When Charlie was about age seven, in 1961, the Trayer family sold their farm and moved to a farm at Hershey, Pennsylvania. Young Trayer drove the truck out of the burning barn as soon as he noticed the fire.” Quick thinking by Alex Trayer, the 11-year-old son, saved a truck which was parked in the barn. They had difficulty getting to the fire because of all the spectators who came to watch the flames. Two fire trucks came to battle the flames. When Charlie was four years old, a fire devastated the Trayer farm, destroying their large barn and a hog house. Charlie was raised in the Quaker religion. The Trayers moved to their own 45-acre farm northwest of Richmond. In 1955 Ray left his position as manager of the farm, taking a teaching position in the college’s school of agricultural science. Always in a hurry, he arrived six weeks early, and spent the first few weeks of life in an incubator. The Trayers lived on the farm, which was stocked with pigs, cattle, horses, and used for teaching agricultural science.Ĭharlie was born into the family in 1954, joining his older siblings, Susan, Alex and Tim. In 1951, the Trayers moved to Richmond, Indiana, where Ray was employed as the manager of a farm at Earlham College, a private Quaker school. Ray believed in nonviolence and during the World War II years, the young couple moved to North Carolina where Ray served in a civilian public service camp and Dorothy worked as a secretary at a nearby college. She was employed at a local doctor’s office and studying as a laboratory technician. As he studied religions, he decided to join the The Religious Society of Friends, commonly called the “Quakers.” In 1941, Ray married Dorothy of Hershey Pennsylvania. His ancestors lived for generations in Pennsylvania.Ĭharlie’s father, Ray was highly educated with a degree in philosophy and religion. His father was Raymond Steiger Trayer (1916-2012), and mother was Dorothy M. Raymond Trayer – 1936 Dorothy Trayer – 1941Ĭharles Anthony Trayer was born Septemin Richmond, Indiana. At one time he was described as a cross between a leprechaun and Yosemite Sam. He was easy to pick out and known for his bright red hair and beard. In 1987 he was named the Ultrarunner of the year by Ultrarunning Magazine and was honored also in 1987 as the first recipient of the TAC Ted Corbitt Award. He is credited for bringing American ultrarunning to the world stage, and became both feared and greatly respected by runners in the ultrarunners in Europe. He was one of the very few elite American ultrarunners of the 1980s who competed against the best runners in the world internationally. Trayer went from running in the Olympic Marathon Trials to ultrarunning.
It was a winning strategy that he used very effectively.
He was known for bolting out into the lead like a “wild banshee” at the start of a race with a “kamikaze attitude” no matter what the distance. During his ultrarunning career, he accumulated at least fifteen ultra wins from 1981-1990, including several national championships.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | Pandora | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | JioSaavn | Email | TuneIn | RSS | More By Davy CrockettĬharlie Trayer, of Reading, Pennsylvania, was one of the greatest “short-range” American ultrarunners of the 1980s.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:47 - 40.6MB)