It was 2023, and I’d just begun writing a book on Laz’s life—an idea he and I both met with some skepticism. “Nobody’ll publish it,” he said with a faint laugh, smoke curling around him. “I’m not that interesting.” I nodded. It felt impossible—like the Barkley Marathons.
Jared Beasley
Jared Beasley is a New York-based author and journalist. His 2019 book In Search of Al Howie was chosen by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best indie books of the year.
A hulking tractor sat quietly amongst dusty piles of brick and rebar, while workmen stood around, eating their lunches. Next door, a red sign that displayed “The Black Sheep” leaned against the building. A trim, muscular...
You’re never ready for that call. Especially not the first one. It was early on a Thursday and my mom’s voice was on the other line, deliberate and heavy. “He’s...”She didn’t have to complete the sentence. I knew. He was...
Pompeii was nothing but a story until 1599, when an architect dug up a street. Similarly, the ancient cave paintings of Lascaux were discovered by four young boys, who, looking for their dog, stumbled into the Paleolithi...
Zing… the wheels spin on a tandem bike named “Kindness” as a warm summer breeze brushes through Naresh Kumar’s curly black hair. He’s headed east out of Oregon and doesn’t think about the 4,223 miles ahead on paved roads...
Perhaps it’s because I sat near a young Canadian who could not remember his name. Or maybe because it’s been 44 years and some stories remain too strong or too powerful to let go of. Either way, I felt compelle...
The Barkley 2024 was predictable: after three finishers last year, no one was expected to make it to the fifth loop. The course would be toughened up. But what unfolded was something altogether different and soon we were dealing with a rash of firsts, tattoos, a Rusty Spoon, a photo gone round the world and an Italian painting from 1603.
The Shot: When Steve Warshawer squatted in the bushes to relieve his gut, he had no doubt he was still in the lead. But a group on horseback soon informed him what no trail runner wants to hear: he’d taken a wrong turn....
To adequately put into words what happened in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, between a chilly Saturday morning and a blisteringly hot Wednesday evening, would be a futile attempt. None could do it justice. There was simply too much pain and triumph.
I had $20 left to my name and my head was still thumping from the bender the night before. But it was one of those spring afternoons in Manhattan when the air turns vibrant and intoxicating, and you know winter is finall...
I’ll create something new. It’ll be a race, but more than that. It’ll be an entirely unique format. There’ll be team championships and individual championships and every two years, we’ll have a great battle royale. Fro...
On Monday, John Kelly was finally resting in a fold-up chair. Besides the dark mud that painted his shins, he didn’t look like someone who’d just beaten the fastest known time (FKT) on Vermont’s Long Trail. He didn’t look like someone who hadn’t slept in four days. He didn’t even look particularly tired. He looked at home.
To get to Innsbruck, Austria, Jade Belzberg first needed to make arrangements for her three dogs, 10 rabbits, five Guinea Pigs, two cats and her horse, Casper. Then came the hard part. She needed to force herself to the airport and do everything she could to keep from backing out. For 14 years, she’s dealt with a paralyzing fear of flying. But she’s determined to white-knuckle the 10-hour flight to Munich if she has to.
Last August, Michael “Gagz” Gagliardi, 47, pulled the plug on an 18-year career and left behind a 91k salary with five weeks paid vacation. He craved something new and different–something more....
His name was Emile and his stories beggared belief: living with Aboriginal peoples in Papua New Guinea and the Amazon and competing in six or seven-day-long ultramarathons. I’d never heard of anything like that...
As running gear gets more sophisticated each year, the idea of “naked running” has become a thing. In recent terminology, it has come to mean simply running without a watch. But races fitting the t...
It’s just past midnight on a night in June, but Nathan Echols is awake in a sweat. I’ve got to get back, he tells himself, sitting on the edge of the bed. The kid still burns inside him, the one who’d do anything to win, and put holes in the walls when he lost.
It’s just past midnight on a night in June, but Nathan Echols is awake in a sweat. I’ve got to get back, he tells himself, sitting on the edge of the bed. The kid still burns inside him, the one who’d do anything to w...
He fought in Vietnam and Korea. He was a Mormon-turned-Catholic priest who went by Bill or Wolfgang or Wolf. He was an ROTC instructor, an exorcist and paranormal researcher. He was a radio host. He was a runner. And, many believe, he was D.B. Cooper.
He fought in Vietnam and Korea. He was a Mormon-turned-Catholic priest who went by Bill or Wolfgang or Wolf. He was an ROTC instructor, an exorcist and paranormal researcher. He was a radio host. He was a runner. And, ma...
On the first day of the Sri Chinmoy 3,100-mile race, Trishul Cherns was just settling into a comfortable pace when he felt a pair of animal eyes locked on him. The hungry, curious stare was from a skinny...
Running saved Leadville and brought new fire to Chamonix. The new 140-mile Route 66 UltraRun could make a big difference here, too—in the restoration of one of the nation’s most historic routes, and in seeing that it has a future as well as a past. Says RD Marshall Ulrich, “We have to see where we came from so we can move forward.”
It was the middle of the night in 2004, and Su-san reached for another “Dora Choco,” a Japanese treat made with two pancake-like castella cakes sandwiching a chocolate core. She’d brought exactly 24 to the Czech Repub...
In 2017, journalist Charlotte Helston had been hunting an ultrarunning urban legend for months. It seemed she was out of luck. Some said he was the most elusive man in North America. Hyperbole for sure. But there was...
They always come when there’s no sleep. The simple ones. They start in the port-o-potties: everything pulsates – the exhaust pipe spins – the urinal thrusts forward. It’s 2013, and 54-year-old John Geesler is on the th...
November 2016 – approximately 1:30 a.m. – Mark Twain National Forest Deep into the Ozark Trail 100, Kimmy Riley hears another noise. It sounds like gibberish. This time it’s on the right side of the trail. She hushes...
Mauro Prosperi was lost in the Sahara Desert, guzzling his urine inside a marabout, a long-forgotten Islamic shrine, occasionally used by the Bedouins. He sat atop a mound of sand blown in from the storm, a gaggle of...
Patrick Macke was slowly slipping into an altered state known only to the highly drugged or the deliriously over-exerted. The last communique from his crew was that there was a motel 30k from Melbourne and the finish...
For most of her life, Sullivan Summer was known by a different name that was given to her when she was adopted at the age of one. To her, that name is dead. Raised in New Hampshire with a white family, she was the only Black person she knew. For Sullivan, the choice to start over was years in the making—a cycle in her life of taking on the trauma of others and a product of her relationship with the mother that adopted her.
Now 71, and with his stifled bar business trying to rebound from COVID, a hamstring injury and the effects of age on his speed and endurance, Tom McGrath’s plan is ambitious. From November 4–7, he will run three marathons in three days and on the fourth day, do the NYC Marathon. Tom’s running roots are firmly grounded in ultras – the concrete kind.
Al Howie was on the lam from Interpol and living as an illegal alien in Canada when he became one of the most stupefying runners in history. From 24-hour runs to six-day races to 1,300-milers, Howie ran on pavement in...
The International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) is tasked with being the non-biased eyes of the sport – keeping the record straight. On September 19, however, they made a drastic change. They approved “the new version of the IAU World Records (IAU WR) Guidelines.” The breakdown is this: 1000k, 1000-mile and 6-Day races will no longer be recognized. Update: on October 11, 2021, the IAU decided to reinstate the 6-Day event as an officially recognized event.
It was three weeks till Eastern States, and in the heart of the White Mountains, the mornings start like something out of a movie. Under a cloudless sky and the majesty of Carter Notch, Veronica Leeds set out to run the Hut Traverse – 50 iconic miles, 15,000 feet of climb, unpredictable conditions and rocky, technical terrain. It was the perfect prep for the Eastern States 100—or so she thought.
In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the ultra-trail scene quietly lost a piece of its bedrock. Friends and family were led into an ordinary hospital room to say goodbye to a very unordinary man. Angiosarcoma of the...