In the book First Marathons among the stories that author Gail Waesche Kislevitz shares is that of Ted Corbitt (1919-2007), legendary ultrarunner. In spite of huge barriers, Ted persevered with a positive, low-key attitude. He says, "British runners call distance running 'having a go at it.' They have a wonderful spirit about them. I always considered ultramarathoning a disease and the British had it with fever to spare." He concludes his autobiographical sketch in that same spirit:

I look back at when I was running in the thirties and forties, when most people weren't interested in it. Now I read that we are going through another fitness craze. I am flabbergasted by such things. Running is something you just do. You don't need a goal, you don't need a race, you don't need the hype of a so-called fitness craze. All you need is a cheap pair of shoes and some time. The rest will follow.

^z - 2012-03-01