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