Alex Martinez Wins Badlands 2024

Badlands 2024 was fast moving, to say the least, and the latter part of the race was a real nail-biter between Team Amani rider Ken Karaya and Alex Martinez. During the long climb up to Carolina from Instinction, Ken had a small lead, but as dusk fell in Laujar de Andarax at kilometer 690, Alex overtook Ken as he struggled to maintain the strong pace Alex was pushing. Last year’s experience at this point in the race was an extra motivation for him. He finished in fifth place, and he even came here a few weeks earlier to prepare on this section. It certainly paid off. He pushed on toward the finish line to take Badlands 2024 with an incredible finish time of 1 day, 18 hours, and 18 minutes (1d:18h:18m).

Last year, Alex’s first words after finishing fifth in Badlands 2023 were, “It was my first ultra… I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes.” This year, a calmer and more calculated start, well-planned stops, and those preparatory rides in advance led to a very clean and smart ride for the 2024 edition.

“Last year, three people overtook me at El Muro, but this year, I wasn’t very aware of the others… it was just me and that hill. The heat has been very hard this year, especially in the deserts of Gorafe and Tabernas,” he said. “The atmosphere in Gor was incredible, I couldn’t leave… Everyone wanted to talk and take photos!”

Following Alex’s finish, Ken Karaya took second place about 40 minutes later, and Benjamin Koch finished third around an hour after that. Congratulations, guys! Stay tuned for more from Badlands 2024 and follow along on our Tracker page.

Check out the Badlands 2024 Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map, watch for ongoing race updates, and tune in for more event coverage. Find it here.

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