Tom Green (born 1950/1) [1] 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. [2]
He joined the Howard County Striders and is now in their hall of fame for his accomplishments. As a Strider, Tom has completed more than 175 ultramarathons. [3]
Green is known as "grandfather of ultrarunning", and the "original ultrarunner" [4]
He has run over 280 ultramarathons. [5]
He previously attended Concord University. [6]
Green is a carpenter by trade. [1]
In 2014, Tom Green ran 100 miles (160 km) in the Western States Endurance Run and finished in under 30 hours. He was 63 years old. [7]
On April 20, 2015, [1] Green was trimming a branch from a tree and the branch fell and hit Green in the head 'like a baseball bat' Green was airlifted to a hospital and received multiple skull fractures and some inner ear damage. His carotid artery received some damage. Upon reaching the Shock Treatment Center in Baltimore, Maryland, he was put into a medically induced coma for two weeks. [4]
In September 2017, Green finished the Yeti 100 Endurance Run [8] with a time of 29:46:43. [9]
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.
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.
Ann Trason is an American ultramarathon runner from Auburn, California. She set 20 world records during her career. Her world record of 5:40:18 at the 50 mile distance, set in 1991, was unbeaten until 2015. As of her induction into the Ultrarunning Hall of Fame in 2020, she was considered by many to be the most successful female ultrarunner of all time.
The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100 or Western States, is a 100.2-mile (161 km) ultramarathon that takes place on California's Sierra Nevada Mountains trails each year on the last full weekend of June. Western States is one of the most competitive ultramarathons in the United States, and is administered by the nonprofit Western States Endurance Run Foundation.
Pamela J. Reed is an American ultrarunner who resides in Tucson, Arizona and Jackson, Wyoming.
Yiannis Kouros is a Greek ultramarathon runner based in Greece. Kouros holds or formerly held many world records between 100 miles and 1,000 miles. In 1991, he starred as Pheidippides in the movie The Story of the Marathon: A Hero's Journey, which chronicles the history of marathon running.
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.
The Leadville Trail 100 Run is an ultramarathon held annually on rugged trails and dirt roads near Leadville, Colorado, through the heart of the Rocky Mountains. First run in 1983, the race course climbs and descends 15,600 feet (4,800 m), with elevations ranging from 9,200 to 12,620 feet. In most years, fewer than half the starters complete the race within the 30-hour time limit.
The Bear 100 Mile Endurance Run is a 100 mile ultramarathon that traverses the Wasatch and Bear River Ranges west of Bear Lake, from Logan, Utah to Fish Haven, Idaho. With 21,986 ft (6,701 m) of climb and an average elevation of 7,700 ft (2,300 m), it is a difficult, mountainous race.
The 6-Day Race became a standard footrace distance in the 1870s and was a popular form of entertainment with up to 70,000 paying visitors during such a Pedestrians event. However the widespread use of the bicycle from 1890 caused it to be replaced as spectator sport by cycle races of the same duration. It was in two forms: strict "heel-and-toe" racewalking, or "go-as-you-please" combination of walking, jogging, running.
The Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run is a 100-mile (162 km) long ultramarathon held annually in July at Silver Hill Meadow in West Windsor, Vermont. It is one of the five 100-mile races that comprise the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning and one of only two hundred mile races in northern New England. It is also the only known ultra race in the USA where entrants run alongside horses over a similar course, in a separate but simultaneous race. The race has been held every year since 1989.
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.
Jeff Browning is an American ultramarathon runner and coach. After moving to Bend, Oregon, Browning transitioned from mountain biking to ultrarunning, and has since won more than two dozen 100 mile races. Previously a graphic designer, Browning has been a professional runner and coach since 2017. He was listed as one of the top 10 ultrarunners of the year by Ulrarunning Magazine in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and is the oldest runner ever to be included in these awards. He attributes his success and longevity in the sport to not only a high volume of running, but an additional focus on cross training, strength and mobility work, and adherence to a low carb, high fat diet.
Karl Meltzer is an ultrarunner and ultrarunning coach based in Sandy, Utah. Meltzer has won more 100-mile ultramarathons than any other ultramarathoner, and has held speed records at major U.S. trails, including the Appalachian Trail and the Pony Express Trail. Meltzer's trail runs have been featured in news outlets from Ultrarunning.com to NBC Sports. Meltzer has been a professional ultramarathoner since 1999, and a coach since 2007.
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner and scientist born on December 25, 1981 in Norman, Oklahoma. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest Ultramarathon runners of all time.
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.
Junko Kazukawa is a Japanese-born ultrarunner who currently lives in Denver, Colorado, U.S. A two-time breast-cancer survivor, Kazukawa competes in marathon, ultramarathon and cycling events. She was the first person to complete the Leadville series and the Ultrarunning Grand Slam in a single year.
Courtney Dauwalter is an American ultramarathon runner and former teacher. Widely regarded as one of the world's best trailrunners, Dauwalter became in 2023 the first person ever to win Western States 100, Hardrock 100 and the UTMB in the same year.
Jim Walmsley is an American long-distance runner. An ultra-trail specialist, his wins include the JFK 50 Mile in 2014, 2015 and 2016, the Lake Sonoma 50 in 2016 and 2018, the Tarawera Ultramarathon in 2017, and the Western States 100 in 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2024. He holds several course records, including the Western States 100, set in 2018 and further improved by 21 minutes in 2019. In 2023, he became the first American man to win the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc.
Gary Cantrell, known as Lazarus Lake, is an endurance race designer and director. His races include the Barkley Marathons, Big's Backyard Ultra, the Barkley Fall Classic, Vol State 500K, A Race for the Ages, the Last Annual Heart of the South, and the Strolling Jim 40. In 2018, Lake covered the United States on foot, starting in Rhode Island and ending in Oregon.