6 Days to the Backyard Ultra

In 6 days I'll be participating in our local annual "Backyard Ultra" (formerly known as "Last Man Standing"). All the runners start at 7am, run/walk a 4.16 mile trail course in less than one hour, then rest until the top of the next hour and repeat. 8am, 9am, 10am, 11am, noon, 1pm, 2pm...until only one person is left finishing a loop. Considering we have the event in early July in central Illinois, it's always hot and humid. Usually sunny too! Not ideal running conditions. But how hard is it to run/walk 4.16 miles in 60 minutes? Easy on the first loop, but every loop gets just a little harder. Almost imperceptibly harder. And you normally need (or want) time to recover, eat, drink, use the bathroom, change shoes, socks, etc. That all counts as part of your "one hour" to complete a loop and be ready for the next start. After 5 or 6 hours of this, a normal non-elite runner starts to tire. After 7 loops, you've achieved "ultra" status by completing more than a marathon (7 x 4.16 miles = 29.12 miles). 

That's my goal on July 6. Just 7 loops, 29+ miles. That's what I did last year and hope to do this year. My main goal is simply slow and steady progress for 7 hours, no injuries, and a quick recovery so I can continue training for my 5K race on August 3. This "Backyard Ultra" is probably not ideal training for a fast 5K one month later, but it's my training. I have not put in any endurance training for this ultra, instead focusing on less mileage and faster paces. My goal is a fast 5K and a slow, but achievable, ultramarathon.

The world record for a Backyard Ultra is 108 loops or 450 miles. Our local event usually stops with 10 or less loops. It's just a fun, local running event. And free! Part of our Free Ultra Quadfecta: 4 ultra races, all free, all fun. Riddle Run (28 miler) in January, Backyard Ultra in July, Allerton Ultra (~30 miles) in October, and Clinton Winter Solstice 30 miler in December. If you do all four you get a prize. Nothing fancy. Maybe a shirt or wooden memento. No fees, just fun, simple running. 

I have very little chance of winning this event. And no records will be broken. But I'll gather with old running friends, share a common trail, and tell stories. That's enough.