From Dan Brannen, AUA

Bernd Heinrich becomes the second man, following the recently deceased Ted Corbitt, and the female trio of Sandy Kiddy, Marcy Schwam and Sue Ellen Trapp, to be selected to the American Ultrarunning Association's Hall of Fame. Heinrich, 67, has perhaps the most fascinating and colorful history of all of the members of the Hall. He didn't start out as an American. Born in 1940 to a Polish family living in western Poland, he almost immediately became assimilated by the Nazis as a German. At age 10, his family migrated to the U.S., and he eventually became a citizen.

Bernd Heinrich has achieved global notoriety for his professional career as a Physiological Ecologist and Entomologist. Recently retired as a professor of Zoology at the University of Vermont, he is generally considered the world's leading authority on topics as diverse as the physiology of bumblebees and the sociology of ravens.

Heinrich holds a Ph.D. in Zoology, has been both a Guggenheim Fellow and a Harvard Fellow, and has been awarded two honorary doctorates. He has published over 100 scholarly papers, over 50 professional book reviews, over 35 book chapters, over 70 articles for magazines and newspapers as diverse as Outside, Runner's World and the New York Times and has authored over 15 books on various aspects of the natural world. Some of his popular writings in recent years have explored the physiological propensity of humans toward long distance running.

But none of that is why he is only the second U.S. man, behind the legendary Ted Corbitt, to enter the Ultrarunning Hall of Fame. His world-class ultra career was short, but it left a sweeping impact on the sport. Heinrich didn't get serious about competitive running until his late 30s. After winning the masters division of the Boston Marathon in 1980 just after turning 40, he decided to move up in distance and immediately achieved success, setting a U.S. Masters record 3:03:56 for 50K in his first ultra.

The following year, in only his second ultra, he ran what many observers consider the race of his life, becoming an instant national legend. The preeminent road ultra in the country was the AMJA combined 50 Mile / 100K in Chicago. Barney Klecker, who...