Edward H. Ayres (born October 1941) [1] is an American writer, editor, environmentalist and ultramarathon runner. He is the founding editor and publisher of Running Times magazine, [2] [3] and he served as editorial director of the Worldwatch Institute [4] and editor of Worldwatch, [5] a bimonthly global-trends magazine. David M. Shribman states that Ayres has "inspired athletes worldwide and reshaped our ideas about endurance and sustainability". [6]
Ayres grew up in the New Jersey towns of Berkeley Heights and Westfield. [1] He graduated from Swarthmore College in 1963 and briefly was a teacher at George School. He enjoys making furniture and sculptures out of geodes, petrified wood, and glass bottles.
He placed third in the first New York Marathon in 1970, and won the 1977 JFK 50 Mile. [7]
In 1999, Ayres wrote God's Last Offer: Negotiating for a Sustainable Future in which he discusses four trends which he says threaten society: global warming caused by carbon dioxide, mass extinctions, a surge of consumption, and a population explosion. [5] Publishers Weekly stated that "Ayres dismantles the perceptual obstructions that block our awareness of a crisis" but that he "comes up short in offering specific solutions" [5] while Goodreads said that the book "presents a blueprint for a radical shift of policies and priorities to avoid a cataclysm". [8]
In 2010, he was co-author of Crossing the Energy Divide: Moving from Fossil-Fuel Dependence to a Clean Energy Future (Prentice Hall).
Goodreads called his book The Longest Race (2012), an autobiography covering his attempt to run a 50-mile ultramarathon at age 60, an "urgent exploration of the connection between individual endurance and a sustainable society". [9] Kirkus Reviews said that his " broad-ranging interests and accumulated wisdom will appeal to a wide readership, not just runners and environmentalists". [3]
Ayres is a paleo-vegetarian who shopped at, and invested in, Whole Foods Market when the stock was still trading for well under $15/share. [10] Ayres is married and has a daughter. [1]
The Worldwatch Institute was a globally focused environmental research organization based in Washington, D.C., founded by Lester R. Brown. Worldwatch was named as one of the top ten sustainable development research organizations by Globescan Survey of Sustainability Experts.
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least 3 km (1.9 mi). Physiologically, it is largely aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is a footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of 42.195 kilometres. Various distances, surfaces, and formats are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of 31 miles (50 km) and up to 3100 miles. World Championships are held by the International Association of Ultrarunners (IAU) for 50 km, 100 km, 24 hours, and ultra trail running. The Global Organization of Multi-Day Ultramarathoners (GOMU) holds World Championships for 48 hours and 6 days. World Records are ratified and recognized by World Athletics, the IAU, and by GOMU.
Trail running is a type of running that takes place on outdoor trails, often in mountainous terrain, and often includes significant ascents and descents. Trail running is overseen by the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and includes longer races.
Dean Karnazes, is an American ultramarathon runner, and author of Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner, which details ultra endurance running for the general public.
Marathon des Sables, or MdS, is a seven-day, about 250 km (160 mi) ultramarathon, which is approximately the distance of six regular marathons. The longest single stage (2009) was 91 km (57 mi) long.
Scott Gordon Jurek is an American ultramarathoner, author, and public speaker. Throughout his running career, Jurek was one of the most dominant ultramarathon runners in the world, winning the Hardrock Hundred (2007), the Badwater Ultramarathon, the Spartathlon, and the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (1999–2005). In 2010, at the 24-Hour World Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France, Jurek won a silver medal behind Shingo Inoue and set a new US record for distance run in 24 hours with 165.7 miles. In 2015, Jurek set the Fastest Known Time running record for the 2,189-mile Appalachian Trail.
The Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race is the world's longest certified footrace. In 1996 Sri Chinmoy created this event as a 2,700-mile (4,345 km) race. At the award ceremony that year he declared that the 1997 edition would be extended to 3,100 miles (4,989 km).
Multiday races are ultramarathon running events which are typically either segmented into daily events of a specified distance or time, or staged so that runners can run as far as they want, at their own discretion, over a set course or over a set number of days. Multiday races can range from continuous 48-hour track events to staged transcontinental treks.
Suprabha Beckjord is an ultramarathon runner from Washington, D.C. She is an owner of a gift shop and a disciple of Sri Chinmoy.
Richard Stephen Benyo is an American journalist and veteran distance runner. He is the editor of Marathon & Beyond Magazine, a magazine devoted to marathon and ultramarathon running. He is also the former executive editor of Runner's World Magazine, and Anderson World Books, Inc. Benyo is the author of 17 books and has written extensively about running, health and fitness.
Ashprihanal Pekka Aalto is a Finnish ultramarathon runner who began running as a hobby at age 25. He currently works as a courier. Aalto is a member of The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team. In 2006, Tarja Halonen, the President of Finland, recognized him as an "International Ambassador of Sport".
Ákos Kónya is a Hungarian ultramarathon runner from Oceanside, California.
RacingThePlanet (RTP) is an organizer of off-trail and rough-country endurance foot-races, including the 4 Deserts. The company also operates an outdoor products store and a dried foods company.
Amy Palmiero-Winters is a below-knee amputee who currently holds eleven world records in various events. In 2010, she was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States and the ESPN ESPY Award as the top female athlete with a disability in the world.
Why We Run: A Natural History is a non-fiction book by author and biologist Bernd Heinrich and was originally published as Racing the Antelope: What Animals Can Teach Us About Running and Ourselves.
Harvey Sweetland Lewis is an American ultrarunner.
Kristin "Krissy" Moehl is an American ultramarathon athlete who specializes in trail running. In 2005, Moehl became the youngest woman to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning, which included a gold medal at the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run.
Gerald Tabios is a Filipino long-distance runner and Ultramarathon runner. Among his most notable races in the United States is the Badwater Ultramarathon. This is an annual race that stretches 135 miles through Death Valley, California in July and ends after a steep climb of Mount Whitney. In the world of Ultramarathons this race, where temperatures often reach 130 °F, is frequently coined "The Toughest Foot Race in the World." Tabios is a 7-time Badwater 135 finisher.
Al Marmoom Ultramarathon also known as AMUM is an annual series of desert endurance races hosted by Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve in Dubai, United Arab Emirates since 2018. Al Marmoom Ultramarathon is regarded as the world's longest desert ultramarathon.