Shows
Ultrarunning History168: Old Sport Campana (1836-1906) - Part OneBy Davy Crockett
Peter Napoleon Campana (1836-1906), of Bridgeport, Connecticut, known as "Old Sport," was recognized as the most popular and entertaining “clown” of ultrarunning. It was said of him, "Campana kicks up his heels and creates a laugh every few minutes." He was one of the most prolific six-day runners during the pedestrian era of the sport. All of his amazing ultrarunning accomplishments were made after he was 42 years old, and into his 60s. He competed in at least 40 six-day races and many other ultra-distance races, compiling more than 15,000 miles during races on small indoor, smokey tracks. He never won...
2025-01-0326 min
Ultrarunning History143: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 12: More for 1971-1989By Davy Crockett
This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History.
Overcrowding Concerns
In 1971, because of overcrowding in the inner Canyon, the Park Service started to implement a reservation system for camping. They shared a situation on the Easter weekend when 800 people tried to camp at Phantom Ranch, which only handled 75. Park Superintendent Robert Lovegren (1926-2010), said, “We readily accept quotas on tickets to a theater or sports event. If the performance is sold out, we wait for the next one or...
2023-10-0927 min
Ultrarunning History141: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 11: More for 1950-1964By Davy Crockett. Read, listen, or watch
This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History.
Rim To Rim in the 1950s
In 1950, two 15-year-old boys from Los Angeles discovered that hiking rim-to-rim was a lot harder than they thought. While resting down at Phantom Ranch, they ran up an $8 unpaid bill and then decided that there was no way that they were going to hike back up.
“So, the two youths ‘borrowed’ a pair of mules at the ranch and rode to the...
2023-09-1124 min
Ultrarunning History140: Davy Crockett - Ultrarunning History Podcast HostRecently I went on the "Ultra Running Guys Podcast" with Jeremy Reynolds and Jeff Winchester. This will be a slimmed-down version of their interview with me. Their excellent podcast has also been doing a series interviewing race directors of some of the classic ultras.
The Ultra Running Guys said, "Not only was Davy Crockett the 15th person to complete 100-hundred-mile races, but as the Director of the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame, and the host of the Ultrarunning History Podcast. He has contributed more to the world of Ultra than just about anybody we know. Take us on your long...
2023-08-2832 min
Ultrarunning History139: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 10: More for 1927-1949By Davy Crockett. Read, listen, or watch
This part will cover additional stories found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in Part 2 of this Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History. These stories can also be found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History. By 1927, Phantom Ranch was well-established at the bottom of the Canyon. The new South Kaibab trail was complete, and the Black Bridge was nearing completion. On the North side, the North Kaibab trail up Roaring Springs Canyon was also nearing completion, which would make the rim-to-rim hiking experience much easier instead of using the "...
2023-08-1427 min
Ultrarunning History138: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 9: Phantom RanchBy Davy Crockett. You can read, listen, or watch
In 1906, David Dexter Rust (1874-1963) established a permanent camp near the confluence of Bright Angel Creek and the Colorado River that they name Rust Camp. They dug irrigation ditches and planted cottonwood trees by transplanting branches cut from trees found in nearby Phantom Creek. The camp was visited mostly by hunters going to and from the North Rim. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) visited the camp in 1913 for a few hours and it was renamed to Roosevelt Camp. By 1917, the government revoked the permit for the camp, and it became deserted. As the...
2023-07-3125 min
Ultrarunning History135: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 6: Early GuidesBy Davy Crockett
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Running the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim and back is one of the ultimate experiences for ultrarunners. Before the Grand Canyon National Park was established in 1919, there were several individuals who helped to bring attention to the wonder of the world and set the stage for rim-to-rim travel in the future. In 1913, getting to the North Rim from Utah was still a difficult endeavor, requiring support and guides. Roads to the rim were still primitive. Traveling rim-to-rim involved nearly 100 Bright Angel Creek crossings and a dangerous climb up to the North Rim. Visitors...
2023-06-2025 min
Ultrarunning History134: Frank Hart - Part 6: Final YearsBy Davy Crockett
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Read the full story of Frank Hart in my new book: Frank Hart: The First Black Ultrarunning Star
By late 1892, many of the original six-day professional pedestrians had left the sport, using their winnings to establish other careers, some of them pursuing illegal activities. Frank Hart had another terrible health scare during a six-day race in Wisconsin. News had spread across the country that his running days were finally over, that "he will never be seen on the track again." But running professionally had been part of his life for fourteen...
2023-05-3024 min
Ultrarunning History133: Frank Hart - Part 5: Declining Running CareerBy Davy Crockett
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Read the full story of Frank Hart in my new book: Frank Hart: The First Black Ultrarunning Star
By 1888, Hart had competed in about 30 six-day races in nine years. He had reached 100 miles or more in about 40 races and had so far won at least 30 ultras. Perhaps because of his color, he had not been given enough credit as being a dominant champion during his career. There certainly were some who were better six-day pedestrians, but he was at least in the top-10 of his era.
Racist labels against blacks such h...
2023-05-0827 min
Ultrarunning History124: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 12: George Noremac and MurderBy Davy Crockett
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On a summer morning in 1883 in midtown Manhattan, New York City, a young boy ran down 34th Street, getting the attention of a policeman. He cried out, “A man has killed some folks.” Officer John Hughes ran with the boy to a new saloon that recently opened. There he saw a man, pale, and trembling. He found out that the man was George Noremac, one of the most famous ultrarunners/pedestrians in the country.
Noremac led the officer up two flights of stairs to the apartment where he lived. On the dinin...
2022-12-2632 min
Ultrarunning History123: Dan Brannen – Ultrarunning's Pioneer AdministratorBy Davy Crockett
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Dan Brannen (1953-) of Morristown, New Jersey, has made a lifetime contribution to ultrarunning and the running sport in general. His dedicated work, mostly from behind the scenes, helped to establish world and national ultrarunning championships. His efforts have affected thousands of ultrarunners in America and around the globe for decades. Dan was inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in 2022.
Get Davy Crockett's new book, Frank Hart: The First Black Ultrarunning Star. In 1879, Hart broke the ultrarunning color barrier and then broke the world six-day record with 565 miles, fighting...
2022-12-1227 min
Ultrarunning History122: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 11: ArrestsBy Davy Crockett
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Ultrarunners/Pedestrians of the late 1800s were a unique breed of determined and aggressive individuals who were in the sport primarily trying to cash in on the huge prize money potential and to get their names in the newspapers as “world champions.” They would gladly endure the torture of running hundreds of miles in a week for a perceived easy way to earn life-changing money. Such opportunities obviously attracted individuals that weren’t necessarily the most outstanding citizens and had run-ins with the law. But the law and others at times wanted...
2022-11-2822 min
Ultrarunning History121: Pam Reed - The Desert Ultrarunning LegendBy Davy Crockett
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Pam Reed, age 61 in 2022, from Jackson Wyoming, and Scottsdale, Arizona, is a 2022 inductee in the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame, its 21st member. Over the years she has been a prolific, successful runner, especially in desert races in the western United States.
Leonard Peterson
Pam (Saari) Reed (1961-) grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in the small mining town of Palmer. She is the daughter of Roy E. Saari (1932-2018) and Karen H. Peterson (1935-2014). Her father worked at an enormous open pit iron mine in town and was...
2022-11-1428 min
Ultrarunning History120: Ultrarunning Stranger Things - Part 10: Richard Lacouse - ScoundrelBy Davy Crockett
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The strange story of ultrarunner Richard Lacouse has never been told before. Piecing together his unusual life story was an adventure in itself. He was once a famous, elite, ultrarunner/pedestrian from Boston during the late 19th century, one of the most prolific six-day pedestrians during the early years of the sport.
As with other runners of his time who amassed a fortune in winnings, he chose to use that money for nefarious purposes, rather than for good. His life turned from a race around a track for six days, to...
2022-10-3128 min
Ultrarunning History119: Ultrarunning Stranger Things - Part 9: Corruption and BribesBy Davy Crockett
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With the great success of ultrarunning (known as pedestrianism) in the 1880s, and the millions of dollars of legal wagering involved, corruption raised its ugly head in the sport. “Match Fixing,” was the most common form of corruption used. This practice made it possible for bookmakers to maximize their profits. Sports scholar Mike Huggins wrote, “The fixing of sports events has a history that is probably as old as organized sport. Persons off the field directed match fixing to make often illegal financial gains using a mixture of legal and illegal sports...
2022-10-1725 min
Ultrarunning History118: Ultrarunning Stranger Things - Part 8: Love ScandalsBy Davy Crockett
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Perhaps this is the tabloid episode of 19th century pedestrianism. In the late 1800s, ultrarunners (called pedestrians back then), both male and female spent a prolonged time away from their homes and families as they traveled to compete in races across American and in England. As with other professional athletes and celebrities, even in our day, love scandals would at times emerge that made for popular gossipy news stories. Many of these ultrarunners/pedestrians became instantly wealthy and had numerous adoring fans and friends who wished to be part of this...
2022-10-0327 min
Ultrarunning History116: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 6: Fraud, Theft, and NuisanceBy Davy Crockett
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By 1906, when the pedestrian era was over, most of the elite pedestrians turned to legitimate professions to support their families. Daniel O’Leary was traveling for a big publishing house. John “Lepper” Hughes was in the real estate business, Jimmy Albert was a Texas cattleman, Robert Vint was an oil agent in Russia. Samuel Day was a house painter in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
But many others had a darker side, driven by motivations of greed and were not necessarily the most outstanding citizens. It should not be too surprising that many were involv...
2022-09-0725 min
Ultrarunning History115: Ultrarunning Stranger Things – Part 5: Steve Brodie - New York NewsboyBy Davy Crockett
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Steve Brodie
The 19th century ultrarunner was a different breed of athlete compared to those today who participate in the sport. A large number of those early runners were not necessarily the most outstanding citizens. For the vast majority, the motivation for participating was not to see what they could personally accomplish running long distances. They were primarily motivated by greed and gaining fame. It should not be too surprising that many were involved in wild free-spending lifestyles, scandals, illegal activities, and run-ins with the law.
A pattern emerged for many...
2022-08-2433 min
Ultrarunning History114: Ultrarunning Stranger Things: Part 4 - Race DisruptionsBy Davy Crockett
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Today’s ultras usually have few disruptions from outsiders or spectators. The most serious disturbances are typically from people who take down course flagging which can cause runners to go off course, potentially putting them in serious danger. But during the era of ultrarunning more than 120 years ago, with thousands of spectators watching exhausted runners go in circles for six days, strange disruptions were commonplace. During high profile races, squads of policemen were required to keep the order. This is the fourth part of the Ultrarunning Stranger Things series. See Part 1, Par...
2022-08-1125 min
Ultrarunning History113: Ultrarunning Stranger Things: Part 3 - Sickness and DeathBy Davy Crockett
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Sadly, some professional walkers and runners from the “pedestrian” era, more than 120 years ago, became afflicted by mental and physical illness during and after six-day runs, likely caused by the powerful drugs and stimulants that were used at the time, and also due to mental stress breakdowns. Enormous pressure was put on them by their financial backers to be successful. Their “trainers” or crew would at times resort to measures that would have long-term effects on the health of their runners to get a short-term financial windfall. Not only would they load thei...
2022-07-2923 min
Camp Davy ChroniclesS1:E15 - Uncle Freddy Wants You (feat. Jerry Moyer)In which Zeph, Hayden, and Jerry review the Davy Crockett Restaurant and discuss quarter throwing, showerhouse names, particle accelerators, camp history, animal encounters, and more!
Follow us on Instagram to see pictures from camp all summer long! https://www.instagram.com/campdavychronicles/
E-mail us your questions to get them answered on a future episode! (Or submit a theme song!) campdavychronicles@gmail.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn21HpHKrUy8WsOImloLspQ
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The views...
2022-07-1158 min
Camp Davy ChroniclesS1:E7 - Camp Davy FunIn which Zeph and Hayden discuss Leaning Tree, Specialty Week, camp songs, new campsite names, dining hall food, and how to earn the official Camp Davy Chronicles patch!!
Follow us on Instagram to see the patch design: https://www.instagram.com/campdavychronicles/
E-mail us your questions to get them answered on a future episode! (Or submit a theme song!) campdavychronicles@gmail.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn21HpHKrUy8WsOImloLspQ
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Camp-Davy-Chronicles/100077289373450/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavyChronicles
The...
2022-04-2537 min
Ultrarunning History89: Spartathlon Part 2 (1983) – The First RaceBy Davy Crockett
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Get this history in my new book
Spartathlon, an ultra of 246 km (153 miles), takes place each September in Greece, running from Athens to Sparta and with its 36-hour cutoff. It is one of the toughest ultramarathons to finish.
In Part 1 of this series, episode 88, the story was told how Spartathlon was born in 1982, the brainchild of an officer in the Royal Air Force, John Foden. Three servicemen successfully covered a route that was believed to have been taken in 490 B.C., by the Greek messenger, Pheidippides. The 1982 trial run set the...
2021-10-0729 min
Ultrarunning History76: The 100-miler: Part 23 (1983) The 24-Hour Two-Man RelayBy Davy Crockett
This is a bonus episode about the Fort Meade races covered in episode 75.
In the 1970s, a 24-hour relay craze took place at high schools, colleges and running clubs. By 1972, Runner's World Magazine, in Mountain View, California, was publishing results along with some standardized rules for these relays participated by hundreds of runners. The Washington and Baltimore Road Runners Clubs were early adopters the relay format when they established a 24-hour 10-man-team relay race in 1970 on the track at Mullins Field in Fort Meade where participants would run one-mile legs. The event would eventually expand to 50-mile a...
2021-04-1122 min
Ultrarunning History75: The 100-miler: Part 22 (1978) Fort Meade 100By Davy Crockett
Park Barner at Fort Meade
During the 1960s and 1970s, most of the 100-mile races were held on oval tracks. Additionally, 100 miles were achieved during 24-hours races, usually also held on tracks. Running for 100 miles on an oval track seemed like an extreme oddity back then, even as it does today.
During that period, there were 19 known track 100-mile running races held worldwide, that were not also 24-hours races. In addition, there were many other 100-mile racewalking competitions in both England and America where walkers sought to become a “Centurion” by walking 100 miles in 24 hours of less (see e...
2021-03-2927 min
Ultrarunning History74: The 100-miler: Part 21 (1978) Ed Dodd and Don ChoiBy Davy Crockett
1978 was the year when more 100-mile and 24-hour races started to be established in the United States. In 1976, Tom Osler of New Jersey brought renewed American ultrarunning attention to the 24-hour run when he ran a solo 24-hour run on that track at Glassboro State College where he was teaching. (see episode 67). Enthusiasm for attempting to race for more than 100 miles in 24 hours started to spread.
Two very influential ultrarunning pioneers, Ed Dodd, of Collingswood, New Jersey, and Don Choi of San Francisco, California, brought their race directing and running skills to the 24-hour arena in the 1978. T...
2021-03-0928 min
Ultrarunning History73: The 100-miler: Part 20 (1978-79) The Unisphere 100 at Flushing MeadowsBy Davy Crockett
1978 was a year when new road 100-milers started to spring up across America, put on by independent race directors. Most of these races were available for the non-elite long-distance runners to give the epic distance a try. These 100-milers were held in Hawaii, California, New Jersey, Maryland, Missouri. One race in particular was established that would eventually become a national championship event: the 100-miler at Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York. Going forward 100-mile or 24-hour races would be held at this venue into the 1990s. World and American records would be set on the grounds normally us...
2021-02-2127 min
Ultrarunning History72: The 100-miler: Part 19 (1977) Don Ritchie World RecordBy Davy Crockett
During the early 1970s, the majority of the American ultramarathons were held in the eastern states, including 100-milers. But by the late ‘70s, a western migration was taking place and soon the state of California was holding the most ultras. Ultrarunners learned about races mostly by word-of-mouth from other runners who they would see before and after a race. That is how American, Frank Bozanich, a future ultrarunning hall of famer, received an invitation to run in a historic race, the 1977 24-hour Crystal Palace Track Race in England, where the Scot, Don Ritchie would make 100-mile history. Det...
2021-02-0727 min
Ultrarunning History71: The 100-miler: Part 18 (1977) Western States 100By Davy Crockett
The 1977 Western States 100
Andy Gonzales
In 1977, Wendell T. Robie (1895-1984), the president of the Western States Trail Foundation and the director of the Western States Trail Ride (Tevis Cup), decided that it was time to add a runner division to his famous Ride. For more than two decades this 100-mile endurance horse race had been held on the famous trail in the California Sierra. Could ultrarunners also race the course?
Robie had previously helped seven soldiers successfully complete the course on foot in 1972 (See Forgotten First Finishers), the first to do so, and had been pleased that G...
2021-01-2230 min
Ultrarunning History70: The 100-miler: Part 17 (1973-1978) Badwater RootsBy Davy Crockett
Walks and runs across Death Valley, in California during the hot summer started as early as 1966 when Jean Pierre Marquant (1938-) from Nice, France accomplished a 102-mile loop around the valley that included climbing two of the high mountains. (see episode 62).
This started a Death Valley hiking and running frenzy in the lowest and hottest place in North America. It mostly concentrated on 100+ mile end-to-end journeys across the blazing wilderness. End-to-end records were set, broken, and recorded by the Death Valley Monument rangers. All of these accomplishments were the roots for what eventually would be the Badwater U...
2021-01-0928 min
Ultrarunning History69: The 100-miler: Part 16 (1976-1977) Max Telford and Alan JonesBy Davy Crockett
In the 1970s, the sport of ultrarunning received very little attention in the mainstream media. In April 1974, Park Barner from Pennsylvania, the top ultrarunner in America at the time, did appear on a local television show. The episode was entitled, “The Loneliness of the Ultra-Distance Runner.” He also later was on CBS's PM Magazine. But the ultrarunners who really succeeded in getting the attention of the public were those who rarely participated in formal races and instead put on endurance stunts that were attention-grabbers.
The most prominent runners had the help of skilled marketing resources to keep their...
2020-12-2727 min
Ultrarunning History68: The 100-miler: Part 15 (1975-1976) Andy WestBy Davy Crockett
Since the dawn of the sport of ultrarunning more than a century ago, a unique breed of ultrarunner has existed which I will call the "self-promoter." They were skilled in using their running talents to gain fame and fortune, mostly by doing "stunts" rather than participating in competitions. There is nothing inherently wrong with seeking to make a living this way. Before World War II, most ultrarunners were "professionals" who lived off winnings, wagers, and gate receipts from doing stunts.
But sadly, many self-promoters would make false claims, play on the sympathies of a gullible public, and s...
2020-12-1928 min
Ultrarunning History67: The 100-miler: Part 14 (1975-1976) Cavin Woodward and Tom OslerBy Davy Crockett
In the early 1970s, several highly competitive 100-mile races had been held in England, but they were still primarily organized for attempts to break British or world records. In 1975 another classic race was held, perhaps one of the greatest and most competitive 100-mile race ever held. It left one reporter speechless, witnessing something that he would never forget, watching some of the fastest 100-mile runners ever, and experiencing the sportsmanship of ultrarunning for the first time. This story must be retold.
In America, 100-mile races were being held, open to anyone who wanted to give it a t...
2020-12-0529 min
Ultrarunning History66: The 100-miler: Part 13 (1974-1975) Gordy AinsleighBy Davy Crockett
Several 100-mile races and solo runs were held in 1974 across the globe that year, but the most significant run, which mostly went unnoticed at the time, was performed by Gordy Ainsleigh in the rugged, hot mountains in California. You were probably told he was the first, but he was actually the 8th to cover that trail on foot during the Tevis Cup horse ride and the sport of trail ultrarunning was not invented that year.
Previous to 1974, more than 1,000 sub-24-hour 100-mile runs had been accomplished on roads, tracks, and trails. Thus, Ainsleigh's run did not get m...
2020-11-2200 min
Ultrarunning History65: The 100-miler: Part 12 (1971-1973) Ron Bentley and Ted CorbittBy Davy Crockett
During the 1970s, the modern-era of ultrarunning was slowly increasing. The term “ultramarathon” (“ultra” for short) was introduced by legendary Ted Corbitt about 1957 and by the early 1970s it was being used more often to make the distinction with the public that athletes could run further than the marathon distance.
100-mile races were not yet widely prevalent and open to all, but the spark had been kindled to bring back the distance that many hundreds of runners had achieved before World War II. The shorter ultra-distance races including 50-miles were ever-increasing, including races such as the JFK 50 in Maryla...
2020-11-1131 min
Ultrarunning History64: The 100-miler: Part 11 (1970-1971) Women run 100-milersBy Davy Crockett
As the 1970s began, for the first time in decades, daring pioneer long-distance women athletes again joined in the 100-mile quest, with some opposition because of the lack of public acceptance for women to compete in long distances.
By 1970, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) was governing American amateur running and working to prepare athletes for the Olympics. The AAU received growing criticism regarding its governance, arbitrary rules, locking out some runners, and banning women from competitions. But some races started to ignore the AAU rules and allow women to run. Most ultramarathons let them run, at least un...
2020-10-3031 min
Ultrarunning History63: The 100-miler: Part 10 (1968-1969) Walton-on-Thames 100By Davy Crockett
During the late 1960s, 100-mile races started to make a comeback both in England and in the United States. Walking 100 miles in under 24 hours became popular in Europe and similar events also started to be held in America, featuring a legendary lumberjack walker from Montana.
Racing 100 miles also rose from the ashes. A long-forgotten indoor 24-hour race started up in Los Angeles California where western ultrarunners strived to reach 100 miles on a tiny track, up seven stories, in the busy downtown metropolis.
But the most significant 100-mile race of the decade was held in 1969, at Walton-on-Thames in S...
2020-10-0532 min
Ultrarunning History62: The 100-miler: Part 9 (1961-1968) First Death Valley 100sBy Davy Crockett
For the first time, Death Valley became a harsh target location for athletes that are now long-forgotten to prove they could overcome suffering and cover 100 miles during intense summer heat. These attempts received national attention and also frustrated Death Valley Monument rangers. But they would lay the foundational idea of what eventually became the Badwater Ultramarathon.
During the 1960s, formal 100-mile races took a backseat to the shorter ultrarunning distances that were starting to draw talented runners into the sport from marathon running. The 50-mile distance was on ultrarunning centerstage as London to Brighton emerged as the p...
2020-09-1933 min
Ultrarunning History61: The 100-miler: Part 8 (1950-1960) Wally Hayward and Ron HopcroftBy Davy Crockett
100-mile attempts mostly ceased across the world during the 1940s due to World War II. By 1946 some isolated 100-mile attempts reemerged, including a walking event in England where seven athletes accomplished the distance in less than 24-hours. Rex Whitlock of Great Britain walked the 100-mile Bath Road course in an amazing 17:44:40 in 1952.
Ultrarunning, at other distances, also came to life again in South Africa when the Comrades Marathon (55 miles) was held again in 1946 and the Pieter Korkie 50 km was established in Germiston. In England, the London to Brighton running race (52 miles) was established in 1951, using the famed r...
2020-09-0730 min
Ultrarunning History60: The 100-miler: Part 7 (1930-1950) Wartime 100-MilersBy Davy Crockett
After decades of 100-mile races, matches and successful finishes in less than 24 hours before 1930, the Great Depression turned ultrarunners’ attention to more important matters – surviving. Opportunities to earn a living as a professional runner dried up as public interest waned. Memories of past accomplishments and records faded. Occasionally the newspapers would pull out of their dusty archives a story about Edward Payson Weston’s walking wonders which was treated as “believe it or not” oddities, rather than something that others could accomplish.
But the spark of running or walking 100 miles on foot still smoldered during the next two decades...
2020-08-1430 min
Ultrarunning History59: The 100-miler - Part 6 (1927-1934) Arthur NewtonBy Davy Crockett
In the 1920s one of the greatest British ultrarunner ever appeared, who made a serious impact on the forgotten 100-mile ultrarunning history before World War II. He was Arthur Newton of England, South Africa, and Rhodesia was a rare ultrarunning talent who had world-class ability in nearly all the ultrarunning distances from 50 km to 24-hours. Newton learned most of his serious running on a farm in remote Africa and was bold enough to step onto the world stage and beat everyone. His dominance in the early years of South Africa’s Comrades Marathon (54 miles) helped the race get...
2020-07-2832 min
Ultrarunning History58: The 100-miler - Part 5 (1902-1926) London to Brighton and BackBy Davy Crockett
For at least 150 years, running or walking 100 miles within 24 hours has been an impressive feat sought after by thousands.
Part 4 of this 100-miler series covered the history of 100-mile races held in America in the early 1900s before World War I. But during this period, there were 100-mile races held in other places around the world, especially in England. During the early 1900s a remarkable shift occurred. In the late 1800s, America was the home for ultra-distance walking competitions. But as pedestrian competitions fell out of favor and outlawed in the U.S., ultrawalking ceased for a t...
2020-07-0832 min
Ultrarunning History57: The 100-miler – Part 4 (1900-1919) 100-Mile Records FallBy Davy Crockett
Many of today’s ultrarunners think that ultrarunning was invented during their lifetime. An article appeared in April 2020 Ultrarunning Magazine that stated falsely, “the format that most of us know as ‘ultrarunning’ today (trail and road races, typically 50k to 100 miles) is barely 50 years old.” Such statements are ignorant of the rich history of the past and the ultrarunners who paved the way, running ultradistances on dirt roads and trails for more than two centuries.
In April 2020, Runners World published an article proclaiming falsely that the first 100-mile ultra was held in 1974. This is part 4 of a rich 100-mi...
2020-06-2431 min
Ultrarunning History56: The 100-miler – Part 3 (1879-1899) 100 Miles CrazeBy Davy Crockett
Contrary to popular misinformed opinion, 100-mile races did not originate in California, with the Western States 100 in 1978. One hundred years before, by the end of 1878, more than 200 successful 100-mile finishes had taken place in the 19th century, most of them with times under 24-hours, on dirt roads, trails, and indoor tracks.
Part 1 and Part 2 of this 100-mile series covered the stories of remarkable long-forgotten ultrarunning pioneers. By 1879, a remarkable shift started to take place. The most elite professional 100-mile walkers and runners became focused on competing in indoor six-day races for huge prizes and fame. That year m...
2020-06-1130 min
Ultrarunning History55: The 100-miler - Part 2 (1874-1878) Women PedestriansBy Davy Crockett
Competitions to walk or run 100 miles have taken place for more than 300 years. Part 1 (1737-1875) of this series shared the very early attempts to reach this ultra-distance milestone on foot. By 1867, walking 100 miles in one-go started to receive intense attention, especially in America. A multi-year 100-mile frenzy was launched. In this part, the story is told how the 100-mile craze expanded.
In 1878, thanks to those in England, the 100-miler opened up to runners who could “go as you please” rather than sticking to a strict “heel-toe” walking style that was emphasized in America. That year, well over one hundr...
2020-05-2932 min
Ultrarunning History54: The 100-miler - Part 1 - (1737-1875) Edward Payson WestonBy Davy Crockett
The 100-miler! Running or walking 100 miles in one-go is an amazing accomplishment. Unfortunately, some people of today still mistakenly believe that the 100-miler was invented in 1974 when a man without his horse ran 100 miles. Contrary to the cunning marketing hype that has been spread for decades, the history of the 100-miler ultra on all surfaces started long before that year. The sub-24-hour 100-miler was accomplished by hundreds of people before that famed journey in the California Sierra in 1974. In April 2020, Runner's World magazine erroneously called that run "The First 100-mile Ultra."
The “mile” measurement has roots back...
2020-05-1733 min
Ultrarunning History53: Marcy Schwam: Pioneer UltrarunnerBy Davy Crockett
Marcy Schwam, from Massachusetts, was an ultrarunning pioneer in the 1970s and early 1980s, during an era when some people still believed long-distance running was harmful to women. She won about 30 ultramarathons and set at least six world records at all ultra-distances from 50 km to six-days. At one point she ran 100 miles faster than any woman had ever run that far.
She was bold, brazen, with an impressive “get-out-of-my-way” attitude and racing style. She would take command of a race and preferred to lead rather than follow. This courageous attitude also helped to break through the stigma held...
2020-05-0332 min
Ultrarunning History52: Charlie Trayer – 1980s Ultrarunning LegendBy Davy Crockett
Charlie Trayer, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was one of the greatest “short-range” American ultrarunners of the 1980s. During his ultrarunning career, he accumulated at least fifteen ultra wins from 1981-1990, including several national championships. He was known for bolting out into the lead like a “wild banshee” at the start of a race with a “kamikaze attitude” no matter what the distance. It was a winning strategy that he used very effectively.
Trayer went from running in the Olympic Marathon Trials to ultrarunning. He was one of the very few elite American ultrarunners of the 1980s who competed against the be...
2020-04-1935 min
Ultrarunning History51: Park Barner – The Human MetronomeBy Davy Crockett
Park Barner of Pennsylvania was one of the greatest American ultrarunners of the 1970s. He was the first competitive American ultrarunner to become broadly known outside the ultrarunning community. He was shy, disarmingly humble and a man of few words. He avoided the spotlight, never was a self-promoter, and was known for his relentless metronome pace rather than speed.
Barner won, and he won often. At one time he held the world record for the 24-hour run and other ultra-distance American records. But he said that he didn’t really need trophies or wins to feel satisfied. To...
2020-04-0434 min
Ultrarunning History50: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 5: The RacesBy Davy Crockett
Part 5 of the Rim-to-Rim History Series. See also Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4
Believe it or not, races across the Grand Canyon used to be conducted for hikers and runners. Early on, they occurred with the approval of the National Park, but in later years they were held contrary to rules set forth by the park. Eventually underground races or large commercial rim-to-rim hikes became a point of controversy and outsiders commented that rim-to-rim hikers and runners were turning the Grand Canyon into their own private sports arena for a day.
But within all these various events a...
2020-03-2334 min
Ultrarunning History49: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History - Part 4 - Aiken FamilyBy Davy Crockett
Part 4 of the Rim-to-Rim History Series. See also Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
New Book!
For anyone hiking or running rim-to-rim, most people will usually stop at a location about a mile below Roaring Springs that today is called the Manzanita Rest area, named after a creek coming down a small nearby side canyon. But the name and the rest area are a fairly new, a 2015 creation. Newer visitors have no idea that there is a rich history that took place at that location from 1973-2005.
For veteran rim-to-rim hikers and runners, they still call this place fondly, “The...
2020-03-0836 min
Ultrarunning History48: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 3 (1964-1972)By Davy Crockett
This is the third part of the rim-to-rim series. Read first Part 1 and Part 2
As the Grand Canyon entered the 1940s, the corridor trails were in place along with the Black Bridge across the Colorado River, making rim-to-rim travel on foot possible. By the early 1960s, a few daring athletes were hiking or running rim to rim in a day and even a few completing double crossings in a day. Credit goes to Pete Cowgill (1925-2019) and his Southern Arizona Hiking Club from Tucson, Arizona, who demonstrated to all that crossing the Canyon on foot in a d...
2020-02-2330 min
Ultrarunning History47: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 2 (1928-1964)By Davy Crockett
This is the second part of the Rim-to Rim story. Read/Listen/Watch to Part 1 here.
Descending into the inner Grand Canyon is an experience you will never forget. Part one covered the very early history of crossing the Canyon from 1890-1928. Trails that could accommodate tourists were built, including Bight Angel and South Kaibab trails coming down the South Rim. A tourist in 1928 explained, "the Kaibab trail is a fine piece of work, easy grade, wide and smooth, while the Bright Angel trail still belongs to the local county and is maintained by it, and is s...
2020-02-0931 min
Ultrarunning History46: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 1 (1890-1928)By Davy Crockett
For both ultrarunners and hikers, the Grand Canyon is considered by most, one of the greatest destinations to experience. Thousands make their pilgrimages each year to experience the joy of journeying across the Canyon's great expanse, rim-to-rim (R2R). Crossing the Canyon and returning back is an activity that has taken place for more than 125 years. Native Americans crossed the Canyon centuries earlier.
During the spring and fall, each day people cross the famous canyon and many of them, return the same day, experiencing what has been called for decades as a “double crossing,” and in more recen...
2020-02-0132 min
Ultrarunning History45: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 2By Davy Crockett
This is the second part of the Dave Kunst story. Read/Listen/Watch to Part 1 here.
Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, now from California, claims that he was “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth on foot.” Kunst's 1970-74 walk has historic importance for the modern-era of ultra-distance walking. I believe that Konstantin Rengarten was actually the first in 1894-1898 (See Part 3). I will show that Kunts' "verified" claim is dubious, but his amazing walk did happen, and the story is fascinating and exciting. But at what cost to those w...
2020-01-2433 min
Ultrarunning History44: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 1By Davy Crockett
Who was the first person to truly walk around the world? If your search the Internet the answer that come back is: Dave Kunst, an American who claimed to do it in 1970-1974. Dave Kunst, originally from Minnesota, claims that he is “the first person verified to have completed circling the entire land mass of the earth.”
The previous parts of this series have hopefully taught the reader to be very skeptical of such claims. Is his claim true? Did he really walk around the entire world in 1970-1974? Was he the first? Was it truly independently verifi...
2020-01-1833 min
Ultrarunning History43: Walking Backwards Around the World – Part 6By Davy Crockett
Attempts to walk backwards for ultra-distances has taken place for more than two centuries. Why? One backwards walker once said, “With the whole world going backwards, maybe the only way to see it is to turn around.” Obviously, such attempts caused a stir of attention. Common comments heard around these individuals were, “What is that fool doing?” and “When did he get out of the asylum?” In recent years some have actually encouraged the practice as a way to burn more calories, sharpen senses, train your peripheral vision, and improve balance. But walking backwards for hundreds and thousands of mi...
2020-01-0432 min
Ultrarunning History42: Around the World on Foot – Part 5 – Dumitru DanBy Davy Crockett
During the early 1900s, hundreds of people were claiming falsely that they were walking around the world and were given free room and board by the trusting public as they came into towns. Nearly every “around the world on foot” walker mentioned a wager as their motivation for making the attempt, similar to Jules Verne’s Phileas Fogg’s wager in his 1872 novel “Around the World in 80 Days.” More than 95% of these globetrotters made claims that were false.
Beginning about 1904, a new twist emerged. A few of the globetrotters claimed that they were part of a race or competitio...
2019-12-1733 min
Ultrarunning History41: Around the World on Foot – Part 4 – The BizarreBy Davy Crockett
Before returning to more serious ultrarunning history, three more “around the world on foot” tales must be told. These stories are so bizarre that they are hard to believe, but they did happen. These individuals gave up years of their lives to gather attention by walking thousands of miles enduring much hardship. Eventually as world conflict exploded into World War I, much of what the public thought was nonsense, disappeared for a time.
These three stories involved a “masked walker,” an English man who tried to walk around the world in an iron mask. Also, an Austrian man who t...
2019-12-0533 min
Ultrarunning History40: Around the World on Foot – Part 3 (1894-1899)By Davy Crockett
During the very late 1800s, people from various countries started to attempt to walk around the world for attention, money, and fame. In Part 2 of this series on walking around the world, I shared many stories of “fakes” who took advantage of the American public by traveling around the Midwest United States claiming to be on treks around the world, but making little or no effort to actually leave the States.
However, others at that time made more sincere attempts and successfully did extended walking on multiple continents, accompanied by newspaper stories confirming their presence in different count...
2019-11-2731 min
Ultrarunning History39: Around the World on Foot – Part 2 (1894-96)By Davy Crockett
In Part 1 of this series, about walking around the world, I covered the very early attempts. By 1894, dozens, if not hundreds of walkers, started to participate in an “around the world on foot” craze. For many it was a legitimate ultrawalking attempt, but for most it was just a scam to travel on other people's generous contributions.
The typical scam went like this: They claimed that they were trying to walk around the world to win thousands of dollars on a wager, but they had to do it without bringing any money. They needed to be funded throu...
2019-11-2133 min
Ultrarunning History38: Around the World on Foot – Part 1 (1875-1895)By Davy Crockett
In 1873, Jules Verne published his classic adventure novel, Around the World in 80 Days, which captivated imaginations of the possibility of traveling around the world in a given time and the wonders that could be seen.
Also at that time, Pedestrianism, competitive walking, was in its heyday. Starting in 1875 individuals began to discuss if it would be possible to somehow walk around the world. Wagers were made and attempts began. They had no true idea how far it was or how long it would take. It wouldn’t be until more than 100 years later that some guidelines would be...
2019-11-1131 min
Ultrarunning History37: Soldier Barnes – Six-day Race Relic (1846-1916)By Davy Crockett
Old Soldier Barnes was a Civil War veteran from Pennsylvania who became a very popular professional ultrarunner in 1900 when he was in his early 50s. He must have not worn his age well, because people always thought he was much older than he really was. He entered the sport when the six-day race was making a comeback in Pennsylvania, about 20 years since its heyday in the 1800s when it was a huge spectator sport, watching walkers and runners go in circles for six days trying to travel as many miles as possible.
There was a brief resurgence of...
2019-11-0231 min
Ultrarunning History36: Ruth Anderson – Pioneer UltrarunnerBy Davy Crockett
Ruth Anderson pioneered women's marathon and ultrarunning in the 1970s, at a time when virtually no American women participated in the sport. She established numerous American ultra women's records and became an inspiration for the first generation of American ultrarunning women.
She was a nuclear chemist and began running at all distances, especially marathons, in her 40s. Thus, all of her many running accomplishments, including world records, were achieved as a masters runner. She became an icon and inspiration in the Northern California running community where she was probably its most prolific runner in local races.
But her...
2019-10-0231 min
Ultrarunning History35: Bernd Heinrich – Naturalist UltrarunnerBy Davy Crockett
During the first half of the 1980s, Bernd Heinrich, of Vermont, was the fastest ultrarunner in America. Today, few know of him and his amazing running records and accomplishments. Heinrich is the birdman and beeman of ultrarunning. He also was unique from most other ultrarunners in that rather than competing in many races, he was very selective in his race choices. When he ran, he had specific goals to win or set records, with laser focused training for these few specific events. Using this approach, he was able to win and set several American records.
Heinrich appeared su...
2019-09-2032 min
Ultrarunning History34: The Mount Baker Ultramarathon (1911-1913)By Davy Crockett
An ultramarathon held in 1911, The Mount Baker Race, was America’s first mountain trail ultramarathon. It was held in the state of Washington on a volcano, Mount Baker, located in the North Cascade mountains above the city of Bellingham. This historic forward-thinking race required participants to run between 28-32 miles and climb more than 10,000 feet through forests, over snow trails, across glaciers, and up to the wind-blown summit overlooking the Puget Sound to the west.
This very early mountain trail ultra, held for only three years, involved drama, danger, and near tragedies. It also included a unique fea...
2019-09-0632 min
Ultrarunning History33: Marathon Golfing (1874-2019)By Davy Crockett
For more than a century there has been a “sport” involving combining ultrarunning with golf. No, this isn’t a joke. In 2016, Karl Meltzer of Utah, who has more 100-mile trail wins than anyone, set a world 12-hour speed golfing record of 230 holes, covering about 100 kms in the process. This created attention in ultrarunning circles, and we were left to wonder, how long has such a thing been going on?
Running my local golf course
What has been called “Marathon Golf” is the art of playing as many rounds or holes as possible in a certain amount of time, us...
2019-08-2934 min
Ultrarunning History32: Johnny Salo – 1929 Bunion DerbyBy Davy Crockett
Johnny Salo, of Passaic, New Jersey, was the greatest American ultrarunner of the first half of the 1900s. This is part two of the story of his amazing life and the story of the 1929 "Bunion Derby." If you haven’t already, go read Part One, Johnny Salo - 1928 Bunion Derby which highlights Salo’s rise to running fame when he placed second in the 1928 race across America in the “Bunion Derby.” In this concluding article, Salo’s fame grows even more when he ran in the 1929 Bunion Derby with perhaps one of the most exciting finishes in ultrarunning...
2019-08-1230 min
Ultrarunning History31: Johnny Salo – 1928 Bunion DerbyBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Johnny Salo was perhaps the greatest American ultrarunner of the late 1920s. Ultrarunning historian, Andy Milroy, rated him as the top American ultrarunner of the first half of the 1900s. His career was cut short due to tragedy, but during the years 1928-1930 there was no one better or faster. His story is a “rags to riches” tale as he sprang onto the national scene practically overnight. He was the most popular and most successful runner in C. C. Pyle’s historic transcontinental races of 1928-29. He and other fellow F...
2019-08-0127 min
Ultrarunning History30: 1927 Redwood Indian Marathon – 480 MilesBy Davy Crockett
1893 Native American Relay in Taos, New Mexico
For centuries, many Native Americans were known to be outstanding long-distance runners who could run ultra-distances. Their talents were used in important roles to carry messages and news to distant communities. One of the most famous ultra-messaging events took place in 1680 when a very coordinated system of message runners were dispatched from Taos Pueblo, in present-day New Mexico to Hopi Villages in present-day Arizona, nearly 400 miles away, to coordinate a successful, simultaneous, revolt involving 70 villages against their Spanish oppressors.
In the 1860s a Mesquakie runner in his mid-50s ran 400 m...
2019-07-1632 min
Ultrarunning History29: The Tarahumara UltrarunnersBy Davy Crockett
In recent years, the story of the amazing Tarahumara (Rarámuri) runners from Mexico exploded into international attention with the publication of Christopher McDougall’s best-selling 2009 book, Born to Run. Runners everywhere in 2009 naively tossed their shoes aside for a while and wanted to run like these ancient native Americans from hidden high Sierra canyons in Chihuahua, Mexico. Many other runners left the marathon distance behind, sought to run ultramarathons, and dreamed about running the Leadville 100, which exploded with new entrants.
Readers of Born to Run think that the Tarahumara Indians made their debut running in America in 1...
2019-07-0331 min
Ultrarunning History28: Western States 100 – Legends, Myths, and FolkloreBy Davy Crockett
Dick Mendenhall runs in the 1977 Western States 100
The establishment of the Western States Endurance Run (Western States 100) in 1977 was one of the most important pivotal events in the history of ultrarunning. During the next decade, the existing ultrarunning sport experienced a major shift from roads and tracks to trails and mountains. Other 100-mile races were spawned from the Western States 100, patterning their mountain race formats and practices after those established by Western States. A new generation of ultrarunners came into the sport and the Western States Endurance Run became the most famous mountain trail 100-miler.
Western States v...
2019-06-2100 min
Ultrarunning History27: Yiannis Kouros – Greek GreatnessBy Davy Crockett
Get the new book that tells the story of Spartathlon and Kouros' famed 1983 run there
Yiannis Kouros from Greece is considered by most, as the greatest ultrarunner of all time. That is a bold statement, but there are few that dispute this statement. The late “Stubborn Scotsman,” Don Ritchie, is certainly in the conversation, Some can try arguing for certain mountain trail ultrarunners, but what Kouros accomplished, dominating for more than a 20-year period, and setting world records that have lasted for decades is nothing but mind-boggling. Every ultrarunner needs to know about Yiannis Kouros and his accom...
2019-06-1030 min
Ultrarunning History26: Edward Payson Weston’s 1909 Walk Across AmericaBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
In previous articles, stories were shared about various walks across America in the 1800s. In 1909 Edward Payson Weston, the most famous American Pedestrian of the 1800’s made his transcontinental walking attempt in the twilight of his walking career, at the age of 70. His amazing walk captured the attention of the entire country and was the most famous transcontinental walk across America in history.
Edward Payson Weston (1839-1929) was born in Providence, Rhode Island on March 15, 1839. He was not particularly strong as a boy and took up walking to improve his...
2019-05-3031 min
Ultrarunning History25: The Wheelbarrow Man – Lyman PotterBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
In recent years, some of the ultrarunners who have run across America performed it by pushing baby joggers to carry their stuff in a self-supported mode. Once when Phil Rosenstein was pushing his jogger during his transcontinental run, an alarmed passing motorist called the police, and reported that a crazy person was pushing his baby along a busy highway in a baby carriage. In the general public’s mind, it is just too crazy to imagine someone running across the country pulling or pushing a contraption.
What about pushing a o...
2019-05-1733 min
Ultrarunning History24: Zoe Gayton – Woman Transcontinental WalkerBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
On May 10, 2019, America will celebrated the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. This is the third article in a series to recognize some historic accomplishments walking or running across the American continent. In the previous articles, the history was given of the 1855 walk across South America by Nathaniel Holmes Bishop, and the story of Dakota Bob was shared as an a example of the many fraudulent characters who would claim to walk across America.
Women got into the game too! The most famous of the transcontinental woman...
2019-05-1028 min
Ultrarunning History23: Dakota Bob – Transcontinental WalkerBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Dakota Bob
On May 10, 2019, America will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad. This is the second article in a series to recognize some historic accomplishments walking or running across the American continent. In the previous article, the history was given of the 1855 walk across South America by Nathaniel Holmes Bishop that inspired others to try transcontinental walks.
Starting around 1890, dozens of “pedestrians” attempted transcontinental walks and many claimed to have succeeded. In 1896 a Buffalo article commented, "No less that a score have passed through Buffalo...
2019-05-0231 min
Ultrarunning History22: 1855 Walk Across South AmericaBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
On May 10, 2019, America will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, that was recognized with a “Golden Spike” ceremony at Promontory Point, Utah. For more than 150 years adventurers desired to travel across the American continent by various means: horse, wagon, train, automobile, and eventually on foot in one go. With this celebration coming up, it seemed appropriate to recognize some historic accomplishments walking or running across the American continent.
The most notable early walk across America was accomplished by the famous Pedestrian Edward Payson Westo...
2019-04-2228 min
Ultrarunning History21: Mote Bergman (1887-1978)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
After the golden age of Pedestrianism of the late 1800's, a new breed of ultra-distance runners emerged in the early 1900s. Events were few. The world wars and the great depression all but snuffed out their efforts to continue to go the distance, to demonstrate what was possible. It became impossible to try to make a living with their legs. In America, only the most determined runner emerged out of the strife of the 1930s and 1940s to continue their craft into the post-war modern era of ultrarunning. One o...
2019-04-1125 min
Ultrarunning History20: Barkley Marathons – First Few YearsBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Learn about the beginnings of Barkley, and the early years in this new book
The Barkley Marathons, the toughest trail race in the world, is held in and near Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, with a distance of more than 100 miles. The first year it was held was in 1986, and it is now world famous. Only 40 runners are selected to run.
Barkley is the brainchild of Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake) and Karl Henn (Raw Dog). In 1985, they had been intrigued by the very few miles that James Earl Ra...
2019-03-3034 min
Ultrarunning History19: Barkley Marathons – The BirthBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
The famous prison and the start gate
Read about the beginnings of the Barkley and the early years in this new book. Get it in your country's Amazon site.
The Barkley Marathons, with its historic low finish rate (only 15 runners in 30 years), is perhaps the most difficult ultramarathon trail race in the world. It is held in and near Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee, with a distance of more than 100 miles.
The Barkley is an event with a mysterious lore. It has no official website. It is a m...
2019-03-2336 min
Ultrarunning History18: 1,000 Milers – Part 2 – The Barclay MatchBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Richard Manks
Can a person walk or run 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours, doing a mile in each and every hour for nearly 42 days? That was the strange question that surfaced in 1809 in England. In Part 1 of the 1000-milers I covered the attempts to reach 1,000 miles as fast possible. This part will cover what became known as the Barclay Match, walking a mile every hour, which was a feat of enduring sleep deprivation and altering sleep patterns dramatically. In a way, these matches were similar endurance activities to the bizarre walkathons o...
2019-03-0932 min
Ultrarunning History17: 1,000-milers – Part 1By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
In the 1980s running 100 miles started to become more popular for the non-professional runner to attempt. By 2017 some in the ultrarunning community viewed running 100 miles as fairly common place. In recent years a saying of “200 is the new 100” emerged as a few 200-mile trail races were established, meaning that 100 miles used to be viewed as very difficult but 200 miles was the new challenging standard. This may be true, but what about running 1,000 miles? Will 1,000 milers ever be the “new 200?” What? Who runs 1,000-mile races?
In 1985 America’s first modern-day 1,000 mile race w...
2019-02-1435 min
Ultrarunning History16: Western States 100 BeginningsBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
In Part One on Endurance Riding, I covered the very early history of the sport of endurance riding from 1814-1954 when forgotten individuals established the sport they called "endurance riding" and paved the future for the sport. In Part Two I covered the early history of the Western States Trail Ride (Tevis Cup) from 1955-1970 and worked through some folklore about the history of the Ride. In this concluding part we will wade through some controversy and get to the ultrarunning fun, the founding of the Western States Endurance R...
2019-01-3029 min
Ultrarunning History15: Sandra Brown – 200+ 100-milersBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
The 100 x 100 list now includes 21 accomplished athletes who have finished 100 or more races of 100 milers or more. This article will introduce the Sandra and Richard Brown, both on the list, and highlights their amazing 100-mile careers and some of the events in Europe unfamiliar to American ultrarunners.
Sandra was the very first person in the world who finished 100 100-milers and the first to reach 200. By the end of July 2021, Sandra Brown, age 72, of England had accomplished a world-best, 208 100-milers, walking and running on tracks, roads, and trails in various e...
2019-01-2036 min
Ultrarunning History14: 100 x 100-milersBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
(Listen to the podcast episode too with audio clips from some of the runners.)
Early history of 100-milers
The sport of running 100 miles competitively has existed for multiple centuries. In the 1800s, the most prolific 100-mile runner was Frank Hart (1856-1908), a black runner from Boston, Massachusetts. He reached 100 miles in at least 85 of his races across his 25-year running career. Most of those races were six-day races where he usually ran far more than 300 miles.
In the modern era, by the mid-1970s, running 100 miles in competition started to...
2019-01-0431 min
Ultrarunning History13: Endurance Riding – Part 2 (1955-1970)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
You might ask, what does the history of endurance riding have to do with ultrarunning? There are many close parallels between these two endurance sports. Ultrarunners should feel indebted to those of the endurance riding sport who had the vision to establish some early trail 100-milers for runners. The trail 100-miler inherited many of the same procedures of aid stations, course markings, trail work, crews, medical checks, cut-off times, and of course the belt buckle award. Part 1 covered the very early history of Endurance riding up to 1955.
By 1955 the s...
2018-12-1926 min
Ultrarunning History12: Endurance Riding – Part 1 (1814-1954)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Endurance riding is the equestrian sport that includes controlled long-distance riding/racing. The sport has existed for more than a century in various forms. 100-mile trail ultramarathons, especially the Western States Endurance Run, Old Dominion 100, and Vermont 100 can trace their roots to endurance riding. Other trail 100s that emerged in the 1980s were also influenced by endurance riding practices.
Ultrarunners should feel indebted to those of the endurance riding sport who had the vision to establish some early 100-mile trail races for runners. The trail 100-miler inherited many of t...
2018-12-0826 min
Ultrarunning History11: John Seiler – The Flying Yank (1921-1983)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
There is a special breed of ultrarunner that historian Jim Shapiro in 1980 called the “solo artist.” These runners usually had solid ultrarunning abilities, but instead of regularly completing in races, they used their abilities to accomplish stunts. This was done to garner attention from spectators and fans and to gain income and sponsorships. Solo artists would always invent and claim “world records.” They had creative nicknames and their marketing people would prop them up as being the “world's greatest runner.” Solo artists have always existed in ultrarunning and still exist today.
...
2018-11-2221 min
Ultrarunning History10: The Ultradistance Marches (1941-45)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
During the World War II period in 1940s, ultradistance races in America totally disappeared. Many of the talented runners turned in their leather running shoes for leather boots and served their country in war. But as servicemen, there were many endurance activities that took place both on the bases and on the battle field.
A “forced march” is a relatively fast march over a distance carrying a load. It was a common military exercise during the war. These marches were fast hikes with full military gear. Their history can be trace...
2018-11-1321 min
Ultrarunning History9: The Walkathon of the 1930sBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
1918 advertisement
The original walkathons were not the relatively tame fundraising walks of the 1970s for causes. Instead these walkathons were brutal endurance events that had their heyday in the mid-1930s. These walkathons were not ultrarunning events. They were rather twisted walking events, if it could even be called walking. They were mostly a crazy test of enduring sleep deprivation. But still, it is important to understand the history of these competitions, because they had a negative impact on true extreme endurance sports such as ultrarunning in the minds of...
2018-11-0320 min
Ultrarunning History8: The 50-Miler HistoryBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
The fifty-mile race is a distance most of today's ultrarunners eventually run. In 2017 there were about 300 50-mile races held in America with about 16,000 unique finishers. At nearly twice the distance of a marathon, it truly involves a different approach than running a marathon both mentally and physically. Ultrarunning legend, David Horton once wrote, “Most ultra-runners, me included, consider that real ultras are 50 miles or longer.” Since the 1960s, the shorter distances (50K, etc.) were typically used by aspiring ultrarunners to train for completing at the 50-mile distance.
When did the 50-mile...
2018-10-2319 min
Ultrarunning History7: The 1930 500-mile Peter Dawson RelayBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
As the Great Depression began raging across the world, race events for professional ultrarunners pretty much dried up in the United States. All professional sports suffered in America during that time. For a few years, promoters in Canada filled the void, and were able to attract some of the most talented American ultrarunners to head northward, to run in their races.
One such race was the 1930 Peter Dawson Relay held in the province of Quebec. This was one of those forgotten races that deserves a place in the history of...
2018-09-2218 min
Ultrarunning History6: The Last Day Run (1965-1972)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
Runners seen through the window running 1970 Last Day Run
For the common man, we frequently make history without knowing it at the time. As years pass, one can look back and discover that certain events, which at the time seemed insignificant, actually played an important part in history. Such events weren’t forgotten or pushed aside; their stories just had not been told. Such is the case with "The Last Day Run.”
Ultrarunning existed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The participants were mostly professionals who performed for spectators. As th...
2018-09-0914 min
Ultrarunning History5: Crossing the Grand CanyonBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
(Listen to the podcast episode which includes the bonus story about my love for the Grand Canyon, and the 1,000 miles I've run down in it.)
Crossing the Grand Canyon on foot is something many visitors of the spectacular Canyon wonder about as they gaze across its great expanse to the distant rim. Crossing the Canyon and returning back is an activity that has taken place for more than 125 years. Each year thousands of people cross the famous canyon and many of them, return the same day, experiencing what has been...
2018-08-3023 min
Ultrarunning History4: The 1963 50-Mile FrenzyBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
Prior to the 1960s, most of the ultrarunners participating in ultradistance races were professionals. It was a spectator sport. The general public never had serious thoughts that they too could run ultradistances.
My New Book! Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy unintentionally played a key role that provided the spark to ignite interest for ultrarunning in America and elsewhere. The door was flung open for all who wanted to challenge themselves. An unexpected 50-mile frenzy swept across the U.S. like a raging fire that do...
2018-08-2316 min
Ultrarunning History3: Hardrock Simpson (1904-1978)By Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
Paul “Hardrock” Simpson, of Burlington, North Carolina, was an elite colorful, professional ultrarunner of the late 1920s who worked to continue in the sport during the Great Depression. He was one of the very few talented ultradistance runners who bridged to the post-war modern era of ultrarunning in the 1950s. With creativity, charisma, and strong performances, he successfully captured the imagination of the nation during both the periods. During that time, he was recognized as one of the greatest long-distance runners in America.
Paul Simpson was born in 1904. When he was...
2018-08-1118 min
Ultrarunning History2: Man vs. HorseBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast and a full article
The start of the Man vs Horse race held in 1929 at the Philadelphia Arena
For more than two centuries, people have debated if humans on foot could beat horses. Those on the side of humans argued that over a long enough distance, human beings could outrun horses. It has been contended that humans are capable of covering vast distances after the horse becomes winded and unable to continue.
To try to prove this point, ultradistance races billed as “Man vs. Horse” were competed as early as 1879. But it was a 157-mil...
2018-07-3120 min
Ultrarunning History1: Padre Island 110-miler 1953-1956By Davy Crockett
What was the first American ultradistance race in the modern era? Perhaps the answer is the Padre Island Walkatahon 110-miler, a three-day stage race that was started in 1953. It may have even been the first modern trail ultra in the world. This unusual race was a point-to-point race that ran along the sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. Those who put it on were very forward-thinking, introducing features that would be used in ultras decades later. Previously long endurance races were mostly limited to professionals. This race was for everyone, the old, the young...
2018-07-2825 min
Ultrarunning History0: Introduction to the Ultrarunning History PodcastWelcome to Ultrarunning History Podcast. In this introductory episode, you will hear what the podcast will contain and I’ll reveal a little about myself, what it is like living with the name, Davy Crockett. These episodes won’t be dry history lessons from some old stodgy history professor. They will be fun with plenty of lame jokes from some old stodgy ultrarunner.
In this episode I will answer some questions such as:
What is it like living with the name Davy Crockett?
When did I become interested in Ultrarunning History?
What can you expect in the upcoming episodes?
Listen and...
2018-07-1112 min