Florida man, 80, becomes oldest to run ‘world’s toughest’ race in Death Valley | California

An 80 -year -old has made history as the oldest person to finish the Badwater 135, nicknamed “the most difficult footing in the world”.

Last week, Bob Becker from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, became one of the 93 people to finish the ultramarathon course – which covers 135 miles, starting at 282 feet under sea level in the stifling Death valley of California and climbing at 8360 feet at the start of the path to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States.

During the race, which took place in July since the 1980s, candidates can face temperatures of more than 120F (49C).

Becker is no stranger to establish recordings on the Badwater 135 course. In 2015, at the age of 70, he became the oldest person to finish the “double Badwater” – turning to return to the start of the race after finishing the official 135 miles. He had previously completed the Badwater 135 in 2008 and 2014.

Becker’s determination to finish the race this year has largely came from his inability to do so in 2022. That year, a video of him limiting him and sometimes crawling, to the finish line, attracted tens of thousands of views.

This year, Becker told Outdoors Gearjunkie magazine: “I had a score to settle.”

The candidates must finish the Blackwater 135 in 48 hours. In 2022, Becker fell just 17 minutes away. This year, he finished the race with about three hours to lose.

“It was just the most incredible crew I never had in 20 years to do this kind of thing,” Becker told Gearjunkie. “It was fabulous and I’m so happy to have been able to make the finish line this time.”

Becker has run ultramarathons for two decades and founded the Keys100 Ultramarathon in 2008. But he credited his coaches – who included ultramarathonal veterans and Endurance Lisa Smith -Batchen, Marshall Ulrich and Will Litwin’s endurance athletes – to help him finish this particular race.

“I am on the moon with such gratitude, joy and deep love that Bob trusted me. It is a great responsibility,” Smith-Batchen told Gearjunkie. “Bob is younger at 80 than it was at 77, three years ago. You can be younger by tomorrow if you trust and do the job! ”

The Norwegian runner Simen Holvik, 48, timed the fastest of the race this year, crossing the finish line in 21 hours and 48 minutes, just 15 minutes more than the holder of the current record.

At Holvik’s age, Becker hadn’t even started running ultramarathons. He was 60 when a friend convinced him to run his first marathon, said Becker at Los Angeles Times.

“For me, age is not a factor. If someone can do it, I can do it too,” he said. “Within reasonable limits.”