Harvey Lewis running in silhouette at dusk

Cincinnati, Ohio — ultrarunner & high school teacher

The limits we believe in are the only ones that exist.

Told he might never run again after a broken neck in 2004, Harvey Lewis turned survival into a thirty-year masterclass in human resilience. Two-time champion of Death Valley’s Badwater 135, five-time Team USA athlete, and a Cincinnati public school teacher—he proves every day that extraordinary willpower isn't genetic, but a daily practice.

Sponsorship & speaking → Media kit

Years of ultrarunning

15×

Badwater finishes (2× win)

5×

Team USA appearances

126

Races since 1996

Who he is

Most runners fight the extremes. Harvey Lewis smiles through them.

Known across the endurance world for his trademark warmth and boundless positivity, Harvey has spent thirty years exploring the outer edges of human potential—not by escaping daily life, but by running straight through it. He run-commutes through Ohio blizzards, fuels entirely on plants, teaches public high school history in Cincinnati, and reminds every student that they are like giant sequoias, capable of growing further than they can imagine.

Sponsorship & speaking → Media kit

Read the full story →

Four pillars, one runner

450

The record

108 consecutive 4.167-mile yards at Big’s Backyard Ultra, October 2023 — a world record that stood until 2025. In 2025, he pushed further to 111 yards (462.5 miles).

15×

Badwater veteran

15 finishes across Death Valley with two outright victories (2014, 2021). In 2024, he completed the 270-mile Badwater Double, turning around and running back to the start.

250

Chasing Democracy

250 miles on foot from NYC to the U.S. Capitol for America's 250th anniversary in 2026, running to spotlight the community stories that built our democracy.

180

School days a year

He teaches full time in Cincinnati Public Schools and run-commutes three miles each way, adding five more on the way home.

“We are all capable of incredible feats. No matter your pursuits, we can all go so much further than we think.”

Rich Roll Podcast, ep. 812

Selected results 126 races since 1996 · UltraSignup, iRunFar · WR = world record at the time

2026 Last Soul Ultra (Germany) 195.8 mi / 47 yards 14th

2026 Badwater 135 25:55:41 · 15th finish 11th

2026 Chasing Democracy 250 250 mi · NYC to DC (America250) Lead Runner

2026 Mid-State Mile 161.7 mi / 147 yards 1st · Winner

2025 Big Dog's Backyard Ultra 462.51 mi / 111 yards 3rd

2024 Badwater Double 270 mi (out & back through Death Valley) Finish

2023 Big Dog's Backyard Ultra 450.00 mi / 108 yards 1st · WR then

2021 Big Dog's Backyard Ultra 354.16 mi / 85 yards 1st · WR then

2021 Badwater 135 25:50:23 1st

2014 Badwater 135 ~23:53 1st

All 126 races since 1996 →

Speaking

A teacher who can tell you exactly what the fifth day feels like

Harvey speaks the way he teaches: specific, unhurried, evidence first. No hype, no beast-mode. He has held rooms of ninth graders and rooms of executives with the same three stories.

Keynote · 45–60 min

One more loop

How a 108-hour race is won in hour-long decisions — and where that applies to teams facing work with no visible finish line.

Corporate · 30–45 min

Pacing, not heroics

Sustainable performance from someone who recovers fast enough to race a 24-hour and a 100-miler thirteen days apart.

Schools · 30 min + Q&A

Everyone is a sequoia

The talk he gives his own students: mental limits, patience and gratitude, from a teacher who run-commutes to their school.