Mike Morton

About

Mike Morton is an American ultrarunner, military veteran, and two-career world-class competitor who pursued elite ultrarunning in two distinct windows separated by twelve years of military service, winning at the highest level in each — including the 2012 IAU 24-Hour World Championship and a third-place finish at the 2013 Western States 100. Born in Michigan and later based in Florida, Morton served as a Navy diver and subsequently as an Army Green Beret, carrying shrapnel from a combat deployment — a detail that drew national attention when an apparent race injury turned out to be metal fragments from his military service. His first competitive peak ran from 1994 to 1998: he won the Western States 100 in 1997 in a course record of 15:40:41, becoming the first non-Californian ever to win the race, and accumulated more than 22 ultra victories and 14 course records. After a twelve-year break shaped by injury, deployments, and life outside the sport, he returned in 2010 and rebuilt to world-class level. In 2012 he won the IAU 24-Hour World Championship with a distance of 172.44 miles (277.53 km), setting an American record and earning the UltraRunning Magazine Ultrarunner of the Year award. That season he also won the Long Haul 100 Mile, Umstead 100 Mile, Keys Ultra 100 Mile, and the Badwater Ultramarathon. At the 2013 Western States 100 he finished third in 15:45:21, setting a masters course record. He was inducted into the UltraRunning Hall of Fame in 2024.

Notable Wins

• — Western States 100 1997 (CR 15:40:41
• — first non-Californian to win)
• — IAU 24-Hour World Championship 2012 (172.44 miles
• — American record)
• — Badwater 2012
• — Umstead 100 2012
• — Western States 100 3rd 2013 (masters CR 15:45:21)
• — UltraRunner of the Year 2012
• — UltraRunning Hall of Fame 2024

Race History