Mike Morton, from Florida, originally from Michigan, accomplished two hall-of-fame ultrarunning careers, separated by twelve years (1994-1998, 2010-2013). He won at least 22 ultras and set 14 impressive course records. Five of those records still stand. In 1997, he became the first non-Californian to win Western States 100 and set a course record. He became a world champion in 2012, winning the world 24-hour championship, setting an American record of 172.44 miles/277.53 kms, a record held until recently broken by Nick Coury. That year, he also won every race he finished and was the Ultrarunner of the Year. He did all of this while serving the country in the military.
When Mike was running track in high school, he heard about Hall of Famer Ann Trason’s accomplishments and knew that one day he would run 100-milers. While in the Navy, he began long-distance running while stationed on an island in the Indian Ocean and then was introduced to ultrarunning when stationed in Virginia. In 1994, 
at the young age of 22, he won the very first 100 miler that he tried, the Old Dominion 100. The following year, he ran a blistering 14:08:40 at 1995 Vermont 100, breaking setting a course record that still stands today.
During the 1990s, Mike served in the Navy as a diver and was known to be a tough, determined runner. Mike trained and competed fiercely against ultrarunning legends, David Horton, Courtney Campbell, and Hall of Famer Eric Clifton. He would accomplish 80-mile training weeks at 6:25 pace, and do 2:36 training marathons. Clifton said, “You tell Mike he can’t do something and it’s on.” In 1996, Mike travelled west to attempt Western States 100 for the first time. He was running in third place but then got lost and later dropped out after 86 miles. He returned in 1997, with more determination, and came away with the victory, finishing in course record time, 15:40:41. The record would last seven years until broken by Hall of Famer Scott Jurek.
In 1998, a hip injury shut Mike’s running down and he later had surgery. He took a tour with the Navy in Puerto Rico and focused on healing. He said, “When I got hurt, I didn’t want to be around anything running related because it was like rubbing salt in the wound. It was easier just to avoid it all.” In 2001, he transferred to the Army, assigned to Special Operations Command and became a Green Beret and was deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan. While there, he often ran loops for “mental health and stress relief.”
In 2003, Mike started running a few ultras again, but it would still be another seven years before he competed seriously. Once fully back, in 2010, he ran 153 and 163 miles at Hinson Lake 24 Hours, which earned him a place on the national 24-hour team. Mike, a Master Sergeant, now living in Florida, returned to 100-mile races in 2012 and over the next 13 months was four for four in 100-miler wins, including Badwater, where he missed the course record by just over a minute. At 2012 Umstead 100, he finished in 13:11:40, which set a course record still held today and is still a USATF American Road age-group record.
In September 2012, Mike ran at the World 24-Hour Championship at Katowice, Poland. He went into the race with a goal to break Jurek’s American record of 165.7 miles. He reached 50 miles in 6:15 and 100 miles in about 13:12:26. At 20 hours, he was told that he was on pace to break the record by six miles. He pushed ahead hard and won the world championship, reaching 172.44 miles/277.53 kms, a new American record. He also helped the US team bring home the silver medal. He said, “I had one of those days where nothing went wrong.” He was recognized as Ultrarunning Magazine’s Ultrarunning of the Year and the USA Track and Field ultrarunner of the year.
Mike’s last 100-mile finish was at 2013 Western States where he placed third. He then ran the 153-mile Spartathlon in September 2013 where he was injured while trying to dodge a dog and later had to pull out of the race. That year, he also ran Western States 100 again. He finished third in 15:45:21, just five minutes slower than his winning time in 1997. He set a master’s Western State record still held today.
In 2013, Mike left ultrarunning again and had plans to retire from the Army. He explained that after 2013 he experienced burn out. “I channeled all my anger and frustration from war into my running. After years of trying to deal with anger and depression through running, I reached a point where it was less painful to deal [with] the root cause and stop trying to run through it.” During the summer of 2017, Mike underwent major back surgery. He still hoped to one day go for a peaceful run.
Mike’s 100-mile wins included Western States, Old Dominion, Vermont, Massanutten, Long Haul, Keys, Badwater, Rocky Raccoon, and Iron Horse.