Kostelnick wins Badwater 2016
The two-time STYR Labs Badwater 135 Ultramarathon champion, Pete Kostelnick, not only breaks, but shatters, the transcontinental running record which has stood since 1980.
Crossing from Pennsylvania into New York state earlier today, he finished at New York City Hall in 42 days, 6 hours, and 30 minutes – smashing the previous record of 46 days, 8 hours and 36 minutes.
In order to run an average of 72+ miles a day Kostelnick has risen between 3 a.m. to 3:30 a.m every day.
It wasn’t a solo effort, though; to help him achieve his goal, the four members of his support team have been with him every step of the way. Together they studied the day’s route and weather, making any last minute changes, before assembling the appropriate clothing, nutrition and hydration suitable for the miles ahead.
They’ve been on the road, quite literally, for over six weeks, ever since Kostelnick stepped off the grounds of San Francisco City Hall and began running toward New York City. The team persevered through 15-to-18-hour days inside the cramped quarters of their RV.
The RV was primarily for Kostelnick to rest and recover. He began sleeping in it three nights prior to the run’s start on September 12 and since then has not slept more than 200 yards from the carefully plotted 3,100-mile route.
As soon as Kostelnick began running toward the eastern coast promptly each morning, Chuck Dale and Dean Hart hopped into their support vehicle and initiate a daylong game of leapfrog. They would drive one to three miles ahead, pull over and wait for Kostelnick to catch up. There they handed him whatever food or drink he needed and Kostelnick continued running. The two men would then drive ahead another couple of miles and wait again.
They leapfrogged the indefatigable Kostelnick in this manner for the next 40+ miles, before taking a break and continuing for another 30+ miles. After nearly six weeks pounding the road, Kostelnick’s body required nourishment every 20 minute – adding up to a whopping 13,000 calories or more daily.
Key to this epic journey’s was making certain that every step of Kostelnick’s cross-country run was appropriately documented for the Guinness World Records’ consideration. So each morning, Kostelnick strapped on two identical GPS watches (in case one breaks). In the afternoon, he replaced those with two more GPS watches. The support team gathered witness signatures, took videos and photos, and assembled media reports.
Cracking Kostelnick
Pete Kostelnick was born and raised in Boone, Iowa and graduated from Iowa State University with degrees in Finance and International Business. He is married to Nicole Larson, also a runner, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where he works as a financial analyst for National Research Corporation.
He is a widely respected ultra-athlete with a number of prestigious wins. In July, he set a course record for the STYR Labs Badwater 135, an ultramarathon promoted as “the world’s toughest foot race,” which sends competitors on a brutal 135-mile run from the lowest point in North America—Badwater Basin in Death Valley—to the trailhead to the highest point in the Lower 48—Whitney Portal at Mt. Whitney. Already the defending champion, Kostelnick covered those miles in a new record of 21 hours, 56 minutes and 32 seconds.
In 2015, he entered the Desert Solstice Track Invitational and covered 163 miles in the 24-hour event. That earned him the number one seed in the International Association of Ultrarunners 24-Hour World Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland scheduled for next July. For more information, visit petesfeetaa.com.
