Badlands is undoubtedly one of the most attractive gravel events on the calendar. The fortunate individuals who get an entry immerse themselves in the Spanish desert and come out of it with an unrepeatable experience in the bag. Unrepeatable for some, as others are crazy enough to tackle the challenge the following year.

Pol Tarrés and Johnny Anaya took part in Badlands 2023 as a pair and returned with unfinished business. Pol could not make it to Capileira due to some knee pain, and although he initially didn’t think about returning, they ended up succumbing to the temptation of giving it another try.

The advantages of taking part in an event you have already participated in are relative, even more so when the task is as challenging as Badlands. Knowing what lies ahead can have a negative effect, something that unaware first-timers can benefit from. Pol and Johnny somewhat knew what to expect, but the course was different. If last year the rain truncated the event and prompted the organizers to plan a safety track that skipped some parts of the original track, the latest edition of Badlands featured everything it is renowned for: extreme heat and relentless terrain.

They had a proper strategy, with multiple itineraries based on different average speeds, the distance and accumulated elevation between towns, and all the natural sources of water along the way. All in all, it was about minimizing the number of stops, with only a couple of power naps on the plan. Easier said than done.

The pair started strong but the intense heat in the Gorafe Desert tested their limits. Before reaching Gor, they experienced some dizziness and severe dehydration, which paid a toll on their bodies. They could refill in Gor and resumed their ride into Sierra de Baza, with the first proper rest stop happening just before the top of Calar Alto, 22 hours into the event. Starting the descent from the highest point of the course, in such physical conditions, would have been too dangerous, so even when the mind starts to trick you, they made the right call.

Timing is key in ultradistance events, as riding past a village at night or outside opening hours means that all restaurants and supermarkets are closed. They regretted not stocking up on every occasion they got, as they found themselves without food in the middle of nowhere. The course over the second leg of their participation was mainly flat, and they made good progress as they reached the Cabo de Gata National Park before sunset.

Dinner that day consisted of two pizzas each, one to eat there, and one for takeaway as the following stretch would be at night. Hallucinations and sleep deprivation kicked in as the pair climbed Sierra Alhamilla, leading to a tough 15 km descent to Tabernas, where a short nap gave them the energy to push through.

The morale boost of the sun appearing on the horizon was minimized by the accumulated fatigue. The kilometers remaining were under the three digits, but every meter was an agony. “We’re finishing today, no matter what. We’re getting a shower and sleeping in a bed tonight”, Pol told Johnny. By then it was more about mental than physical endurance, and with determination, they crossed the finish line in Capileira at 4:03 AM, after 68 hours of elapsed time.

Pol and Johnny finished in second place in the pairs classification, but they never looked at the trackers to see where they were in the standings. As stated by Pol, “We did this not for anyone else, but for ourselves, to conquer the immense challenge we had set. And we did it”.

Everything is well summed up in the video that Pol has published on Youtube, which includes clips depicting the suffering from the inside, plus complementary content by Alexandre Gazquez, who participated in his own ultradistance event to cover the race as part of the media crew.