Girl Scouts are changemakers who go the extra mile, there’s no doubt about that. Girl Scout Kaylee Frederick of Johnstown not only went the extra mile—she went 135 miles, to be exact.
This past July, Kaylee made history for being the youngest ever entrant and finisher of the Badwater 135, an ultramarathon that covers 135 miles non-stop from Death Valley to Mt. Whitney, California.
At seven years old, Kaylee started running, and at 14, she started distance running. She ran her first 50-mile race when she was 14, her first 100-mile race when she was 16, and her first 200-mile race when she was 17. A few years ago, she heard about the Badwater 135 and saw it was deemed “The World’s Toughest Footrace.”
“I thought to myself, ‘who does the world’s toughest race? The toughest people.’ And I wanted to be on that list,” Kaylee said.
The starting line of the Badwater 135 is at Badwater Basin, the lowest elevation in North America at 280 feet below sea level, and finishes at Whitney Portal at an elevation of 8,300 feet. The race covers three mountain ranges for a total of 14,600 feet of cumulative vertical ascent and 6,100 feet of cumulative descent. Runners have 48 hours to complete the 135-mile ultramarathon in temperatures that can exceed 120 degrees.
“Becoming the youngest person in the world to complete the Badwater 135 is still a dream come true,” Kaylee said. “Getting to run that race and cross the finish line was the most surreal experience.”
When Kaylee takes on challenges like the Badwater 135 and tries to do things that are thought to be impossible, she hopes to be an inspiration to others.
“I hope that other people can see what I do and how I go after my dreams, and they can go after theirs,” she said. “There are very few people my age in the sport of ultra-running, but I don’t let that stop me from making my mark. And I hope other people see that—young, old, male, female—and go after their dreams, even if it isn’t ‘normal.’”
Does Kaylee’s mindset sound familiar? That’s because she embodies exactly what Girl Scouts do—they bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world.
Kaylee was a Girl Scout for 13 years, starting in kindergarten as a Daisy. She says Girl Scouting has taught her a lot about people—how to work with them and be active in her community.
A key part of the Girl Scout Law is to make the world a better place, and it’s the part that Kaylee says she lives by the most. Her journey to make the world a better place, along with her passion for running, led her to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award—the most prestigious award in Girl Scouting.
To earn the Gold Award, a Girl Scout identifies an issue in her community, drafts a plan to address a root cause, and leads a team of volunteers to implement it. For her Gold Award project, Kaylee built wooden walkways on the John P. Saylor Trail in Gallitzin State Forest. A frequent runner of that trail, she noticed it was constantly swampy and muddy, causing her feet to get wet every time she ran it.
“I knew if I had this issue, so did others,” she said. “I wanted to make a change.”
The walkways that Kaylee and her team built are over 100 feet long, allowing runners to access the area without getting their feet soaking wet.
Kaylee says she has enjoyed her time as a Girl Scout, especially being part of a troop. Her advice to younger girls is to stick with Girl Scouts.
“Sometimes it can seem like a lot, especially when balancing school, work, and other extra-curriculars, but it’s definitely worth it,” she said. “You can do anything you set your mind to.”
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