The ultimate showman, P.T. Barnum of circus fame, was surprisingly the first serious ultrarunning promoter and established the first six-day race in America. He was famous for the saying “There’s a sucker is born every minute,” and figured out how to get America to come out by the thousands to watch skinny guys walk, run and suffer around a small indoor track for hours and days as part of his “greatest show on earth” presented in the heart of New York City. In this episode, details of Barnum’s connection to ultrarunning history are told for the first time.

94: Six-Day Race Part 3: P.T. Barnum – Ultrarunning Promoter (1874)

Podcast about the history of ultrarunning. An ultramarathon is a running race of 50K (31 miles) or more, up to 3,100 miles. This extreme running sport came into existence during the late 1800s.

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The Astley Belt was the most sought-after trophy in ultrarunning or pedestrianism. This race series was recognized as the undisputed international six-day championship of the world. The international six-day race series was established in 1878 by Sir John Astley, a wealthy sportsman and member of the British parliament. Daniel O’Leary won the first two races and then lost the coveted belt to Charles Rowell of England at the Third Astley Belt held in Madison Square Garden during early 1879. Rowell received several challenges for the belt and, by rule, needed to defend the belt again in 1879 and eventually was scheduled in June.

157: The Fourth Astley Belt Six-Day Race – 1879

During April 1879, the same month that the new American Championship Belt race was held in New York City, the second English Astley Belt race, for the “Championship of England,” was put on April 21-26, 1879, at the Agricultural Hall in Islington, London, England. While the Americans were putting up mediocre times and distances, still focusing mostly on walking during their six-day races, the Brits would run fast in this race and break 13 ultra-distance world records, proving that they were now the best in the sport. It truly was a mind-blowing race for the time.

156: The Second English Astley Belt Race – 1879

The Barkley Marathons course (thought to be roughly 130 miles and about 63,000 feet of elevation gain) at Frozen Head State Park was the brain child of Gary Cantrell (Lazarus Lake) and Karl Henn (Rawdawg). The idea for the race was inspired upon hearing about the 1977 escape of James Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr., from nearby Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. The first year of the Barkley was 1986. Prior to 2024, only 17 men had finished the entire rugged course within 60 miles, and no women had ever finished. That would change this year.

Let’s let Jared Beasley tell the story in his article: Barkley 2024: A Bit Traumatic and Wonderful in Ultrarunning Magazine.

155: The 2024 Barkley Marathons

The six-day American Championship Belt race was billed as a contest to produce the best man to be sponsored to compete in the 4th Astley Belt race to be scheduled in June 1879, in England. For this qualifying race, $1,000 and a championship belt would be awarded to the winner. The race was open only to residents of America and would be under the direction of the New York Athletic Club.

Belts, not belt-buckles, had become the six-day championship award for the winner of these races. The belt was described as “38 inches long, five inches wide, made of seven heavy plates of gold and silver and bearing the inscription: ‘Champion Pedestrian Belt of the United States.’” Figures of runners were inscribed on two plates of the belt, some with wings or wheels for feet. The central plate featured large figures of the statue of Liberty and a native American.

The organizers planned for 40 starters, which would by far be the largest six-day race ever held up to that point. This race was significant, because it was the first major race where the field was composed mostly of amateurs. The entries’ fee for this race was not as expensive compared to the previous six-day races, and thus a new crop of 36 six-day “greenhorns” entered the race. Only four others had six-day race experience. With all this inexperience, they risked causing a disaster.

154: The American Championship Belt – 1879

This is the story of the ultramarathon that was the most impactful of all races in the history of the sport. This race was witnessed by tens of thousands of people in Madison Square Garden and followed by millions in long daily newspaper story updates. It received so much attention that it sparked an ultrarunning frenzy on multiple continents and captured the imagination of millions of people who came to realize the humans can run hundreds of miles and not die. This is the story of the 3rd Astley Belt race, held March 10th through 15th, 1879 in New York City.

94: Six-Day Race Part 3: P.T. Barnum – Ultrarunning Promoter (1874)

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