By Davy Crockett
Who was the first American in the modern (post-war) era of ultrarunning to run a sub-24-hour 100-miler? Well, it depends on the criteria you use. Do you only count a 100-miler if it is achieved in a formal race? Or do you also count a “solo artist’s” achievement outside of a formal race? Remember in those early years before 1965, there had been no formal 100-mile or 24-hour races in the United States since decades before the war. Either way, the answer is surprising. It appears, with the information available, that the first America modern-day sub-24-hour 100-miler was a “walker.”
On August 26, 1950, when future ultrarunner Gordy Ainsleigh was a toddler, just starting to run around his yard, a determined and fit 63-year old man crossed a 100-mile finish line in less than 24 hours. Eleven years later on September 3, 1961 this man, now 74 years old, again crossed a 100-mile finish line with a time of 23:50. It was his fourth sub-24-hour 100-miler of his career. He was the first American in the modern ultrarunning era to cover 100-miles in less than 24-hours. Who was this age-defying man that would walk about 385,000 miles in his lifetime? Who was this man who for nearly 70 years during his life walked his age in miles on his birthday?