Since the dawn of the sport of ultrarunning more than a century ago, a unique breed of ultrarunner has existed which we will call the "self-promoter." They were skilled in using their running talents to gain fame and fortune, mostly by doing "stunts" rather than participating in competitions. There is nothing inherently wrong with seeking to make a living this way. Before World War II, most ultrarunners were "professionals" who lived off winnings, wagers, and gate receipts from doing stunts.

But sadly, many self-promoters would make false claims, play on the sympathies of a gullible public, and some would resort to fraud and thievery. When telling the history of the sport, these stories of self-promoters must delicately be pointed out so that their achievements can put in their proper place. Caution must be used to sort through a multitude of claims to find the legitimate. In 1985, Gary Cantrell (of Barkley fame) warned the sport about this type of runner, who would step forward to claim an undeserved spotlight for gain, disrespecting the entire sport.

Why cover this? In the 1975, a young self-promoting talented runner became part of the 100-mile history. After gaining national fame, he sadly turned to fraud. The fascinating story of Andy West is a cautionary tale to beware of the self-promoting, charity-raising ultrarunner. In the next episode, I will cover two other self-promoters who were truly great ultrarunners of the mid-1970s that learned to successfully use their fame to inspire with a bit of “over the top” claims.