As the sun rose over the salt flats of Death Valley on Monday, July 27, 2026, a select group of the world’s most resilient athletes began their journey across what is arguably the most inhospitable terrain on Earth. The Badwater 135, widely recognized as the "World’s Toughest Footrace," is a 135-mile odyssey that stretches from the literal bottom of the United States to the gates of its highest peaks. While the runners who navigate the 120-degree heat often garner the headlines, the latest installment of the Outside Podcast’s "Long Read" series shifts the lens toward the unsung architects of these finishes: the support crews. The feature is based on the immersive reporting of writer Devin Kelly, who in 2025 traded his notebook for a set of van keys and a cooler full of ice. Kelly’s narrative, "What It Takes to Crew the Hardest Race on Earth," provides an unflinching look at the logistical nightmare and emotional rollercoaster of supporting an elite ultramarathoner. By joining the crew of runner Kaylee Frederick, Kelly transitioned from an observer to a vital component of a human life-support system, spending 32 consecutive hours battling sleep deprivation, searing winds, and the relentless pressure of keeping an athlete moving through the Mojave Desert. The Crucible of Death Valley To understand the magnitude of the crew’s responsibility, one must first understand the environment of the Badwater 135. The race begins at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America at 282 feet below sea level. From there, the course traverses three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100 feet of cumulative descent. The finish line sits at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney, at an elevation of 8,360 feet. In late July, the temperatures in Death Valley routinely exceed 120°F (49°C). The ground temperature, baked by the desert sun, can reach a staggering 200°F, enough to melt the glue in a runner’s sneakers. In these conditions, the human body is pushed to the absolute limits of thermoregulation. Without a dedicated crew to provide external cooling and precise hydration, a runner would likely collapse from heatstroke within the first 20 miles. The Logistics of Survival When Devin Kelly joined Kaylee Frederick’s team, he entered a world where the margin for error was non-existent. A Badwater crew typically consists of four people and a single support vehicle. This vehicle serves as a mobile command center, an ambulance, a kitchen, and a sanctuary. The rules of the race are stringent: crews cannot pace their runners during the heat of the day in certain sections, and they must follow specific protocols for leapfrogging the athlete to provide aid. For Kelly, the experience was a 32-hour blur of "van life" at its most extreme. The primary task of a crew member is "the spray." Using pressurized garden sprayers filled with ice water, crews must douse their runners every few minutes to facilitate evaporative cooling. In the dry desert air, sweat evaporates almost instantly, often leaving the skin dry even as the body overheats. The crew must manually replace this cooling mechanism, often jogging alongside the runner to ensure they are thoroughly soaked. Beyond cooling, the crew manages a complex nutritional strategy. As the heat rises, the stomach’s ability to process solid food shuts down. Kelly describes the delicate dance of offering snacks—everything from ginger chews to salted watermelon—knowing that a single bout of nausea could end Frederick’s race. The crew monitors "input and output," tracking every ounce of fluid consumed and every bathroom break to ensure the kidneys are still functioning under the massive physiological stress. The Psychology of the Crew Perhaps the most profound insight in Kelly’s reporting is the psychological weight of crewing. In the deep silence of the desert night, as the runner enters the "pain cave," the crew must become part-cheerleader, part-drill-sergeant, and part-philosopher. When Frederick struggled, it was Kelly and his teammates who had to provide the mental scaffolding to keep her upright. "You aren’t just handing someone a water bottle," Kelly notes in the podcast. "You are holding their will to continue in your hands." This emotional labor is compounded by the crew’s own physical exhaustion. While the runner is moving, the crew is constantly packing and unpacking the van, navigating narrow desert roads, and managing their own hydration and nutrition. Sleep is a luxury that few crew members afford themselves, leading to a shared state of delirium that mirrors the athlete’s own experience. The Scientific Perspective: Heat and Endurance Experts in exercise physiology often point to Badwater as the ultimate case study in human limits. Dr. Samuel Cheuvront, a specialist in thermal physiology, explains that in environments like Death Valley, the body’s primary challenge is "cardiovascular drift." As the body sends more blood to the skin to dissipate heat, there is less blood available to deliver oxygen to the working muscles. This forces the heart to work significantly harder just to maintain a slow jogging pace. A crew’s ability to lower the runner’s core temperature through ice bandanas and cold misting is not just a comfort measure; it is a clinical intervention. Without it, the core temperature would rise to 104°F or higher, leading to central nervous system failure. Kelly’s account highlights the technicality of this process—how the crew monitors the runner’s gait and speech patterns for the first signs of heat-induced cognitive decline. The 2026 Race and the Evolution of the Sport The release of this podcast coincides with the 2026 edition of the race, which saw a field of 100 invited runners from across the globe. Over the last decade, the Badwater 135 has evolved from a fringe event for "masochists" into a highly professionalized pinnacle of the endurance world. However, despite the influx of high-tech gear and sophisticated cooling fabrics, the fundamental nature of the race remains a primitive battle against the elements. The 2026 race, which started on July 27, featured a diverse field including veteran "Legends of Badwater" and newcomers looking to earn the coveted belt buckle awarded to those who finish under 48 hours. The podcast serves as a timely reminder that for every runner crossing the finish line at Whitney Portal, there is a team of exhausted individuals in a salt-crusted minivan who made that moment possible. The Narrative Power of the "Long Read" The Outside Podcast’s decision to feature Kelly’s work as a "Long Read" reflects a growing appetite for long-form, immersive storytelling in the digital age. By slowing down the news cycle and focusing on the granular details of the crewing experience, the podcast allows listeners to feel the grit of the sand and the oppressive weight of the heat. Kelly’s story is more than a sports report; it is an exploration of human empathy. Why do people volunteer to spend their weekends in a 120-degree desert, performing grueling labor for no pay and little recognition? The answer, Kelly suggests, lies in the unique bond formed in the crucible of extreme effort. To crew for someone is to witness them at their most vulnerable and their most courageous. It is an act of service that transcends the sport itself. Conclusion As the 2026 Badwater 135 competitors make their way toward the final climb up to Mount Whitney, Devin Kelly’s reporting stands as a tribute to the "invisible engines" of the race. The story of Kaylee Frederick’s 2025 run, now immortalized in the Outside Podcast, serves as a blueprint for the dedication required to conquer the impossible. In the end, the Badwater 135 is not a solo sport. It is a collective human endeavor. Whether it is Devin Kelly handing over a life-saving bottle of water in 2025 or the crews currently navigating the Panamint Range in the 2026 heat, the message remains the same: no one gets through the valley alone. The "Long Read" on the Outside Podcast ensures that while the runners take the medals, the crews finally get their story told. Post navigation The Great American Coolcation: How to Escape the Heat Dome in the Nation’s Best Adventure Towns The New Science of Heat-Abatement: Testing the Future of High-Tech Running Apparel in a Warming World.
