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
38: Around the World on Foot – Part 1 (1875-1895)
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…
00:31:31 |
Mon 11 Nov 2019
37: Soldier Barnes – Six-day Race Relic (1846-1916)
Old Soldier Barnes was a Civil War veteran from Pennsylvania who became a very popular professional ultrarunner in his early 50s. He must have not worn his age well, because people always thought he …
00:31:12 |
Sat 02 Nov 2019
36: Ruth Anderson – Pioneer Ultrarunner
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,…
00:31:53 |
Wed 02 Oct 2019
35: Bernd Heinrich – Naturalist Ultrarunner
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 bir…
00:32:01 |
Fri 20 Sep 2019
34: The Mount Baker Ultramarathon (1911-1913)
An ultrarmarathon 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…
00:32:11 |
Fri 06 Sep 2019
33: Marathon Golfing (1874-2019)
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 …
00:34:48 |
Thu 29 Aug 2019
32: Johnny Salo – 1929 Bunion Derby
Johnny Salo 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, g…
00:30:20 |
Mon 12 Aug 2019
31: Johnny Salo – 1928 Bunion Derby
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 …
00:27:55 |
Thu 01 Aug 2019
30: 1927 Redwood Indian Marathon – 480 Miles
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…
00:32:42 |
Tue 16 Jul 2019
29: The Tarahumara Ultrarunners
In recent years, the story of the amazing Tarahumara runners from Mexico exploded into international attention with the publication of Christopher McDougall’s best-selling 2009 book, Born to Run. Run…
00:31:14 |
Wed 03 Jul 2019
28: Western States 100 – Legends, Myths, and Folklore
The establishment of the Western States Endurance Run (WSER) in 1977 was one of the most important pivotable events in the history of ultrarunning. During the next decade the existing ultrarunning sp…
Fri 21 Jun 2019
27: Yiannis Kouros – Greek Greatness
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 R…
00:30:20 |
Sun 09 Jun 2019
26: Edward Payson Weston’s 1909 Walk Across America
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 wa…
00:31:27 |
Thu 30 May 2019
25: The Wheelbarrow Man – Lyman Potter
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 jog…
00:33:42 |
Fri 17 May 2019
24: Zoe Gayton – Woman Transcontinental Walker
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 wal…
00:28:13 |
Fri 10 May 2019
23: Dakota Bob – Transcontinental Walker
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 wal…
00:31:39 |
Thu 02 May 2019
22: 1855 Walk Across South America
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.…
00:28:39 |
Mon 22 Apr 2019
21: Mote Bergman (1887-1978)
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 ou…
00:25:31 |
Thu 11 Apr 2019
20: Barkley Marathons – First Few Years
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, a…
00:34:34 |
Sat 30 Mar 2019
19: Barkley Marathons – The Birth
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 P…
00:36:06 |
Fri 22 Mar 2019
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