Shows
Human Performance Outliers Podcast with Zach BitterEpisode 420: Davy Crockett - Ultramarathon HistoryDavy Crockett is an ultramarathon runner, and hosts Ultrarunning History. His podcast and books dive deeper than any other ultramarathon history resource. Davy also is the director of the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. Endurance Training Simplified Series Zach's Low Carb Endurance Approach Series LMNT: drinkLMNT.com/HPO deltaG: deltagketones.com - IG: @deltag.ketones Code: BITTER20 Support HPO: zachbitter.com/hposponsors HPO Website: zachbitter.com/hpo Amazon Store: amazon.com/shop/zachbitter Zach's Coaching: zachbitter.com/coaching Zach's Newsletter: substack.c...
2025-01-091h 35
Ultrarunning History166: Stu Mittleman - The Ultrarunning ProfessorBy Davy Crockett
Stu Mittleman was the sixth person to be inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. During the 1980s, while a college professor from New York, he became the greatest multi-day runner in the country who won national championships running 100 miles, but ran much further than that in other races. During that period, no other American ultrarunner, male for female, exhibited national class excellence at such a wide range of ultra racing distances. He brought ultrarunning into the national spotlight as he appeared on national television shows and became the national spokesman for Gatorade.
Learn about the...
2024-10-2428 min
Ultrarunning History164: Sue Ellen Trapp - Pioneer Ultrarunner and LegendBy Davy Crockett
Sue Ellen Trapp was one of the elite women pioneer ultrarunners who burst into the sport in the 1970s. She was the fourth person to be inducted into The American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. She quickly achieved world and American records and showed how fast and how far women could run. With a busy life including her dental practice and family, she rose to the top of the sport twice, after an eight-year ultrarunning retirement, setting world and American records in her 40s and 50s.
Learn about the rich and long history of ultrarunning. There are now...
2024-09-1825 min
Ultrarunning History153: The 3rd Astley Belt Six-Day Race (1879)By Davy Crockett
This is the story of the ultramarathon that was the most impactful of all races in the history of the sport. This race was witnessed by tens of thousands of people in Madison Square Garden and followed by millions in long daily newspaper story updates. It received so much attention that it sparked an ultrarunning frenzy on multiple continents and captured the imagination of millions of people who came to realize the humans can run hundreds of miles and not die. This is the story of the 3rd Astley Belt race, held March 10th through 15th, 1879 in...
2024-03-0240 min
Ultrarunning History152: Classic Ultramarathon BeginningsListen to the audio version. I included my interview on the very good Trail Runner Nation podcast. I recently went on it to talk to the guys about my new book, Classic Ultramarathon Beginnings. We discussed several of the very early ultras in our history.
Classic ultramarathons (races longer than 26.2 miles) include the oldest races, the most prestigious, the largest, the toughest, and the races that have captured the imagination of outsiders who look inside the fascinating sport of ultrarunning. Classic Ultramarathon Beginnings is the definitive history of how nine classic ultras began and includes the history of their first...
2024-02-1831 min
Trail Runner NationEP 661: Classic Ultramarathon BeginningsDive into the Thrilling World of Ultra Running with Historian Davy Crockett! Join hosts us in an exhilarating journey through the untold history and fascinating evolution of ultra marathons. Discover the legendary races that shaped the sport: from the historic Comrades Marathon to the enigmatic Barkley Marathons. Learn about the earliest ultra runners, their unique mindset, and how their challenges differ from those faced by today's athletes. Explore the global impact of ultra running, featuring stories from the Redwood Indian Marathon that showcased Native American excellence, and the JFK 50's evolution from a boys club event to A...
2024-01-261h 07
Ultrarunning History149: Encore - Across the YearsBy Davy Crockett
This is an encore episode with additions in the article.
The Across the Years race, established in 1983, is one of the oldest fixed-time races in the world that is still held annually. The race is always held at the end of the year, crossing over to the new year with a grand celebration. Through the years, it has attracted many of the greatest fixed-time ultrarunners in the world and still today is the premier and largest fixed-time race in America. Over its impressive history, about 2,500 runners have logged more than 500,000 miles at Across the Years. It all...
2023-12-3129 min
Ultrarunning History148: Ultramarathons on Christmas Day 1879By Davy Crockett
New Book, containing the early history of The Barkley Marathons
Watching sports on Christmas Day is enjoyed by millions of sporting fans. But it also is probably despised by even more of those sporting fans’ families who have other priorities on that special day. While today the events watched are primarily basketball and football, back 144 years ago in 1879, the most popular sport taking place in America on Christmas Day was ultra-distance running, called Pedestrianism. Why would thousands leave their festive holiday celebrations to go many miles by horse carriage to smoke-filled arenas to watch skinny guys walk an...
2023-12-2025 min
Ultrarunning History129: Birth of the Barkley MarathonsBy Davy Crockett
Both a podcast episode and a full article
Get my new best-selling book about the history of crossing the Grand Canyon
This is an encore episode. The 2023 Barkley Marathons is underway. 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 mystery how to enter, It has n...
2023-03-1437 min
Trail Runner NationG.O.A.T. - Pam ReedIn this episode, we talk with Ultrarunning historian Davy Crockett, about another legendary ultramarathon runner who has been referred to as the "Greatest of All Time" (G.O.A.T.). Pam has won numerous ultramarathons, including the Badwater Ultramarathon, which is considered one of the toughest races in the world. This is an incredibly inspiring conversation about one of the most accomplished ultramarathon runners of all time. Whether you're a runner yourself or just looking for motivation and inspiration, this episode is a must-listen. You can learn more about Pam in the article on Ultrarunning History.
2023-01-1356 min
Ultrarunning History103: Ukrainian UltrarunnersBy Davy Crockett
You can read, listen, or watch
Ultrarunning in Ukraine has had a long, wonderful history since the early 1970s. As the country is being ravaged from war, ultrarunners around Ukraine have turned their attention to survival, defending their country, or fleeing as refugees to other countries. Ultramarathons, once held regularly in Ukraine, are sadly gone for now.
This episode will highlight the history of ultrarunning in Ukraine and profile some of the very talented Ukrainian ultrarunners who over the years have been a great inspiration. Ultrarunners from Ukraine ran with joy in the past, but now they...
2022-03-1424 min
Ultrarunning History96: Across the Years – The First Year (1983)By Davy Crockett
The Across the Years race, established in 1983, is one of the oldest fixed-time races in the world that is still held annually. The race is always held at the end of the year, crossing over to the new year with a grand celebration. Through the years, it has attracted many of the greatest fixed-time ultrarunners in the world and still today is the premier and largest fixed-time race in America. Over its impressive history, about 2,500 runners have logged more than 500,000 miles at Across the Years. It all started in 1983, the brainchild of Harold Sieglaff, of Phoenix, Arizona. Th...
2021-12-2329 min
Ultrarunning History86: Jackie Mekler (1932-2019) - Comrades LegendBy Davy Crockett
You can read, listen, or watch
Jackie Mekler from South Africa was perhaps the greatest ultrarunner in the world during the late 1950s and early 1960s and was a five-time winner of the Comrades Marathon (54 miles). His path to greatness is particularly inspiring because as a boy in an orphanage, he became a self-taught runner. He was boosted by fierce self-determination that grew out of his lonely and harsh childhood experience.
The Comrades Marathon held in South Africa is the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon race that is still held today with fields that have topped 23,000 ru...
2021-08-2629 min
Podcasts Archives - Ultrarunnerpodcast.comUltramarathon and Trail Running Trivia with LydiaTrivia with Lydia Episode Notes: Intro/outro music used with permission from David Rosales. Here’s more on The Tunnel race. More on Yiannis Kouros’ incredible feats on Davy Crockett’s Ultrarunning History Podcast. More on The Spine Race in the UK. And more on The Dipsea Race in Northern California. Here’s the …
The post Ultramarathon and Trail Running Trivia with Lydia appeared first on Ultrarunnerpodcast.com.
2021-08-0658 min
Ultrarunning History83: Hardy Ballington - The Forgotten Great UltrarunnerBy Andy Milroy
You can read, listen, or watch
The forgotten man of Ultrarunning is arguably Hardy Ballington (1912-1974), lauded in 1939 in Natal, South Africa, as “the second Newton” and a “human machine”. Dominant immediately before and after the Second World War, he was awarded the prestigious Helms Trophy for his remarkable performances In England in 1937.
The authoritative Lore of Running, (2003) written by Professor Tim Noakes, advocated a training programme drawn up by Hardy Ballington and his archrival and friend Bill Cochrane. The program provided daily, weekly, and monthly training goals in terms of total distance covered; it was focused on gradu...
2021-07-1925 min
Ultrarunning History81: The 100-miler: Part 26 - The 1978 Western States 100By Davy Crockett
You can read, listen, or watch
The 1978 Western States 100 was the second year the race was held. Six years earlier, seven soldiers from Fort Riley Kansas proved that the horse trail could be conquered on foot, and they were awarded with the “First Finishers on Foot” trophy by Western States founder, Wendell Robie (1895-1984). Two years later, in 1974, Gordy Ainsleigh surprised his horse endurance peers when he ran the 89-mile Western States Trail in less than 24 hours.
Three years later, in 1977, Robie decided it was time to organize a foot race on his trail. The inaugural race was ha...
2021-06-2126 min
Ultrarunning History80: Comrades Marathon - 100 years oldBy Davy Crockett
You can read, listen, or watch
The Comrades Marathon (about 55 miles), held in South Africa, is the world’s largest and oldest ultramarathon race that is still held today with fields that have topped 23,000 runners.
The year 2021, marked the 100th anniversary of Comrades Marathon “The Ultimate Human Race.” Comrades today is one of the most paramount ultrarunning events on the international calendar. It has a rich 100-year history packed with amazing accomplishments by more than 400,000 finishers through the years. How did it start and what kept it going for a century? This episode will cover the first two year...
2021-06-0800 min
Ultrarunning History79: The 100-miler: Part 25 (1978-1984) Early Hawaiian 100-milersBy Davy Crockett
You can read, listen, or watch
In the late 1970s, Hawaii had the most runners per-capita than any other state. Some called it the “running capital of the world.” Hawaii was also an early adopter of the 100-mile race and other ultras distances races. Similar to the Fort Mead 100 in Maryland (see episode 75), Hawaii’s first 100-milers grew out of ultra-distance relays and shorter ultras.
In 1976, “Primo Ultramarathon and Relays” began at Hawaii Kai on the eastern tip of Oahu, using a four-mile paved road loop. A solo 50-miler was included and by 1978 expanded into solo distances of 50K, 50...
2021-05-2629 min
Ultrarunning History78: Strolling Jim 40 Mile RunBy Davy Crockett
The Strolling Jim 40, held in Wartrace, Tennessee, is one of the top-five oldest ultras in America that is still being held to the present-day (2021). It is a road race that runs on very hilly paved and dirt roads, the brainchild of Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake). Because its distance is a non-standard ultra-distance of 41.2 miles, the race perhaps has not received as much publicity as it deserves among the ultrarunning sport. But buried within, is a storied history along with a seemly unbreakable course record set in 1991 by Andy Jones of Canada (and Cincinnati, Ohio), one of the g...
2021-05-1228 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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