Jump to content

Backyard Ultra


Recommended Posts

Pretty impressive event going on in Suffolk at the moment. Simple concept - there's a 4.167 mile off-road loop. Every hour, you have to run round it and finish within an hour. Keep doing that until there's only one person left, and that person is the winner. The organisers are going to chip in some money for the winner to take part in the event in the US described here.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/56720358

Started on Saturday at noon, and there's two runners left, both having done 57 laps (237 miles). The UK record is 63, the world record 75.

Link to comment
Share on other sites


Thought I recognised the name, same chap who organises these does the Barkley Marathons.  Not sure if that doco is still on Netflix but it was a heck of a program and well worht a watch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Loonies 

I would think they're probably having the occasional hallucination due to lack of sleep by now - on loop 68, 282 miles done. If one or both of them can keep going until mid-afternoon, that's the world record.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, CanaBull said:

Thought I recognised the name, same chap who organises these does the Barkley Marathons.  Not sure if that doco is still on Netflix but it was a heck of a program and well worht a watch.

Saw the Barklsys one where Nicky Spinks had a bash at it.

Amongst the bizarre parts of that race - it starts on his cigarette smoke, and you have to find a page of a book on the route on each of the 5 laps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

They're on loop 73 now, 304 miles done - neither of them looks in good shape, to say the least, although both did the last lap in under 50 minutes. One of the lads, John Stocker, who runs a gym in Bicester, did the 145 mile Grand Union Canal race on the previous weekend (and finished 6th). You'd think a bit more of a taper would've been advisable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did an endurance event and I realise a lot of this is mental but it's amazing how far people can push themselves.

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Dunbar said:

I did an endurance event and I realise a lot of this is mental but it's amazing how far people can push themselves.

Lap 77 now. Keep going until one of them breaks I guess.

Matt Blackburn is an office fitter/carpenter in the Peak District. Just reading an interview with him where he says he doesn't run much in the week because of doing manual labour at work, and his hardest ever race was a 10K in Blackburn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, JonM said:

Lap 77 now. Keep going until one of them breaks I guess.

Matt Blackburn is an office fitter/carpenter in the Peak District. Just reading an interview with him where he says he doesn't run much in the week because of doing manual labour at work, and his hardest ever race was a 10K in Blackburn.

So a world record?

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A world record, yes, although I wonder whether Guinness Book will go for such things, given the health implications.

Looks like Matt didn't start lap 78, so if John Stocker finishes this lap before 6pm, he is the winner (and world record holder). [EDIT - tracker just updated - looks like both of them are still going.]

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's over now. Matt Blackburn pulled out on lap 81, and John Stocker duly completed it, making him the winner and earning himself £250 towards a trip to Laz's event in Tennessee later in the year, while Matt is recorded as did not finish, having done 333.34 miles. Hoping Matt gets a wild card invite - plenty of people willing to stump the cash to pay his way over there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Feels like £250 is a rather light reward for such an epic achievement. 

"The history of the world is the history of the triumph of the heartless over the mindless." — Sir Humphrey Appleby.

"If someone doesn't value evidence, what evidence are you going to provide to prove that they should value it? If someone doesn't value logic, what logical argument could you provide to show the importance of logic?" — Sam Harris

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I did a 24 hour endurance event as part of a team. 5 mile loops and we tagged each other in after 5 miles, or 10 if people dropped out with injury. Others did it solo. I was passing them at 4.30am and they were in some kind of trance state. I think about 135 miles won it for the soloists. As a team of 8 we did 165 miles. My friend did it solo and she got to 70 miles. She has subsequently done a 100 mile Ultra.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, tim2 said:

I did a 24 hour endurance event as part of a team. 5 mile loops and we tagged each other in after 5 miles, or 10 if people dropped out with injury. Others did it solo. I was passing them at 4.30am and they were in some kind of trance state. I think about 135 miles won it for the soloists. As a team of 8 we did 165 miles. My friend did it solo and she got to 70 miles. She has subsequently done a 100 mile Ultra.

As I said ' loonies ' 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/06/2021 at 06:38, Wiltshire Rhino said:

Is it possible to have respect for what they have been able to physically and mentally achieve while also thinking they're completely insane for doing it? 

Yes. Yes it is.

"I am the avenging angel; I come with wings unfurled, I come with claws extended from halfway round the world. I am the God Almighty, I am the howling wind. I care not for your family; I care not for your kin. I come in search of terror, though terror is my own; I come in search of vengeance for crimes and crimes unknown. I care not for your children, I care not for your wives, I care not for your country, I care not for your lives." - (c) Jim Boyes - "The Avenging Angel"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.