My first DNF - Heavy Metal Ultra
On 10th August 2024 I ran my first Backyard Ultra. What is a Backyard Ultra you ask? It's a race (race format rather than a race itself) where you run a 6.706 km (4.167 mi) loop every hour until there's last man standing. There's only one winner. The rest DNF. (Did Not Finish)
Backyard Ultras gained popularity within the last couple of years along with somewhat explosive popularity of it's founder Gary "Lazarus Lake" Cantrell. Curious and would like to learn more? Just watch this. It's where it all started for me...
A Backyard Ultra can be organised by anyone, anywhere in the world, and all of the races can be found in one place curated by the man himself - Laz.
Ever since I found out about Backyard Ultra, I was VERY intrigued. The fact that you run a 6.706 km loop every hour, means you have some time to rest, eat, hydrate, crack a joke with fellow runners or your support crew... that's just cool... and different. Also the fact that if you manage to run for 24 hours straight - you cross into 160 km mark (100 miles) which is considered the Holy Grail distance of ultra running.
Above all, I found this race format to be ideal for experimentation and gaining experience, for deepening your pain cave and possibly running your furthest distance while being the longest on your feet - all of which is even harder to do in a "normal" race format. It's a good race to test yourself, your stomach and your legs. And that was the idea for me going into Heavy Metal Ultra (HMU) in Estonia.
Going into this race I didn't know what to expect. More than anything I think I was expecting some miracle... which didn't happen. 2024 has been my worst running year so far, yet somehow I thought that with just a couple of weeks of preparation I can bring my peak running form and pull off a personal record. Let me break the news. It didn't happen.
I ended up running 10 loops in 10 hours which equals to 67 km. Basically I went backwards.
The furthest I've ran prior HMU was 80 km, so I must admit - I was hoping for (at least) 100 kilometres. Unfortunately even hope doesn't work when you're not prepared.
On the bright side, I had a plan B, which almost always works - explore never-before-seen locations after getting done with whatever self inflicted pain fest I would be taking part in. And that's what me and my gf Monia did.
HMU took place just 30km away from Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Tallinn is 600km away from where I'm currently based (Vilnius, Lithuania) so it only meant one - it was time to explore the Baltics.
HMU showed me that I'm only as good as I'm prepared. It reawakened my slumbering flame for running and showed why I love to run. It pushed me to get back on the horse and make plans for 2025.
DNF in HMU, and another little WIN for LIFE. Let's continue.
Here's some interesting stats about Backyard Ultras and it's founder, Gary:
The Backyard Ultra format has exploded in popularity worldwide, with races held in more than 50 countries. The race format's simplicity and challenge appeal to ultrarunners globally. The number of Backyard Ultras has roughly doubled every year since it's inception in 2011.
Current record belongs to an american Harwey Lewis, who's a school teacher. In 2023 he ran 108 loops which equals to 724 kilometres. Most likely this record will be broken once again in 2024.
Gary Cantrell (founder of Backyard Ultra's) is also the mastermind behind the Barkley Marathons, one of the most notoriously difficult and enigmatic ultramarathons in the world. Held in Tennessee’s Frozen Head State Park, the race is infamous for its grueling course, high failure rate, and secretive nature. The Barkley Marathons has a reputation for being nearly impossible to finish, with very few runners ever completing the course.
