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The Forgotten Decade: When Ultra Running Was America's Biggest Sport (Sunday Conversation)
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The Forgotten Decade: When Ultra Running Was America's Biggest Sport (Sunday Conversation)
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May 24, 20261:27:402.3K views
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In the 1880s, ultra running was a working-class spectator sport. Tens of thousands came to watch athletes race six days straight for 500 miles in venues like Madison Square Garden. Mark Twain followed it. Edward Payson Weston was a household name across America. Then amateurism killed it.
Carl Morris, author of Dirtbag Dreams: A History of Mountain, Ultra and Trail Running, walks through 200 years of our sport's history. We cover pedestrianism, the class war that birthed amateurism, the soft American era, Pikes Peak's smokers-versus-nonsmokers origin, and whether UTMB is just 1880 wearing new shoes.
Chapters
00:00 The Evolution of Pedestrianism + The Rise of Amateurism
28:40 Cultural Shifts in Running and Outdoor Recreation
35:49 The Impact of the 1950s and 1960s on Running Culture
48:10 Regional Differences in Ultra Running, Rise of Western States
01:06:15 Key Moments in 1990s and 2000s Ultrarunning
01:15:46 Comparing Professionalism Across Eras
01:22:09 The Future of Ultrarunning and Leisure Culture
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How long is this video?
1 hour 27 minutes.
