Strange Running Tales: When Ultrarunning was a Reality Show (Ultrarunning History)

Book Synopsis: The sport of ultrarunning during the 19th century was filled with strange tales that are unthinkable and shocking to us today. This book highlights the most bizarre, shocking, funny, and head-scratching true stories that took place in extreme long-distance running, mostly during a 30-year period that began about 1875 when tens of thousands of people would pay to watch runners compete for days indoors. It was their version of a reality show, hoping to see runners break down and do bizarre things. Tales include: fistfights on the track, strange hallucinations experienced while trying to run for six straight days, love scandals, corruption and bribery that crept into the sport, sickness, death, and even murder. These stories were discovered by scouring thousands of newspaper articles published in the era with amazing details. They were often front-page stories in the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Times, San Francisco Examiner, and other widely read newspapers. The drama-filled stories were serious best sellers, resulting in Extras being printed during races and telegrams sent worldwide. "Loads of amusing stories. Well written and an eye-opener to what determined men and women were achieving long before the current running boom." Read more