The 2011 Badwater Ultramarathon has taken place over the last two days in Death Valley - the 34th anniversary edition of the race. Recognised globally as "the world's toughest foot race," this legendary event pits approximately 90 of the world's toughest athlete runners, triathletes, adventure racers, and mountaineers against one another and the elements. Covering 135 miles (217km) non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, CA in temperatures up to 130F (55c), it is the most demanding and extreme running race offered anywhere on the planet.
There were 94 starters this year. Completion of this race is an achievement in itself, but the more ambitious runners were aiming to beat Valmir Nunes 2007 Men's Course record at 22:51:29, and Jamie Donaldson's 2010 woman's course record of 26:16:12. It has now been announced that this year's winner was 39 year old Mexican, Oswaldo Lopez, who completed the race in 23 hours, 41 minutes, 40 seconds. The fastest finishing female was Sumie Inagaki from Japan, with a time of 28 hours, 29 minutes and47 seconds. To view the full results and read more about the race, follow this link to the official site.