At 80 years old, Bob Becker didn’t just finish the Badwater 135; he rewrote what’s possible.
This week, Becker crossed the finish line of one of the world’s most grueling ultramarathons with just under three hours to spare, becoming the oldest official finisher in the race’s history.
The 135-mile event snakes through California’s Death Valley in July, where temperatures regularly exceed 120 degrees, before ascending to the trailhead of Mount Whitney. It’s a test of heat, hills, and sheer will, one that chews up and spits out far younger runners every year.
Becker, though, was undeterred.
With just over a mile to go, he turned to fellow ultrarunner Harvey Lewis and deadpanned, “No more gels, Ensure or salt!” His legs were heavy, the air was hot, and his body had been through the wringer, but his humor, as always, was intact.
That final stretch was the culmination of a three-year arc. In 2022, Becker attempted the same race at 77, aiming to become the oldest to ever finish. He made it to the finish line, but 17 minutes past the 48-hour cutoff.
His back had seized up, and his legs gave out. He bear-crawled the final miles, refusing to quit. The attempt went viral in ultrarunning circles, not for the result, but for the sheer refusal to surrender.
Many assumed it was the last we’d see of Becker at Badwater. But he thought otherwise.
Becker returned to the race this year with a vengeance, and a crew stacked with ultrarunning royalty. His longtime coach Lisa Smith-Batchen served as crew chief, tailoring his training around both the demands of the course and the realities of his age.
Twenty-time Badwater finisher Marshall Ulrich was also on hand. With that support, and a meticulous approach to nutrition, pacing, and mindset, Becker held steady through two brutal days in the desert.
He didn’t just beat the course, he beat the clock.
A former race director and founder of Florida’s Keys 100, Becker’s late-life running story began when he was 57. Friends invited him to run Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota, and he said yes, despite not being a runner at the time.
Soon after, he was tackling 100-mile races and even the Marathon des Sables in Morocco. At 60, he ran across the Sahara. Along the way, he broke a femur, recovered from surgery, and came back stronger.
Becker credits his longevity to more than just training. He’s a longtime vegan, guided by the China Study and a commitment to staying healthy without shortcuts.
He stays on top of regular medical checkups, strength work, and a surprisingly strict dietary discipline, aided by his wife Suzanne, who keeps their kitchen stocked with what he calls “performance food.”
But the real secret, he’ll tell you, is mindset.
“I’m very much in the moment,” he said in a recent interview. “I break races down into small bites, the next few steps, the next mile. I keep my eyes on the finish line, but I’m always focused on what’s right in front of me.”
Becker’s story resonates far beyond ultrarunning. It’s a reminder that ambition doesn’t retire. That age, while real, is not necessarily limiting. That even when a finish line seems out of reach, there’s value in the crawl.
He didn’t just cross the line this time, he finished strong, upright, and in historic fashion.
And if you think this was his final race, think again. As Becker said of his enduring love for ultrarunning, “I’m always up for a challenge. Always up for something I haven’t done before.”
