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Iván Penalba already has his second finisher buckle Bathwater 135, a unique race even in its austerity. A very tasteful belt buckle 'cowboy' and a commemorative jersey is all the prize you get for completing its hellish 135 miles.
It doesn't matter if you win like the American Ashley Paulson with an amazing time of 21h44' (the first woman to win), if you finish twelfth like Iván Penalba with 29h48' or finish in last position, 89th, with 46h34', the prize It is the same for everyone, although the condition is that it must be finished within 48 hours (maximum time set by the organization).
In the 2023 edition they took the start in Badwater Basin (Death Valley) 100 runners of 26 different nationalities, of which only 11 did not reach the finish line at Whitney Portal, at an altitude of 2.530m, on the route that leads to the ascent to the highest summit in the United States , he mount whitney.
Iván Penalba died and rose again in the Badwater 135
One of the great favorites was Iván Penalba. The Spanish ultra-distance runner finished in second position in 2022, in his first participation, and in 2023 he started with the ambition and illusion of being the first to complete the 135 miles (217 kilometers) of the most demanding ultra-distance race.
decided to go out to risk from the beginning. Without fear of the scythe that the Badwater 135 reserves for those who make mistakes or do not know how to measure their strength. His Way of the Cross it started at 3 hours of racing, after making several mistakes due to his desire to seek victory.
At kilometer 170, with 45 kilometers to go for the goal, in the most torrid and inhospitable place of the route, his body said enough. She couldn't take another step. She was throwing up everything she drank and ate for hours. Her legs were unable to keep up, but her head and her heart were not in agreement.
Everything made us fear the worst, but Iván and his team did not consider withdrawal as an option: they had to recover, revive and return to the burning asphalt at almost 80º to complete the hardest part of the route. And collect the second buckle and the commemorative shirt, the austere but symbolic award that certifies being a finisher of the Badwater 135.
As soon as he crossed the finish line, with the little strength he had left, he hugged all the members of his team: Carmen Pérez, Joaquín Candel and Oscar Hernández. “They saved my skin. At kilometer 170 he was dead, unable to stand. I was able to resurrect and finish thanks to them ".
the badwater 135 does not forgive mistakes
the badwater 135 does not forgive mistakes; if you commit them, it tears you apart. It is a race that demands excellence, an infinite capacity for suffering and an insane passion for the most extreme ultra-fundamentals. Its 135-mile route through the Death Valley (Death Valley), with the merciless punishment of hellish temperatures (more than 50º during the day and no less than 34º at night), are a torture rack that is very difficult. come out unscathed
Penalty was leader during the first three hours of the race and during that time he was in charge of leading the group of favourites. “It was not an intelligent decision because I took all that effort by myself, because logically they did not give me any relief, but more than because of the effort it was not intelligent because to stay in the lead I did not do my nutritional strategy from the beginning and I did not stop to pee either. until three hours into the race”, explains to 42K the corridor.
Three hours into the race, his body began to give alarm signals: something was wrong, so he got off the hook and slowed down.
“I tackled the first climb and I didn't do it completely wrong, but I was already aware that it wasn't going well. He made the descent very fast, tremendously fast, more than a minute per kilometer faster than in 2022, hoping to hook up with the leading group again and continue aspiring to be on the podium. On the way down I emptied myself completely and I didn't drink enough, which was another mistake, and I finished the descent destroyed. The next climb, which was the really hard one, cost me a lot and that's when I started to have real complications; I crowned as I could and it was then when my body said enough and I collapsed", explains Ivan.
42K: What do you mean "I collapsed"?
Ivan: My body said enough. I had to stop because I couldn't keep running. From that moment another career began for me. I wanted above all to recover to finish in the most dignified way possible. When everything went wrong, my great dream became to reach the finish line and do it with my best smile. The difficulty worsened when night caught me again, which was something I had not foreseen, and which forced me to adapt to circumstances and difficulties that I had not foreseen.
42K: At what point do the sensations begin to alert you that something is wrong?
Ivan: Everything was going well until two and a half hours of the race were completed. Until then I was leading the race, with all the favorites behind me, soldiers at the pace that I set. I tried to find maximum performance from the start and I made the mistake of not stopping to pee during the first hours. I wanted to go faster than I had to and be in first position; going so stressed did not let me think coldly and follow my strategy of alimentation, hydration and urination. I held back the urge to pee so as not to lose my head in the race and that was the beginning of all the problems that came later.
42K: What problems?
Ivan: I stopped wanting to drink, eat and even urinate. My body was retaining fluids and I began to clearly notice that I was not feeling well, so I decided to drastically slow down because I knew I could have a serious problem, especially in a race with such high temperatures. I tried to avoid the collapse but it was too late.
At kilometer 170 he was forced to stop, he couldn't take another step
42K: Already off the hook from the group of favourites, you continued fighting for hours until at kilometer 170 you were forced to stop.
Ivan: The truth is that I don't even know how I got to kilometer 170. That is the most complicated part of the route due to the heat. A burning wind was blowing, a burning wind. I had vomited many times before I got to that point in the race, but that's when I went totally empty after throwing up for the umpteenth time. I stopped because I was no longer able to take a step, there was no other option. Every thing he drank or ate made him vomit. I had to reset and pray so that the body stabilized a bit and allowed me to resume the race to try to finish.
42K: How long were you standing?
Ivan: About an hour and twenty minutes. I drank a little water and a little Coca Cola, lay down and I started praying to stop vomiting. I repeated to myself that I shouldn't be in a hurry, that I should let my body recover and that there was plenty of time to recover my strength and continue to the finish line. My goal from the moment I hit rock bottom was to recover the minimum strength to finish the race no matter what. I have never withdrawn from a test and it is something that I want to maintain throughout my sports career: withdrawal is not an option. One of my great motivations as an athlete is to show that with patience, perseverance and a head, there is always a way to reach the goal, no matter how difficult or impossible it may seem. Everything seemed to condemn me to retreat, but with head and heart we found the way to continue until the end.
42K: Did the ghost of abandonment come to pass through your head?
Ivan: Yes, because I couldn't find a way to solve the problem: couldn't eat or drink anything without throwing it up immediately. With 45 extremely hard kilometers ahead, it was unthinkable to continue if I was not able to hydrate and recover minimally. Fortunately, we had enough patient for the body to recover. I knew I had 48 hours to finish the race and at that point my only challenge was to finish. I am very satisfied with how I managed those terrible moments. Everything was against me, but I tried to be patient and push away all negative thoughts so as not to think about withdrawing.
In the last 10 kilometers he fell asleep running
42K: You had never run more than 24 hours, but to finish this Badwater 135 you had to spend almost 30 hours running. How was that experience of something unknown to you?
Ivan: I had a bad time in the last 10 kilometers because sleep overcame me. I was jogging and walking and my eyes closed without being able to avoid it. Fortunately, I had Carmen by my side who was guiding me and holding me because when my eyes closed she would lean me to one side and stop going in a straight line. In the end, I had to stop and close my eyes for a few minutes because I was not able to stay awake. It was a 5-minute micronap that was great for me and helped me learn that those microsleep can be very useful for long-distance races. I had never done it, but I know that there are ultra-distance runners who use these micronaps as part of their race strategy and I think it is something very positive and that I am going to study for future long-distance races.
42K: What role did the team and especially Carmen play in those delicate moments?
Ivan: Ufffff... Without the team I would not have been able to get past kilometer 170, but the company Carmen in the final part it was decisive to reach the finish line. She she ran with me for more than 130 kilometers (the organization allows support runners, but always behind the competitor) and it was essential for me to reach the goal. He was talking to me all the time and looking for a way to keep my head occupied; even in the final part, when I fell asleep jogging, he invented games to make me stay awake. He never let me down.
42K: Have you been disappointed with the final result after so many months of work and preparation?
Ivan: No. It is true that we were looking for excellence, but the result is positive because despite the adversities we managed to reach the end in less than 30 hours in 12th position. And then you have to value learning, because in a career like the Badwater 135 you never stop learning things. I can't be disappointed because I gave everything I had inside, everything and more, to finish. I would be disappointed if I had even the slightest doubt that I did not do my best to achieve the best possible result.
42K: What positive lesson or learning do you take away from the Badwater 2023?
Ivan: On the one hand, you always have to follow the established strategy, without improvising and without making unnecessary mistakes. On the other hand, that there is always a way out or a solution even if it seems impossible for any difficulty. the badwater 2023 has made me burn into my head that as long as you don't give up, an opportunity can always be generated. You have to run with intelligence and head; the heart is very important in a race like this, but the key is to run with intelligence, with patience, without improvising and, above all, seeking inner balance.
Penalba on Ashley Paulson's triumph: "Women have a greater capacity for suffering and tolerance for pain than men"
42K Were you surprised by the victory of Ashley paulson, the first woman to prevail in the Badwater 135?
Ivan: No. She is an impressive, unique ultra-distance runner. Last year she already made a run and this year she had prepared herself conscientiously to make history. Her victory confirms something that I have been clear about for a long time: in ultra-distance races there are no differences between men and women; What's more, I dare say that women in this type of career have brutal potential because they have a greater capacity for suffering and tolerance for pain than men. In the United States there have already been several absolute victories for women in ultra-distance races. In ultra-distance tests, speed is not the determining element, but resistance and the ability to suffer. In some ultra-distance tests, it may end up being the women who set the bar at the highest and who leave record records. Ashley's example is the clearest proof of a woman who has defeated the best male specialists in the toughest race in the world. Her triumph is very positive for the ultra-fund because she can serve as an example and a claim for other women. Women, without a doubt, can aspire to compete face to face with men in the ultra-distance race.
42K: Do you think about going back to the Badwater?
Ivan: Yes. It is the race of my life. It is the career of my dreams. I thought I was qualified to fight for victory this year but I got a reality check. It is the toughest race in the world and it is not easy to achieve excellence. All the winners are over 40 and I am 31 right now. It may be a long road, but I want to come back as many times as it takes to get the win. And if one day I win, I will continue running it as many times as I can because it is an inhuman race and that is precisely what motivates me and excites me about it. There is no race in the world comparable to Badwater. I will run it again, but I will do it with my head as calm as possible to face the hard moments in a calmer way.
Text to 42K of :
Paco Amoros
Head of Communication for 42K
Graduated in Journalism from the CEU Cardenal Herrera University and master's degree in digital marketing. Head of Communication for 42K.
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