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
58: The 100-miler – Part 5 (1902-1926) London to Brighton and Back
The London to Brighton race, including its 100-mile version has a hallowed place in ultrarunning history. Episode 57 covered the history of 100-mile races held in America in the early 1900s before Wo…
00:32:29 |
Wed 08 Jul 2020
57: The 100-miler – Part 4 (1900-1919) 100-Mile Records Fall
For some reason, today’s ultrarunner thinks that ultrarunning was invented during their lifetime. An article appeared in April 2020 Ultrarunning Magazine that stated, “the format that most of us know…
00:31:25 |
Wed 24 Jun 2020
56: The 100-miler – Part 3 (1879-1899) 100 Miles Craze
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 10…
00:30:34 |
Thu 11 Jun 2020
55: The 100-miler – Part 2 (1874-1878) Women Pedestrians
Competitions to walk or run 100 miles have taken place for more than 300 years. Part 1 (1837-1875) of this series shared the very early attempts to reach this ultra-distance milestone on foot. By 186…
00:32:13 |
Fri 29 May 2020
54: The 100-miler – Part 1 (1737-1875) Edward Payson Weston
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 wit…
00:33:35 |
Sun 17 May 2020
53: Marcy Schwam: Pioneer Ultrarunner
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 …
00:32:42 |
Sun 03 May 2020
52: Charlie Trayer – 1980s Ultrarunning Legend
Charlie Trayer, of 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, …
00:35:47 |
Sun 19 Apr 2020
51: Park Barner – The Human Metronome
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. H…
00:34:06 |
Sat 04 Apr 2020
50: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 5: The Races
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 held contrary to …
00:34:15 |
Mon 23 Mar 2020
49: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 4: Aiken Family
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…
00:36:04 |
Sun 08 Mar 2020
48: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 3 (1964-1972)
As you hike or run rim to rim, you see can see at times pipes and other indications that there is a pipeline buried under the North Kaibab and other trails. This is the trans-canyon pipeline which is…
00:30:46 |
Sun 23 Feb 2020
47: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 2 (1928-1964)
Descending down into the inner Grand Canyon is an experience you never forget. Part one covered the very early history of crossing the Canyon from 1890-1928. Trails that could accommodate tourists we…
00:31:21 |
Sun 09 Feb 2020
46: Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim History – Part 1 (1890-1928)
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 journeyin…
00:32:54 |
Sat 01 Feb 2020
45: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 2
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 h…
00:33:40 |
Fri 24 Jan 2020
44: Dave Kunst – Walk Around the World – Part 1
Who was the first person to truly walk around the world? If your search the Internet the answer that will likely come back is: Dave Kunst, an American who claimed to do it in 1970-1974. Dave Kunst, …
00:33:11 |
Sat 18 Jan 2020
43: Walking Backwards Around the World – Part 6
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…
00:32:42 |
Sat 04 Jan 2020
42: Around the World on Foot – Part 5 – Dumitru Dan
During the early 1900s, 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 1847 novel “…
00:33:08 |
Mon 16 Dec 2019
41: Around the World on Foot – Part 4 – The Bizarre
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…
00:33:07 |
Thu 05 Dec 2019
40: Around the World on Foot – Part 3 (1894-1899)
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 se…
00:31:35 |
Wed 27 Nov 2019
39: Around the World on Foot – Part 2 (1894-96)
In Part 1 of this series, about walking around the world, I covered the very early attempts. By 1895, dozens, if not hundreds of walkers, started to participate in an “around the world on foot” craze…
00:33:30 |
Thu 21 Nov 2019
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