3X Mixed: Drei Badwater Veteranen Dominate with a Sub-17:39 Finish

• Drei Badwater Veteranen (Kasow, Sanchez & Leisher) won the 3X Mixed field in 17:38:31 (13:04/mi), nearly 8 hours ahead of the next team.
• Lindsay Kasow held the fastest women's split on the USN Tower→Borrego segment; Ashley Leisher posted the second-fastest women's split on that same stretch — a one-two punch from the same team.
• Ray Sanchez recorded the third-fastest men's split on the Ranchita→Henshaw leg — a notable showing, especially for a 59-year-old running 81 miles from below sea level to Palomar Mountain.
• Three's Bad Company (Walther, Salinas & Perez) and Salty Milers (Kwon, Podlipski & George) finished 2nd and 3rd, separated by just 6:58 at 25:24:39 and 25:31:37 respectively.

The nine finishers in the 3X Mixed field told two very different stories on Saturday. Drei Badwater Veteranen — Lindsay Kasow (36), Ray Sanchez (59), and Ashley Leisher (28) — were in a class of their own, crossing the line in 17:38:31 and never relinquishing the lead at any checkpoint. Kasow held the top women's position from the opening miles to the finish, while Leisher sat second among women throughout. Together, they owned the USN Tower→Borrego segment, posting the two fastest women's splits on that stretch as a unit.

Sanchez's performance deserves its own spotlight. The Sacramento native is no stranger to this course — he finished 10th overall here in 2025 in 24:36:12 — and in 2026 he came back and helped power a winning effort nearly seven hours faster than his prior result. His third-fastest men's split on the Ranchita→Henshaw leg showed he was still running with purpose deep into the race.

Behind the leaders, the battle for 2nd and 3rd played out over the final hours. Three's Bad Company — Jonathan Walther (31), Rosalio Salinas (41), and Elizabeth Perez (61) — crossed in 25:24:39. Perez brings her own history here: she was part of a team that finished 10th overall in 2025 in 24:36:12, and she returned to earn a podium spot. Walther and Salinas both posted strong final-leg splits — 28th and 27th-fastest men's splits respectively on the Henshaw→Finish segment — as the team climbed the standings in the race's closing miles. Salty Milers (Woochan Kwon, Anne-Claire Podlipski, and Jennifer George, all from Los Angeles) finished 3rd in 25:31:37, just under seven minutes back, rounding out a tight contest for the final two podium spots in the 81-mile traverse from the Salton Sea to Palomar Mountain.