Ultra runner Michael Crawley isn’t currently wearing a running watch and these days, most of his runs are to and from school pickup. But for research into his new book, To the Limit: the Meaning of Endurance from Mexico to the Himalayas, he wore a Whoop Band on one wrist and a Garmin watch on the other 24 hours a day, and ran all over the world. In addition to gathering information about running culture in Nepal, Ethiopia and amongst the Raramuri of Chiahuaha, the anthropologist seeks to raise questions about how wearable tech influences endurance sports.
Every year, more of us pull on trail running shoes and run further. A survey conducted by Ultra Running Magazine found that in North America there were 2,950 ultra marathons in 2024, more than twice the number held in 2014. In the past decade, the number of unique runners taking part in ultras rose from 48,000 to 97,000.
