Max Jolliffe on Winning Badwater 135, Heat Training & His Path to Running

Max Jolliffe is one of the most followed ultrarunners on the internet, and in July 2026 he became the fastest man in the 49-year history of Badwater 135, finishing Death Valley's brutal 135-mile course (ending with a 12-mile climb up Mount Whitney Portal Road, in temperatures hitting 118°F) in 20 hours 53 minutes, on his very first attempt. In this episode, Michael talks to Max about his journey from Newport Beach surf-and-skate culture to ultrarunning champion, the science behind his heat training, his race-day battle for the lead at Badwater, how he balances content creation with elite racing, and why Cocodona has become his "white whale." Chapters: 0:00 Intro 3:25 Growing up in Newport Beach: surfing, skating, and sports 6:16 Getting sober and finding running almost by accident 8:14 His first marathon: OC Marathon, 2019 10:14 The meteoric rise from marathoner to ultrarunning champion 10:37 Training through COVID and building real consistency 12:13 Racing his way into Badwater (Sean O'Brien 100K to Angeles Crest 100) 14:05 Course recon and race-specific prep for Death Valley 14:58 The science of heat training: core temp, sweat tests, and data 17:28 What it's actually like to run Badwater 135 19:12 Race strategy and the back-and-forth battle 21:41 The darkest night: fighting through stomach issues and self-doubt 23:04 The explosion of content creators in ultrarunning 24:16 Balancing brand partnerships with full-time training 26:14 Running is the new skateboarding 28:59 Project-based running vs chasing competitive results 30:32 Cocodona 250: the race he's never finished, his white whale 31:25 What's next: Kodiak 100, UTMB qualifying, and the Go and More Ultra 32:11 Honeymoon plans in Spain (with a little training on the side) 32:59 What his watch showed during the hottest miles of the race 34:25 Do your feet really cook running on Death Valley asphalt? 35:34 Bucket list races: Western States, Barkley, and Tor des Géants Follow Max: https://www.instagram.com/woah_max/ Join Marathon Handbook’s RunClub for access to our members-only podcast, training plans, community rooms, merch and more: https://marathonhandbook.com/runclub Shop Marathon Handbook Merch: https://store.marathonhandbook.com