Archive for the ‘Andy Milroy’ Category
Ultra summary of 1993
by Andy Milroy . 1993
IS THE FEMALE OF THE ULTRA SPECIES TOUGHER THAN THE MALE? by Andy Milroy
Reprinted from IAU Newsletter, Winter Edition, 1991
One of the most interesting developments in Ultrarunning in recent years is the number of times that women have won races outright. This phenomenon seems to be limited to ultras; at 10km and the marathon men reign supreme. This prompted me to attempt an analysis of the possible reasons for the female successes.
Way back in 1971 American Natalie Cullimore amazed the then totally male dominated ultra world by clocking 16:11 for 100 miles, finishing second in the race, and producing the fourth fastest time ever by an American-male or female. This performance, allied to the perception that many elite women runners still looked fresh at the finish of marathons and ultramarathons, prompted Dr joan Ullyot and Dr Ernst van Aaken to suggest that women were innately better suited to long distances than men. The theory was that women were better at metabolising fat than men, after their glycogen stores were depleted, and moreover also carried greater fat stores than men. In other words women had a better engine and a bigger fuel tank than men. However in 1979 David Costill showed that in fact women’s ability to metabolis fat was actually inferior to men’s. Other studies have shown that women’s greater fat stores can count against them. On average women are fatter with less total muscle mass than men of equal body mass. So why do the women keep on winning ultra races outright?
First lets look at the type of races women are winning. They range from 12 hours to 6 days, with the 24 Hour event being the main focus. Thus it is the more extended endurance events, those not dominated by sheer speed, in which women excell vis a vis men. Yet, if one looks at the world bests for these events, the difference between men and women is generally greater than the 9 to 11% which is the norm for events from the sprint to the marathon.(This greater difference is probably due to the fact that women have only been running such events competitively for some fifteen years). Thus for women to win these ultra events, their elite male opposition have to produce sub-standard performances. In other words in these events women are better COMPETITIVELY than their male opposition. Why?
One key to the success of women is their better tactics- they pace their races better. Dr Karl Lennartz has commented that in ultra races most male runners start too fast. Women generally run their races differently – in 100km races for instance the difference in pace between the first and last lOkms is minimal.There are even female ultrarunners who run faster during the second half of the race. Intellectually male runners know that even pace is the best strategy, so why don’t they use it? The answer can perhaps be found by looking at the 24 hour race worldwide. Last year among the most successful 24 Hour performers were two 50 year olds (162 miles), a 55 years old (155 miles) and a 60 years old (149 miles). Why should such
older male runners be so successful, beating younger men who on physical tests would almost certainly be faster and stronger?
Perhaps the question we should be asking is what such older runners have in common with femnale ultrarunners? The answer possibly is that, compared with the average male ultra-runner of 35-45, they have lower levels of testosterone- the male sex hormone. The higher testosteronelevels in the younger male ultrarunners makes for more aggressive, more competitive behaviour- just about the most counter-productive attitude in any long ultra. Perhaps it is much easier for women and older men to start a race at a sensible speed; they don’t have chemicals in their blood forcing the pace.
Pacing the race better is one strand but I suspect that women have other advantages as well. Van Aaken and Ullyot’s idea of a better fat mobilisation and greater fat reserves is worth looking at again. Women may not be able to use their fat more efficiently than men but in long races of 6 days or more their greater stores would seem to give them a built in advantage!
The larger reserves of subcutaneous fat that women have has a further advantage- it gives them better insulation. The longer the ultra the greater the likelihood that there will be big variations in temperature and climate generally. Women are better protected against such variations than men. A classic example of this was in the Blackpool 48 hours held in November 1988. A field of top British male 24 hour and 48 hour performers faced a group of top women. On the first night the temperature dropped to -2 degrees centrigade, on the second night to zero degrees.(It is probably no coincidence that James Zarei, perhaps the male with the least subcutaneous fat, who is very susceptible to cold, was the first to retire within the first 10 hours). In that race women finished 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th,and 7th. The leading lady, Hilary Walker, ran 227 miles for a new 48 Hour best.
Cold is just one of a host of variables that may have to be faced in the course of a long ultra. Although speed, strength and running endurance are still important factors, another major asset is the ability to handle prolonged stress, both physical and mental. Many studies have shown that women cope better with stress than men.(Classic examples of this are the Donner Party Wagon Train in the nineteenth century and the Siege of Leningrad in the last war). Possibly this ability comes in part from the female’s need to cope with the prolonged stress of childbirth. In past centuries women unable to cope with such stress would not have survived, nor in probability would their offspring. Thus evolution over generations has discriminated in favour of stress-resistent women.
Studies of mental and psychological stress have also shown that women cope better than men. In my experience in long ultras men are more likely to quit if things go wrong, whereas women just keep going.
Having hopefully made a case that women’s success in ultrarunning is due to better tactics, better insulation and a greater ability to deal with prolonged stress, there is also another reason why women win ultras outright. Often the woman runner is the class athlete in the race, she is not opposed by a male athlete of equivalent ability. Eleanor Adams, Ann Trason, Hilary Walker, Sandra Barwick and Marianne Savage have all won ultra races outright. All of them at one time have set world bests.
Men depressed by finishing second to the fair sex should be philosophical. In the greatest ultra of them all-Life- women consistantly achieve greater performances, outliving their male peers.Basically they are just tougher.
The How and Why of the Oldtime
Six Day Races
ANDY MILROY
THE only ultra records to survive from the last century are those set in Six
Day races and many-modern ultra runners, aiming to tackle the new
versions of’ this event, have expressed considerable interest in how the oldtime
processional runners achieved such distances. I have attempted to examine
all aspects of such races and the preparation of the ” peds ” to discover their
recipe for success.
Reliability
Is there any point in considering such performances in the first place’.’
Were the totals inflated by-inadequate lap recording or undersize tracks? In
many of’ the major American matches the task of keeping score and timekeeping
was entrusted to officials selected from the local athletics clubs who should
have been independent of the management and competitors. The tracks were
measured one foot from the inner edge, or sometimes eighteen inches. They
were usually measured with surveyors’ instruments both before and after the
event, and cases of final distances being reduced or increased following
discovery that the track was undersize or oversize are recorded. However, some
people at the time expressed reservations about Littlewood’s 623 ¾ miles. Sir
John Astley wrote – I have never felt quite satisfied as to the correctness of
the scoring, though I know he was a very smart young chap, and perhaps the
prettiest runner of the set”. Sir John’s ideas as to the limits attainable in a
Six Day were perhaps conditioned by the races at the Agricultural Hall.
Islington, the foremost British venue. One Englishman who had lived in the
United States stated-Madison Square Gardens (where Littlewood set his
record) bears the same relation to it (Agricultural Hall) as a lady’s boudoir
in Fifth Avenue does to a log hut in the Western wilds.” I hope by the end
of this article to have produced enough evidence for readers to make up their
own minds.
How the runners gained experience
In these modern days where professional athletics is a fringe activity
occupying principally the Scots and the Australians it is hard to visualise the
state of affairs that existed in the 1870’s and ’80’s. At that time ” amateur “
athletics was the preserve of the upper classes. Any working class lad showing
athletic prowess very swiftly turned professional. George Littlewood for
instance was competing from at least the age of nine.
For athletes wishing to try their endurance in the popular Six Day contests
there was a chance to learn the “game”-almost a nursery for ” peds “. Out
numbering the “real” out-and-out 6 Day races were 6 x 12 hours and 6 x 14
hours events which cut out the unprofitable periods when the public were
scarce, were easier to supervise, and were ideal preparation for an all out
event. The race programme of an ordinary “ped”- Sam Day, with no
pretensions to greatness, gives an idea of how a young runner might swiftly gather
experience. March 1879 6 x 14 hrs. Lambeth Baths, June 1879 6 x 14 hrs.
Agricultural Hall, August 1879 6 x 14 hrs. Dundee, October 1879 6 x 14 hrs.
Birmingham, November 1879 6 x 12 hrs. Wolverhampton, November 1879 14 hrs.
Lambeth, January 1880 66 miles in 10 hrs.
The Quality of the Pedestrians
The men who tackled the Six Days successfully were no heavy footed
Plodders, for the unmatched prizes of the event attracted any athlete with
ability as a runner or walker. Had Salazar or De Castella been alive then
they too would have tried multiday racing. Pat Fitzgerald held the United
States Hour record with 11 m 60y. George Hazael the 20 miles world best.
Rowell has still to be equalled as a performer over two and three days. George
Mason and James Bailey who set ultra bests up to 40 miles also had a go.
Mason, in fact, was probably the best “marathon” runner of the day with an
estimated 2.45 en route to a 30 miles best (John Hayes-2.55 to win the 1908
Olympics). The best walkers tried the event too. Tincler, the world one mile
champion, Harry Vaughan, the 24 Hour record holder, and Littlewood attempted
6 Days; Littlewood with conspicuous success. With so many good quality
athletes involved it’s not surprising that the standards were so high.
Training
We are fortunate that in 1908 Len Hurst, perhaps the foremost long distance
runner of the day gave details of his training in a book written by Alf Downer.
Hurst competed successfully in a number of multiday races and was involved
in virtually the last flourish of Six Day racing-the 2 man 6 Day relay of 1904.
From his training, devised for events from 15 to 50 miles, we can get an idea
of that undertaken by Rowell, Littlewood, and other 6 Day pedestrians. He
first advised anyone planning to take up long distance running to take any
amount of walking exercise. He suggested a daily programme as follows:
Rise at six followed by a steady walk till 8.30. Breakfast. Rest till 9.45 then
walk till 11 a.m. followed by a three mile run. Dinner at 12.45 followed by a
rest on a bed until 3 o’clock. An hour’s walk followed by a three mile run.
Tea at 5.30 followed by a walk from 6.30 to 8.30. Finally relaxation until bed
at ten o’clock. This remember, is the training schedule for a top marathon
runner of the day. To modern eyes its emphasis on walking seems more
applicable to the Six Day, and it is likely that Rowell undertook a more
intensive version of the above. Before his major races he is reported to have
covered 40 to 50 miles a day in training, walking and running (Hurst probably
about 26 to 30 miles). He was also known to throw in the occasional long run,
and thought nothing of running up to London from his home at Chesterton,
near Cambridge (some sixty miles in under eight hours. and back again the
next day!
Rowell is also said to have experimented to find the most economical style
for the event. In the early 1880’s Walter George and he tried out running with
little or no bend of the knee, allowing the rear leg to swing naturally through
as the fore foot landed on the heel, thus practically running on the heels, with
hands and arms in front of the sides of the body most of the time. The back
leg would swing naturally forward from toe to heel without any exertion or
knee lift. This, George and Rowell practised in Richmond Park for two or
three weeks almost daily.
I have concentrated on Rowell’s training because he was the most successful
runner at the peak of 6 Day racing, and moreover, unlike most other peds,
does not seem to have used stimulants.
Rest / Sleep
Having locked at a number of 6 Day races involving most of the top men
there seems to have been a consensus that one could get by on about three
hours sleep a night. In a fiercely competitive situation this might drop to
to 2 to 2 ½, hours, but with a good lead, four hours might be taken. I only have
mile splits for a lengthy period of a race for Rowell and Littlewood, but
examination shows clear but differing strategies. In his great 1882 run when
he set out to run his opponents off their feet Rowell took half an hour rest
every six hours up to 22-28 when he took three hours sleep. He took further
half hour breaks at 32 ½, and 38 ½ hours before another long break from 41-03
to 42-20. Six hours later still sticking to schedule he had his sleep break from
48-20 to 50-35-2 h 15. The strain was now beginning to tell or else he planned
more frequent breaks, because an hour later he took 15 minutes rest, three
hours later a further 20 minutes, and on reaching 300 miles in 58 hours, another
half hour break. He then pushed on for six hours, took 40 minutes rest before
stopping for the night from 68-3, to 71-23 hours after reaching 350 miles. He
had taken 13 hours 22 minutes rest in 72 hours. He was inadvertently
“poisoned” with vinegar at this point, but it is likely that he had over
stretched himself with his fearsome opening day (150 miles). A schedule of
6 hours running ½ hour rest was also followed by Robert Vint and James
Albert for at least part of their record runs.
Littlewood’s 623 ¾ miles was achieved when 6 Day races were on the wane.
and his performance was not well reported in the States or in Britain. I do
have mile splits for most of his earlier walking record of 531 miles. His great
strength seems to have been the ability to bang out 4 ½, to 5 miles an hour pace
as a walker almost indefinitely. He rested only briefly for about five minutes
at a time and slept probably 3 h 45 the first night, 3 h 46 the second, 3 h 40 the
third, and 3 h 45 the fourth before a further 2 ½ hours from 107 ½ , to 110 hours, 3 hours
the fifth night and finally 1 h 50 from 130 to 132 h 20 m. A probable total of
18 ¾ hours sleep in 6 days. It is likely that his 623 ¾ miles effort was based on a
similar schedule. However, his rest total was only 16 h 26 in total so he probably
took close to three hours a night.
Pace/Walking-Running Ratios
The pace the peds aimed for seems to have been a top speed of 6 m.p.h.,
often around 5 ½, with occasional lapses to 4 m.p.h. Rowell seems to have
scored with his ability to reel off 10 minute miles for hours on end. His 1882
run, of course, violated this norm: 7 m.p.h. the first day, and by the end of
Day 3 he suffered for it. It is hard to distinguish on a sheet of mile times
between a fast walk of 5 m.p.h. and a slow jog of 5 m.p.h, but I have not been
able to spot any systematic pattern of slower miles and faster which perhaps
means the peds ran as they felt, walking when tired or stiff. When James
Albert Cathcart ran his 621 miles he apparently ran as far as he could for as
long as he could each day then walked. Ed Dodd and Tom Osler record Merritt
running three laps and walking one and Weston running two miles without
a walking break but apart from that I’ve not seen much evidence for drawn
out walk/run schedules.
Food: Drink Stimulants
In training and during the race diet was regarded as very important. Roast
beef, roast and boiled mutton or chicken, with limited vegetables and stale and
crusty bread was regarded as suitable to be washed down with bitter ale. The
meat, often in the form of chops, was usually taken before the longest rest
period. Meat protein was also eaten whilst on the move in semi-liquid form
such as mutton stew, calf foot jelly or eel broth using an invalid feeding cup
like a small gravy boat with a long thin spout. The favourite liquid intake
was an extension of this-beef tea or beef essence. Other fluids taken were
tea, coffee, ginger ale and milk, as well as more potent beverages. In an
attempt to revive the flagging pedestrian alcoholic drinks like champagne and
brandy was used successfully. Often more drastic measures were needed.
Minute doses of poisons like strychnine and belladonna were used, morphine
in hot drops and even electric shocks. Other means included mechanical
instruments like the scarificator used on Fitzgerald which jabbed sixteen sharp
blades one eighth of an inch into inflamed and swollen tissue. The pain from
swollen and strained legs was such that staggering pedestrians would hold
sponges soaked in ammonia to their noses to stop themselves from fainting.
Another favourite, legitimate restorative was the very hot bath which when
used on a tiring ped would “liven him up considerably, fairly making him
out”.
The greatest stimulant of all which made the suffering runners willing to
undergo such tortures and risks was the money. Rowell, at the height of the
6 Day mania won $ 20,398 in his first Ashley Belt race, and $19.500 prize money
plus $ 6,500 entrance money in the next race. Almost a hundred times the
annual average wages of the day! Even taking the financial rewards into
account the incredible determination and stoicism of an athlete like
Littlewood is amazing. The first time he passed 600 miles in May 1888 he had huge
blisters on the sole of each foot which by the last two days had burst and
were raw. His little toes had swollen and burst open so the bones were visible
and the flesh hung in flaps. On the third day his hip had been
swollen and inflamed with rheumatism. The second time he achieved 600 miles (623 ¾)
in the course of the race the spirit bath he was bathing his feet in
caught fire and caused a severe blister on his loot.
Clothing and Shoes
The costumes worn by the pedestrians were fairly standard, only Westonia
went in for elaborate clothes. They consisted of shirt and tights, with trunks
worn over the tights. On their feet were lightweight boots or shoes-special
running shoes had been used by professional runners for at least fifty years.
Howell wore lightweight running shoes specially made for him by his father
who was a cobbler.
The Age of the Peds
.
Apart from Frank Hart who was probably about 24 when he set his best
565 miles, virtually all the other top pedestrians achieved their peak
performances when they were over thirty. Littlewood was 30 in 1888. Albert 33
and Herty probably 29. Fitzgerald was 38 in 1884 and Rowell 31. Hazael was
37 in 1882. Of the earlier “record holders” O’Leary was 34, Weston was 40,
Gentleman was 39 and Brown was 36 when setting their best performances.
To anyone familiar with the ages of present day top 24 Hour runners this
would not be surprising. With the exception of Dave Dowdle, Mark Pickard
and Wally Hayward they fall into the same age group.
Venues
The two great venues were the Agricultural Hall, Islington, London, and the Madison Square Gardens, New York. The track in London was made of loam and fine gravel which was then rolled. The normal floor was probably dirt. The earth floor of the Madison Square Garden was specially prepared before the track was laid. First the ground was dug to a depth of twelve inches then broken up into a fine filth and all pebbles removed with rakes. On top of this a layer of tan bark and clay or loam was laid. (Tanbark was
either the bark of the tanbark oak which was used in tanneries and thus freely
available in New York, or else the pulverised wood of the tree). Thus the
three inch top layer was a mixture of plant fibre and earth, and provided a
spongy surface to run and walk on. Perhaps the nearest track conditions to
the old days is the track at Haverford College fieldhouse, Pennsylvania, which
was used in January this year 1983, for a major 48 Hour race. The track is
dirt on dirt foundations. Many of the runners reported rapid leg recovery
from the race. This is perhaps how the old time peds managed to cope with
several races one after another. Although running, indoors meant that the
weather was not a consideration there were other handicaps, such as tobacco
smoke, fog and dust which could make the atmosphere inside the hall very
unpleasant and even make the competitors sick.
To summarise: The old time ‘peds’ success was probably due to their
willingness to cut their sleep to three hours or less a night, to running to a pre
planned schedule of rests at least at the start, and to their capabilities as
walkers to push along at 4 m.p.h. plus. Perhaps the most important factors
were the chance of overnight wealth to poor men, who, to achieve such success,
were willing to put their fate in the hands of ruthless handlers who, of course.
were in on a cut of the prospective prize money.
One final point. Was the 623 ¾ miles the greatest distance the peds could have achieved? The answer is probably not. Littlewood, and probably others.
were content to break the record by a small amount, to leave it within reach
on another occasion so that another bonus for breaking the “record” could
he earned. Mike Newton’s and Tom O’Reilly’s extravagance in breaking the
modern day record by over seventy miles would have been regarded as most
unbusinesslike!
Daily Splits for 600 mile performances
Haezel 135 m 242 m 342 3/8 m 433 5/8 m 540 m 600 1/8 (107) (100 3/8 ) (91 ¼ ) (106 3/8 ) (60 1/8 )
Fitzgerald 126 m 226 m 336 m 447 5/8 m 536 1/2 m 610 m
(100) (106) (111 ¾ ) (88 ¾ ) (73 ½ )
Rowell 135m 240 m 346 m 440 m 525 m 602 m
(105) (106) (94) (85) (77)
Albert 130 1/8 m 238 m 348 m 450 m 545 m 621 5/8m
(107 7/8 ) (110) (102) (95) (76 ¾)
Littlewood 122 ¼ m 217 7/8 m 320 ¾ m 431 m 538 ½ m 623 ¾ m
(95m 1100y) (102m 1540y) (110 ¼ m) (107 ½ m) (85 ¼ m)
Note – I don’t have the daily splits for Daniel Herty who ran 605 miles behind
Littlewood. Littlewood also ran 611 ¾ miles in May 1888 and is the only
pedestrian to go over 600 miles twice.
Sources
Running Recollections and how to train-Alfred Downer l908.
Sporting & Athletic Records-H-Morgan Browne 1897. English, American & Australian Sporting Calendar-Jas Toulon 1884
Pedestrian Record-Lupton 1890. The Great American Sports Book-Gipe 1978.
Ultramarathoning-Tom Osler and Ed Dodd 1979.
Fifty Years of My Life-Sir John Astley 1894.
Bell’s Life.
I’d also like to thank Peter Lovesey for reading, the draft of this article
and his help and comments.
