75: The 100-miler: Part 22 (1978) Fort Meade 100

Ultrarunning History

By Davy Crockett Park Barner at Fort Meade During the 1960s and 1970s, most of the 100-mile races were held on oval tracks. Additionally, 100 miles were achieved during 24-hours races, usually also held on tracks. Running for 100 miles on an oval track seemed like an extreme oddity back then, even as it does today. During that period, there were 19 known track 100-mile running races held worldwide, that were not also 24-hours races. In addition, there were many other 100-mile racewalking competitions in both England and America where walkers sought to become a “Centurion” by walking 100 miles in 24 hours of less (see episode 63). The first modern-era track 100-miler (running) was held in Durban, South Africa in 1964 won by Manie Kuhn in 17:48:51. In America, the first track 100 was held in 1975 in New York, the Queensborough 100, won by Park Barner in 13:40:59 (see episode 66). Beginning in 1978, an important track 100-miler started to be held, that became the premier track 100-miler. The race was held on an military base at Fort Meade, Maryland in America. It would be held there for twelve years. This 100-miler was dominated by Ray Krolewicz of South Carolina, who won it six times. Sadly, this race has been mostly forgotten in the annuls of ultrarunning history. Please help support this podcast. I’ve joined a partnership with Ultrarunning Magazine. I can offer a 25% discount on Ultrarunning Magazine subscriptions and renewals. Visit https://ultrarunninghistory.com/mag Subscribe or renew today with this link. Fort Meade Fort Meade (Camp Meade) in Maryland became an active Army installation in 1917 built for troops drafted into World War I. It was located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Before being established there was barely a town in the area, just peach orchards and “one-horse towns.” The principal feature was the railroad. The location for the camp near the Potomac River was chosen because of the good access to the railroad. The camp was named after Major General George G. Meade for his victory at Gettysburg which led toward victory for the North during the Civil War. During World War I, about 500,000 soldiers were trained at Camp Meade. After the war, tanks were brought back from Europe, and the camp was selected to be the home for the Tank Corp. Generals George Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower met there and established a friendship. During World War II, the post was designated as Fort Meade and a staggering 3.5 million men passed through there. In 1943 it also housed about 1,700 Italian and German war prisoners. After the war, the fort reverted to more routine Army peacetime activities. It housed the National Security Agency (NSA) and was used for air defense systems during the Cold War. During the 1970s it became the primary location for national intelligence. 24-hour Relays In the 1970s, a 24-hour relay craze took place at high schools, colleges and running clubs. Records were claimed, but hard to compare because the number of team members in the relays varied so much and record keeping was always suspect. These type of running relays took place as early as 1907. (see episode 72). In 1970, the Washington and Baltimore Road Runners Clubs organized a 24-hour 10-man-team relay race on the track at Mullins Field in Fort Meade. The event would eventually expand to 50-mile and 100-mile solo races competed by many of the best American ultrarunners of the time. The base opened their doors to runners and kindly made facilities available including restrooms and showers. Nick Marshall wrote, “This was an era when many military bases had very open policies. They had guardhouses at the gates, but security was often minimal. Showing I.D. was not required before getting on the Fort Meade base. We would just pause at the gate and mention that we were running the race and they would wave us through. It was definitely very casual.”