Just finished reading this book and absolutely loved it, so thought I’d share a quick review with you all. Dirtbag Dreams by Dr. Carl Morris came out in November 2025, and it was already on my Christmas list when I was fortunate enough to win a copy at God’s Own Backyard Ultra – signed by Carl himself.
Carl is a sociology lecture at the University of Manchester, so maybe not the most obvious person to write a running book, although he is has a good track record of his own, completing several hundred milers over the last few years. Dirtbag Dreams isn’t a training guide and it (probably) won’t make you any faster, but it’s a fascinating read for anyone who has even a passing interest in the history, culture and general “why?” of ultra distance running.
The book grew out of Carl’s Trail Ultra Survey, which gathered demographic data from over 1000 ultra runners worldwide as well as lots of information about the identity, purpose and challenges we face. If you like to deep-dive into the data, you can read the report that was published based on the 2022 and 2024 surveys. It’s interesting to see that some of the historical imbalances such as male vs female participation, or representation of minority racial and socio-economic groups are improving, even over the last two years.
Some of the data from the survey comes up in the book, especially in the later chapters about the effort of commercialisation by UTMB, or professionalisation and prize money. The majority of the book takes a sweeping tour of the history of ultra distance running, starting with the “pedestrianism” of the early 19th century to the present day. Along the way, he draws out the origins of what we know today as “Mountain Ultra Trail” running from the disparate worlds of athletics, mountaineering, and the particular British traditions of Fell and Hill running. I can also recommend Richard Askwith’s “Feet in the Clouds” for more reading on that particular topic.
I found it particularly fascinating to see how the particular British and North American ultra running traditions have come together, especially in the last 15 years with the rapid rise of YouTube and social media. Personally, I first discovered Trail and Ultra running through channels like The Ginger Runner who focussed on the big US races such as Western States and Barkley and only later (thanks to a tip from Lazarus Lake) found out that we have our own UK history of famous races like the Fellsman and GUCR. In many ways I could see my own path into ultra running threaded through the latter part of the book, and also identify with many of the attitudes and values that Carl describes.
The fact that modern ultra running came from (and combines) several distinct traditions helps to explain its appeal to so many people – whether you are looking for adventure/exploration, competition, community, or perhaps a mix of both. It felt like Carl not only understood perfectly the complexity of what it means to be an ultra runner, but he is able to explain clearly why that identity came about, and really captures how it feels to be part of the ultra running community.
I can’t sum it up any better than by the quote from Buzz Burrell (co-founder of www.fastestknowntime.com) which is on the cover:
The definitive description of a sport loved by millions
I totally recommend you read it. Available at Amazon (hardback or kindle edition) or many other bookshops.
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