At the age of 36, now referred to as an “old pedestrian,” Hart was determined to continue to compete and prove his doubters wrong. News had spread across the country that his running days were finally over, that “he will never be seen on the track again.” But running professionally had been part of his life for fourteen years.

Frank Hart had another terrible health scare during a six-day race in Wisconsin. You can read, listen, or watch Read the full story of Frank Hart in my new book: Frank Hart: The First Black Ultrarunning Starīy late 1892, many of the original six-day professional pedestrians had left the sport, using their winnings to establish other careers, some of them pursuing illegal activities.

The Western Slam covers four incredibly difficult 100-mile endurance runs, and unlike some of the slams that allow substitutions or options, runners have to complete all four of these specific races in order to complete the slam. One of the most popular slams is the Western Slam, outlined in this guidebook. Some of the most coveted 100-mile races have been rounded up into various 'grand slams' where ultra runners can seek to knock a specific race itinerary out of the park. Unlike some road marathons that can accommodate thousands of participants, trail races have to cap the number of participants much much lower (sometimes below 100), meaning that to get into the most popular races, you must either qualify, enter a lottery, or both. While there are plenty of 100-mile races to go around, a fabled few are so revered in the collective trail running consciousness that they've come to embody a bonafide bucket list.

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