By Davy Crockett
Ultrarunning legend, Mark Godale passed away suddenly June 13, 2022, at the age of 51. Mark was an elite ultrarunner, American record holder, and a National Champion. He was a dedicated runner at USATF events and World Championships. For his career, he was a talented art director from Ohio, but his life was always surrounded in running activities.
Mark ran in junior high, high school and at the University of Akron in Ohio, where he ran cross country and track. When he was a freshman in 1990, he egged on a friend to try a 10K, saying he would run a marathon the same day. Mark finished in a fast 3:17 for his first try.
As this concluding part of the Third Asley Belt Race opens, four elite ultrarunners were competing to be the Champion of the World in New York City in 1879, seeking to become the holder of the Astley Belt. The current world champion, Daniel O’Leary had apparently dropped out because of health reasons after 215 miles on day three. Great Britain’s best hope, Charles Rowell was in lead with 250 miles. Two others were still in the race, John Ennis of Chicago, and Charles Harriman of Massachusetts. Who would win? Don’t miss part one, which included a violent riot at the start of the race. The shocking details are covered in 
By the end of 1878, at least 41 six-day races had been held in America and Great Britain since 
In 1878, Daniel O’Leary of Chicago was the undisputed world champion of ultrarunning/pedestrianism. He cemented that title with his victory in the 
By 1878, interest in ultrarunning/pedestrianism had taken a strong hold in Great Britain. The six-day race was viewed as a unique new branch of the running sport that fascinated many sporting enthusiasts. Like P.T. Barnum who was the first major promoter of ultrarunning in America, John Astley became the first prominent ultrarunning promoter in England. Astley’s significant involvement in 1878 helped to legitimize pedestrianism and he was the person who put “running” into “ultrarunning.” He thankfully removed the walking restriction in the six-day race and established the first international championship race, later called “The First Astley Belt.”
In America, 1876 had been a “loopy” six-day race year, with at least eighteen races held. Interest was high, but there were also skeptics. Closing out the 
The year 1876 was a particularly important year in ultrarunning/pedestrian history and thus several episodes have covered the events held that year. It was the year when the six-day races started to spread across America for the first time.