Susie Chan and Team Shatter the Course Record at Badwater Salton Sea

Peloton Tread instructor Susie Chan has added another milestone to her ultramarathon resume. At the thirteenth edition of Badwater Salton Sea on April 18-19, 2026, Chan and her teammates Amanda Skinner and Emma Harris, racing as team “Put The Kettle On,” crossed the finish line in 22 hours, 21 minutes, and 51 seconds. The time set a new course record in the 3X Women category, breaking the previous mark of 22:37:40 that had stood since 2015.

What Is Badwater Salton Sea?

Badwater Salton Sea is one of three events that make up the Badwater series, produced by AdventureCORPS. What makes this race unique is that teams of two or three runners complete the entire course together, not as a relay. Every step of all 81 miles is run as a unit, and as Chan put it herself, you are only as strong as your weakest person.

The route begins at Salton City, at an elevation of 234 feet below sea level, and finishes atop Palomar Mountain in San Diego County at an elevation of 5,500 feet, with a total elevation gain of over 9,000 feet.

Chan described the race in three distinct sections. The first 40 miles take runners through the heat of the Anza-Borrego Desert on exposed roads, where crews play a critical role keeping runners fed, iced, and watered throughout. That is followed by a gnarly trail section, climbing 5,500 feet over just 7.5 miles. The race then transitions into a 31-mile road section to close it out, with the final 11 miles a sustained push to the finish atop Palomar Mountain, gaining nearly another 3,000 feet of elevation.

The conditions are genuinely brutal. Temperatures swing from over 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, often with sandstorms, to freezing temperatures with wet fog at night, all while runners navigate two major mountain ascents. Veterans of the event routinely describe it as among the hardest things they have ever done.

Only teams that stay intact for the entire race are eligible to set or break course records, which makes the “Put The Kettle On” finish all the more significant. All three runners had to remain within 10 meters of each other for all 81 miles to qualify.

A Record Built on Teamwork

Chan was candid about how the record came together. By her own account, she was the weakest link on the day, and credits Skinner and Harris with pushing her through. The crew support was equally critical, keeping all three runners fueled and moving across some of the most demanding terrain in ultrarunning. Chan described it as pretty tough, but the team rallied for a strong finish and managed to bag a course record.

Chan’s history with the Badwater organization runs deep. After completing the Badwater Salton Sea and earning an invitation to the Badwater 135, she went on to become the first-ever European woman to complete all three Badwater events in a single year in 2023, earning the Badwater Ultra Cup. The Clip Out covered that historic achievement when it happened, and Peloton later released a documentary about her Badwater 135 journey that The Clip Out reviewed here.

If you want to go deeper into Chan’s running story, she captured many of these race experiences in her book Trails and Tribulations: The Running Adventures of Susie Chan, which covers her transformation from museum curator to ultramarathon competitor.

What It Means for Peloton Members

For members who take Chan’s Tread classes, a Badwater Salton Sea course record is concrete proof that their instructor does not just talk about endurance. She lives it at an elite level. Chan is a four-time Marathon des Sables finisher, a Badwater 135 competitor, and a Guinness World Record holder for the furthest distance run on a treadmill in 12 hours, covering 68.54 miles. The Clip Out The 2026 Badwater Salton Sea result is the latest addition to that list.

This year’s field drew 73 runners across 34 teams, representing 19 U.S. states and eight countries. Badwater Chan, Skinner, and Harris were among a small number of all-women three-person teams in the field, and the only one to finish with a record-breaking time.

Whether you are training for your first 5K or your tenth marathon, knowing that the instructor in your earbuds just crossed a desert at night and set a course record at Badwater Salton Sea makes the next hard interval a little easier to justify. What is the most challenging thing Susie Chan has inspired you to attempt?

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