomfortable at the beginning, but if I only want to be comfortable, I wouldn’t be running ultras, right?”
Contact Sophie Baker at sbaker@reviewjournal.com.
