Anyone who is into ultrarunning knows that the award you get for finishing at the bottom of 100-mile races in the allotted maximum time is a cowboy buckle, usually made of a metal material.
Starting with Western States, every race over the sacred distance rewards finishers with a buckle, or at least that is what happens in the United States, where the sport of ultrarunning has its roots.
I specify this because this tradition does not exist in Europe, where finishers receive other prizes, usually clothing, which many runners say they prefer because they are “more wearable.” Undeniable, since in Italy we are not very used to seeing people walking around with a cowboy buckle on their belts.
Another consideration that should be made is that giving away vests is also, and more importantly, more convenient for companies that sponsor events. The warehouses empty and the logo rotates, using runners as billboards: the cost of producing metal buckles to give away is just a loss; the cost of thousands of various T-shirts, vests or jackets is a marketing investment.
But then, why are athletes rewarded with this strange recognition even though it is precisely a non-business-friendly choice? We are accustomed to the fact that market logic always trumps everything else, so why doesn’t the U.S. also adapt to business?
The reasons are historical, and traditions in ultrarunning always have a cultural history behind them.
As I had already mentioned in the article about the founding father of ultrarunning, Western States became a real race in 1977.
After the 1974 edition, where Ainsleigh was the first and only runner to participate, only one runner started in both 1975 and 1976 (and of the two only Ken Shirk arrived).
In 1977, as a result of advertising in a magazine at the start 14 runners from four different states showed up; 3 came and only 1 under 24 hours-Andy Gonzales.
It was 1977 that was the first real year where the race was an entity in its own right, although it was held in conjunction with the horses’ Tevis Cup; the two events did not separate as a date until 1978.
So in 1977, what would be the first real winner of the race, Andy Gonzales and California rider Shannon Weil found themselves on the trail as night was coming. The two proceeded at the same pace and Shannon had a kind of epiphany to proceed alongside the 22-year-old who was proceeding on foot, without water, food, just suffering and running.
When the race was over, Shannon Weil rolled up her sleeves and became one of the four founders of the footrace, the so called “Gang of Four,” along with her future husband Phil Gardner, Mo Livermore and Curt Sproul: four young boys who started the world’s most famous and fascinating race for ultrarunning enthusiasts.
But, back to us, why the buckles?
The symbol of Western States, the cougar, or mountain lion was born out of the very will of Shannon Weil. Cougar Rock is one of the iconic places traversed by the race, and the cougar is an animal that populates the trails traversed by the race so the choice of the race symbol was simple.
(just for the record in 1994 a woman was killed by a mountain lion while running alone on the trails, two months before the race).
The award, respecting the competition logo was created by artisan Franco Vianello, an Italian from Venice who emigrated to Napa, California in 1959, where he settled working precisely as a sculptor and then as a professor at Barkley University, also in California.
The award quickly became one of the most coveted works of art for 100-mile runners. It was the same Shannon who drove to the Vianello artist’s home to pick up the trophy each year and present it to the winners.
Back in the day a buckle was the prize for those who made it to the end of the trial. It represented the perfect award because it was a recognition that recalled the origins of horse racing, as well as because of the fact that ultrarunning did not start out as a commercial stunt by a sponsor or some company that wanted to sell and make a profit by promoting its products.
Even now 90 percent of American 100-mile races still award runners with a buckle-that tradition would never fade.
In 1990 Weil showed up at a meeting with his partners with a buckle design reminiscent of Vianello’s trophy, the cougar that towered over Cougar Rock.
All members said yes: history was made.