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The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning is a set of four of the five most prestigious and oldest 100-mile races contested in the United States, comprising the Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run in Virginia, the Western States 100 in California, the Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run in Vermont, the Leadville Trail 100 in Colorado, and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run in Utah. A small number of people manage to complete four in one calendar year.
The first runner to complete the Grand Slam was Tom Green, 35, of Maryland in 1986 in a combined time of 96 hours, 26 minutes, and 28 seconds. At the time, there were only 4 100-mile races in North America. These were the Old Dominion 100 in Virginia, Western States, Leadville, and Wasatch. Two runners completed the series in 1987 and three in 1988. In 1989, the Vermont 100 was added to the series, and runners could choose between it and Old Dominion. Starting in 2003, Old Dominion was removed from the series. In 2008, Western States was cancelled due to forest fires and the Arkansas Traveller 100 was run in its place. [1] Starting in 2017, Old Dominion was once again added to the series and runners have to complete the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run and three of the other four races to achieve the award. [2]
Today about a dozen runners complete the Grand Slam each year. Entry is limited by lotteries at Vermont, Western States, Leadville, and Wasatch. From 1986 through 2017 there have been 345 official finishers. The fastest time as of 2017 was 69:49:38 by Ian Sharman, 33 of Oregon in 2013. Complete list of finishers. 2013 finishers. In 2015, Junko Kazukawa completed the Grand Slam and the Leadwoman series, becoming the first woman to complete both events in a single year. [3] [4] In 2019, Dion Leonard completed the Grand Slam and the Leadman series, becoming the first man to complete both events in a single year. [5]
Entry into the Grand Slam is administered by the race committee for the Wasatch 100, which is also the last race in the series, normally held in early September. In 2017 entry costs $80 and must be received before the start of the first race (Western States) in late June. [6] Entered runners who complete the first three races are guaranteed entry into Wasatch without having to go through the lottery. Runners who complete all four races but who do not enter the series are not officially recognized. A list of these so-called "stealth" runners was maintained at https://web.archive.org/web/20120715180450/http://run100s.com/stealth.htm [7]
| Year | Name | Old Dominion | Western States | Vermont | Leadville | Wasatch | Total time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Sam Voltaggio, 51, TX | 25:19:00 | 28:59:24 | 26:08:21 | 29:00:46 | 34:27:21 | 117:46:31 |
| 2004 | Rob Apple, 43, TN | 29:11:37 | 28:46:07 | 29:07:32 | 35:08:24 | 122:13:40 | |
| 2005 | Rob Apple, 44, TN | 28:48:32 | 27:43:32 | 29:42:28 | 35:15:46 | 121:30:18 | |
| 2010 | Pete Stevenson, 37, CO | 18:58:42 | 21:48:28 | 24:36:46 | 32:56:19 | 98:20:15 | |
| 2013 | Nick Clark, 39, CO | 16:56:23 | 15:54:32 | 17:06:29 | 20:24:26 | 70:21:50 |
On August 30, 2013, this page was removed, possibly out of concern that Nick Clark might set a course record without being officially recognized when Wasatch was to be held on Sept. 6-7, 2013. [8] In addition, the following text was added to http://www.run100s.com/gs.htm
Kieren McCarthy questioned the legality of the Wasatch committee taking ownership of the trademark rights, noting that the other races in the series are open to anyone and that the trademark is not registered. [9]
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Nikki Kimball is an American distance runner specializing in the Ultramarathon. She ran her first 100-mile race at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run in 2004, and was the female winner. She was the winning female at Western States again in 2006 and 2007, becoming only the third woman to win Western States three times. In 2014, she won the Marathon Des Sables multi-stage endurance race on her first attempt. Prior to running, her main sport was cross-country skiing. She was crewed at the 2007 Western States by U.S. Senator Max Baucus of Montana, where Kimball lives. She lives in Bozeman, Montana.
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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.
Tom Green is an ultra-runner and the first man to complete the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning. He earned this distinction when there were only five 100-mile trail races in the United States.
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