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 The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, comprising the

Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England *Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...

in Virginia, the

Western States 100 The Western States Endurance Run, known commonly as the Western States 100, 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. The race starts ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, the

Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run The Vermont 100 Mile Endurance Run (Vermont 100) 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 ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, the

Leadville Trail 100 The Leadville Trail 100 Run (aka The Race Across The Sky or the LT100) 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 climb ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, and the

Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run The Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run (''Wasatch'') is a 100-mile ultra marathon held annually on the first Friday after Labor Day in the U.S. state of Utah. The slogan of the Wasatch Run is "One Hundred Miles of Heaven and Hell," and it is kn ...

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

. A small number of people manage to complete four in one calendar year.

History

The first runner to complete the Grand Slam was

Tom Green Michael Thomas Green (born July 30, 1971) is a Canadian-American comedian, show host, actor, filmmaker, podcaster, and rapper. After pursuing stand-up comedy and music as a young adult, Green created and hosted ''The Tom Green Show'', which a ...

, 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. Starting in 2017, Old Dominion was once again added to the series and runners have to complete the

and three of the other four races to achieve the award. 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 Ian Sharman, born 30 August 1980, is a British ultramarathon runner, coach, and blogger foiRunFarliving in Bend, OR. He currently holds the record for the Grand Slam of Ultrarunning The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning is a set of four of the five mos ...

, 33 of Oregon in 2013
Complete list of 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. In 2019, Dion Leonard completed the Grand Slam and th
Leadman series
becoming the first man to complete both events in a single year.

Controversy

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. 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 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. In addition, the following text was added to http://www.run100s.com/gs.htm :MESSAGE FROM THE GRAND SLAM OF ULTRARUNNING™ COMMITTEE AND THE WASATCH 100 RACE COMMITTEE : :The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™ Committee and the Wasatch Front 100 Mile Endurance Run Committee do not endorse, recognize, or ratify anyone or their times involved in the so-called “unofficial” grand slam of ultrarunning. Likewise we do not support, encourage, or sustain anyone involved in this pursuit. : :We continue to recognize, applaud, and award the runners who are legitimately registered in and officially complete The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™. : :We also remind all who are observing or otherwise involved that the term “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™” is a trademark of The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™ entity, and only those who are official entrants and finishers of The Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™ are entitled to use the term “Grand Slam of Ultrarunning™” in whatever form (including in any form that might cause trademark confusion) in connection with their running endeavors. 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.

References

{{Reflist

External links

ULTRAmarathonRunning.com
Global Ultramarathon Races & Events Calendar Ultramarathons in the United States