Ultrarunning History
This is a podcast about the history of the sport of ultrarunning. An ultramarathon is generally a race of 50K (31 miles) or more. The sport became popular in the 1980s, but had been in existence since the late 19th century. This podcast will share history and tell stories about ultrarunning history generally before 2000.
- Update frequency
- every 13 days
- Average duration
- 28 minutes
- Episodes
- 179
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2025
158: Ted Corbitt – The Father of American Ultrarunning – Part One
Ted Corbitt, from New York City, has been called “The Father of American Ultrarunning.” Today, most ultrarunners have not even heard his name and do not understand what he did for the sport that we e…
00:27:09 |
Mon 27 May 2024
157: The Fourth Astley Belt Six-Day Race – 1879
The Astley Belt was the most sought-after trophy in ultrarunning or pedestrianism. This race series was recognized as the undisputed international six-day championship of the world. The international…
00:25:22 |
Mon 06 May 2024
156: The Second English Astley Belt Race – 1879
During April 1879, the same month that the new American Championship Belt race was held in New York City, the second English Astley Belt race, for the “Championship of England,” was put on April 21-2…
00:19:58 |
Wed 17 Apr 2024
155: The 2024 Barkley Marathons
The Barkley Marathons course (thought to be roughly 130 miles and about 63,000 feet of elevation gain) at Frozen Head State Park was the brain child of Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake) and Karl Henn (Raw…
00:22:19 |
Sun 31 Mar 2024
154: The American Championship Belt – 1879
The six-day American Championship Belt race was billed as a contest to produce the best man to be sponsored to compete in the 4th Astley Belt race to be scheduled in June 1879, in England. For this q…
00:26:15 |
Mon 18 Mar 2024
153: The 3rd Astley Belt Six-Day Race (1879)
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 follow…
00:40:40 |
Sat 02 Mar 2024
152: Classic Ultramarathon Beginnings
Listen to 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 ea…
00:31:45 |
Sat 17 Feb 2024
151: Around the World on Foot: Three Stories
The “around the world on foot” craze of the 1890s was first dominated by Americans, but eventually spread to Europeans. Some very interesting individuals, mostly from Germany and France, appeared in …
00:27:04 |
Sun 04 Feb 2024
150: Around the World on Foot: The Paper Suits
My new book, Around the World on Foot: The Early Globetrotters is available on Amazon. After an introduction to help you understand what in the world was going on, I will share a chapter about the st…
00:27:02 |
Sat 20 Jan 2024
149: Encore – Across the Years
Across the Years race, established in 1983, is being held this week in Arizona for the 37th time. It is one of the oldest fixed-time races in the world that is still held annually. The race is always…
00:29:38 |
Sun 31 Dec 2023
148: Ultramarathons on Christmas Day 1879
Back in 1879, the featured Christmas Day sports event was ultrarunning/pedestrianism. That day, at least four ultramarathons were taking place. The largest six-day race in history, “The Rose Belt.” w…
00:25:25 |
Wed 20 Dec 2023
147: Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake) – Before the Barkley
Gary Cantrell (a.k.a. Lazarus Lake), of Tennessee, was recently inducted into the American Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. Most people recognize him for creating the legendary Barkley Marathons, arguably …
00:29:36 |
Mon 11 Dec 2023
146: The Early LDWA 100-Milers (1973-1979)
Trail 100-milers started to be held in Great Britain in 1973, four years before the Western States 100 was established in America. They were organized by the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA).…
00:32:22 |
Thu 30 Nov 2023
145: The Lake Waramaug 100K
The first certified 100 km race in America was held at Lake Waramaug, Connecticut, in 1974. Today it remains as the oldest 100 km race in the country and the second oldest American ultra still held. …
00:26:52 |
Mon 13 Nov 2023
144: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 13: More for 1990-2020
In 2011, Allyn Cureton‘s nearly 30-year FKT for a single crossing was finally broken by Jared Scott (1971-) of Colorado, with a time of 3:06:10, just 36 seconds faster. Cureton was at the top of the …
00:26:55 |
Sun 29 Oct 2023
143: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 12: More for 1971-1989
This part will cover additional stories from the 1970s and 1980 found through deeper research, adding to the history shared in found in the new book, Grand Canyon Rim to Rim History.
00:27:18 |
Mon 09 Oct 2023
142: Encore – Spartathlon: The First Race in 1983
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. 1983 …
00:29:35 |
Tue 26 Sep 2023
141: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 11: More for 1950-1964
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.
On March 5, 1964, eighteen famous astro…
On March 5, 1964, eighteen famous astro…
00:24:07 |
Mon 11 Sep 2023
140: Davy Crockett – Ultrarunning History Podcast Host
Recently 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 doi…
00:32:41 |
Mon 28 Aug 2023
139: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 10: More for 1927-1949
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,…
00:27:33 |
Mon 14 Aug 2023
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