Susie Chan has been talking about Badwater 135 for almost as long as she’s been running- when people have asked her about her race goals, it’s the one she always mentioned.

Not only is Badwater 135 miles long, but it….

• Starts in the Badwater Basin, the lowest point in North America
• Passes over three mountain ranges
• Gains 14,600 feet of elevation
• Is held in  the hottest place in America (Death Valley) in the hottest time of the year (July)
• Can have up to a 90 degree temperature range rson the route

Susie set her sights on Badwater in 2023. And while we know a few things about how it went for her, we didn’t see the full picture until last week, when Peloton Originals debuted 135, Peloton’s first original documentary about her preparation for Badwater- and the journey along the race route as she ran. The documentary was a great debut short film- quick, engaging, and well-edited. (Though almost too quick- I could have watched more!)

So Susie sets out to prep for Badwater, characterizing it succinctly as, “this race is so… f***ed up.”

There was a lot to take into account: she doesn’t have the time for 100-mile weeks as some runners do, so she mixes her 50-mile weeks with yoga and strength- trying to strike a balance between training and rest. Her joints have been an issue, and since eating during a desert race makes her feel sick, race nutrition is a huge issue for her. She trains in a “plastic box” that had a treadmill to acclimate her body to the heat and to learn how to maintain her body temperature safely. (In one fun scene, Jeffrey McEachern joins her- and learned just how hot it is!)

We get to see the challenge of packing (since you have a car, you can bring items for every eventuality) and meet her crew, including Shaun Marsden, her “emotional support guy” who also happens to be her husband. When her car overheats on the way into Death Valley, you see a little  fear in her eyes- or maybe I’m projectng, because I’m wondering if a car breaks down, how does a human body handle the heat?

She wore a “Stay in the Fight” bracelet and called out her Susie’s Striders, who arranged to virtually run alongside her the entire length of the race, with at least one runner on a treadmill the entire time.

Susie begins the race at 9pm, and kicks it off by running all night. The first 50 miles must be run unaided, and there’s a time cutoff, and Susie doesn’t like night running much. While the morning is a relief, that’s also when the sun rises and the temperature begins to rise along with it- and it’s also when Susie’s knee begins to significantly bother her, as she heads into the morning. This day is the hottest part of the course, and her team kicks in with the proper ice and fluids, sometimes as frequently as every half mile. By the time she hits night two, she’s out of the sun, but has hit the toughest part, psychologically. She’s seeing faces in rocks, dinosaurs in bushes, and she’s in “so much pain”- seeing anyone, but especially someone like Susie, limp along the road is so painful. Not only was her knee giving out at that point, but her feet were raw, she was desperate for sleep, and Mount Whitney was still ahead.

As the morning came on again, she seemed almost delirious. This is, however, when the documentary dropped it’s funniest moment, and I’d love to give a gold star to the film editor who cut from Susie, raggedly trying not to die in the desert, to some instructor commentary which included Matt Wilpers sitting in a climate-controlled Peloton studio, looking very concerned for her, saying, “You’ve got to really want it.” (Not that Matt couldn’t rock a Badwater if he tried, but he was looking EXTRA clean-cut, wholesome, and well-rested at that particular moment.)

As morning dawns on Mount Whitney, we’re reminded that Susie’s Striders are running along, which made me tear up just a tiny bit. They hopped onto their virtual run in large numbers at the end to finish with Susie- and so did her race crew.  Not to spoil something that we all know happened months ago, but she made it.

We’re treated to an epilouge- and after seeing her misery, it was so good to see Susie back at PSL one week later- with her screaming fans welcoming her back.

Whether or not you’re one of Susie’s Striders, 135 is absolutely worth the watch, and we’ll be eager to see what original content Peloton drops next. This documentary was a strong start- and seeing Susie power through impossible conditions made me want to go hop on the treadmill and imagine I’m just as badass as she is.

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