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By Davy Crockett
50 years ago, on August 3-4, 1974, Gordy Ainsleigh accomplished his legendary run on the Western States Trail in the California Sierra. It became the most famous run in modern ultrarunning history. Initially, it went unnoticed in the sport until several years later, when, with some genius marketing, it became the icon for running 100 miles in the mountains, the symbol for Western States 100, founded in 1977 by Wendell Robie. With Ainsleigh as the icon, Western States inspired thousands to also try running 100 miles in the mountains on trails. Let’s celebrate this historic run’s 50th anniversary.
History Note: You were probably told Ainsleigh was the first to do this, but he was actually the 8th to cover the Western States Trail on foot during the Tevis Cup horse ride. Others were awarded the “first finishers on foot trophy” two years earlier, in 1972. Also, the sport of trail ultrarunning was not invented in 1974. It had existed for more than 100 years. There were at least eight trail ultras held worldwide in 1974, including a trail 100-miler in England. Previous to 1974, more than 1,200 people had run 100 miles in under 24 hours in races on roads, tracks, and trails, including some women.
| Learn about the rich and long history of the 100-miler. There are now three books that cover this history through 1979. Learn More |
Ultrarunning legend, Ray Scannell (1949-2024) passed away on May 13, 2024. Ray was originally from Massachusetts, and played ice hockey at Boston College, but later traded his skates in for running shoes. In 1976, he joined in with a local running group, learned how to run and lost about 40 pounds. He finished the 1978 Boston Marathon in 2:36:48. He ran his first ultra in 1981, the Nickel City 50, in Buffalo, NY. He finished in 2nd with of time of 5:36:42. He was known to do long runs such as a 60-mile run to Worcester and back.
For most elite ultrarunners, as they reach their mid-40s, their competitive years are mostly behind them. But for Ted Corbitt, his best years were still ahead of him, as he would become a national champion and set multiple American ultrarunning records. Read/Listen to 
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