Big's Back yard ultra
Anyone else out there following this year's Big's Back Yard Ultra? We now have 6 runners on lap 100 which is 416 miles. Even as someone who follows a lot of ultrarunning, this is really mind blowing
For those of you unfamiliar with the format- from Wikipedia: The backyard ultra or last one standing is a form of ultramarathon race where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6.706 kilometres (4.167 mi) in less than one hour, which is a pace of 100 miles per 24 hours. The race is over when only one runner remains to complete a lap. This runner is marked as the winner and only finisher, with all other runners receiving a "DNF" (Did Not Finish). There is no predetermined end length or time in a backyard ultra, and the race continues as long as multiple runners can complete the loop within an hour.
October 25th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
Who's "we"?
October 25th, 2023 at 12:33 PM ^
I'm used to talking about the races I'm involved in- Change it to "there are now"
October 25th, 2023 at 1:26 PM ^
I prefer more violence in my running
October 25th, 2023 at 12:30 PM ^
Not only am I following, I'm one of the six remaining! Sorry I can't provide more details at the moment, I'm pretty tired.
October 25th, 2023 at 1:40 PM ^
Good luck and God speed. I hope you find the planet that you seek!
October 25th, 2023 at 12:32 PM ^
Did this replace waterboarding? WTH?
October 25th, 2023 at 12:37 PM ^
Since I am not an individual who could ever attain such endurance, I can only speculate, but it seems like the person who trains incessantly to be able to do this is at best living an unbalanced life and at worst mentally ill.
October 25th, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^
I've met a few "ultra" endurance athletes and they're all a little off.
Exercise and fitness tend to follow a wide J curve, right? At some point (way beyond the amount of exercise the average person does weekly) it starts to get detrimental.
Anyway, interesting post.
October 25th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
I met Courtney Dauwalter once (she won this thing back a few years ago) in Colorado. You're not wrong: they aren't like the rest of us.
Running while staying awake for days on end is, to me, an odd thing to get addicted to. But she seemed happy to want to do that, so fair enough.
October 25th, 2023 at 1:22 PM ^
As a distance runner myself I agree. Many people use fitness and exercise as a way to manage additions or mental illness. Why do you think fat people are so happy?
/avatar does not check out
October 25th, 2023 at 1:41 PM ^
Hmm... what do they use to manage multiplications? Straight to self-flagellation?
October 25th, 2023 at 1:42 PM ^
You leave Jim Stapleton out of this.
October 25th, 2023 at 3:58 PM ^
His cat of nine tails has a name I bet. It’s lil’ Jim.
October 25th, 2023 at 1:52 PM ^
Speaking as someone who is part of the sport, but solidly middle-of-the-pack, I'd say there are certainly some people who replace therapy and close/meaningful connections with training. At the same time, most people I meet in the sport who are successful (i.e., consistently meeting their goals) are also successful in other areas of life. The vast majority of people who do this aren't pros, so many have demanding careers that they need to balance with their training. I meet a ton of doctors, PhDs, and engineers at these events, for example. Many also have families.
It absolutely requires dedication and training to do something like this, and at least for me, running does take up a lot of my time. However, that's what I've built my community around. My friends are my running/skiing/climbing partners, as is my wife. Even while peaking during a training block (3-4 weeks), I'm rarely running more than 15 hours in a week, so that leaves a lot of time for other things.
October 25th, 2023 at 12:44 PM ^
I remember reading about some of these ultra folks and how some of them are even physiologically different from normal humans in things like lacking the build of lactic acid in muscle and things. Some of them are just nuts. But damn. Imagine running a year's worth of miles (for me) in 24 hours...yeesh
October 25th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
What has this got to do with sign stealing?! FFS man, READ THE ROOM!!!
October 25th, 2023 at 12:52 PM ^
Good lord. They shoot horses, don't they?
October 25th, 2023 at 1:05 PM ^
I know that Gloria asked to be shot, but he really didn't have to do it.
October 25th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
Wow, this sounds eerily like the Stephen King story The Long Walk. It's kind of a combo between your race, The Lottery and The Hunger Games. Teens sign up and just start walking. If you fall under a certain pace too many times you're shot. Last one standing gets everything and anything they want.
October 25th, 2023 at 1:08 PM ^
Have fun!
October 25th, 2023 at 1:09 PM ^
Sounds super dangerous
October 25th, 2023 at 1:34 PM ^
Probably not. Each runner has a support crew that keeps pretty close tabs on them. The runners at this level also are incredibly attuned to their bodies. OTOH, no one wants a "DNF", so the incentives are there to make bad decisions. That's where the crew comes in.
The ex was an ultra runner, so I saw it up close and personal. It's a fascinating world.
October 25th, 2023 at 2:39 PM ^
Every year this race is run and they beat the prior year's results and I think "That's incredible, there's no way they'll ever beat that." then they come out the next year and beat it.
October 25th, 2023 at 4:32 PM ^
Down to 2 runners after 104 laps!