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
78: Strolling Jim 40 Mile Run
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 hilly paved and d…
00:28:48 |
Wed 12 May 2021
77: The 100-miler: Part 24 (1978-1979) Alan Price – Ultrawalker
The Fort Meade 100 was held in Maryland from 1978-1989. Lost in the Fort Meade history of the late 1970s was the fact that it also attracted Centurion racewalkers who attempted to walk 100 miles in l…
00:22:27 |
Mon 26 Apr 2021
76: The 100-miler: Part 23 (1983) The 24-Hour Two-Man Relay
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 stan…
00:22:05 |
Sun 11 Apr 2021
75: The 100-miler: Part 22 (1978) Fort Meade 100
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 …
00:27:19 |
Mon 29 Mar 2021
74: The 100-miler: Part 21 (1978) Ed Dodd and Don Choi
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 …
00:28:37 |
Tue 09 Mar 2021
73: The 100-miler: Part 20 (1978-79) The Unisphere 100
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…
00:27:46 |
Sun 21 Feb 2021
72: The 100-miler: Part 19 (1977) Don Ritchie World Record
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 stat…
00:27:56 |
Sun 07 Feb 2021
71: The 100-miler: Part 18 (1977) Western States 100
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 div…
00:30:19 |
Fri 22 Jan 2021
70: The 100-miler: Part 17 (1973-1978) Badwater Roots
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 tha…
00:28:44 |
Sat 09 Jan 2021
69: The 100-miler: Part 16 (1976-1977) Max Telford and Alan Jones
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…
00:27:58 |
Sun 27 Dec 2020
68: The 100-miler: Part 15 (1975-1976) Andy West
Since the dawn of the sport of ultrarunning more than a century ago, a unique breed of ultrarunner has existed which we will call the "self-promoter." They were skilled in using their running talents…
00:28:46 |
Sat 19 Dec 2020
67: The 100-miler: Part 14 (1975-1976) Cavin Woodward and Tom Osler
In the early 1970s, several highly competitive 100-mile races had been held in England, but they were still only organized for attempts to break British or world records. In 1975 another classic rac…
00:29:35 |
Sat 05 Dec 2020
66: The 100-miler: Part 13 (1974-1975) Gordy Ainsleigh
974 is the year that most ultrarunners unfortunately think 100-mile ultrarunning history began. Hopefully the previous 12 parts including 80,000 words of pre-1974 100-mile history, has set the recor…
Sun 22 Nov 2020
65: The 100-miler: Part 12 (1971-1973) Ron Bentley and Ted Corbitt
During the 1970s, the modern-era of ultrarunning was slowly increasing. The term “ultramarathon” (“ultra” for short) was introduced by legendary Ted Corbitt during the ‘60s and by the early 1970s it …
00:31:00 |
Wed 11 Nov 2020
64: The 100-miler: Part 11 (1970-1971) Women run 100-milers
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 wo…
00:31:48 |
Fri 30 Oct 2020
63: The 100-miler: Part 10 (1968-1969) Walton-on-Thames 100
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…
00:32:12 |
Mon 05 Oct 2020
62: The 100-miler: Part 9 (1966-1968) First Death Valley 100 Milers
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 wa…
00:33:04 |
Sat 19 Sep 2020
61: The 100-miler: Part 8 (1950-1960) Wally Hayward and Ron Hopcroft
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 acc…
00:30:27 |
Mon 07 Sep 2020
60: The 100-miler: Part 7 (1930-1950) Wartime 100-Milers
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. Opportun…
00:30:27 |
Fri 14 Aug 2020
59: The 100-miler – Part 6 (1927-1934) Arthur Newton
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, Sout…
00:32:00 |
Mon 27 Jul 2020
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