A race with no finish line

Taking on the Scouts Honour Backyard Ultra

by Will Fox

First and foremost the event itself was amazing and very well organised. Massive thanks to Taylor and Josh at @moar_events, who I have had the pleasure of getting to know over the past few months - for organising and making it possible.

Considering that this was their first ever event, they did an absolutely outstanding job.

It was full of extremely friendly staff all willing to help out and make sure everything ran smoothly. The course was well marked and it was clear that a lot of thought had gone into the prep and facilities to ensure that all athletes and their crew members were well looked after.

Even through the night you could feel the energy of the marshalls, supporters and crew which made it really special.

My race recap:

Based on how my training block went leading up to this event I definitely believed I was capable of running 100 miles or more and I still do, but every course and event are different and have their own challenges. How far you go all depends how well prepared you are for those challenges and how the body responds to them.

The course was a mixture of soft / uneven grass fields combined with more runnable woodland and gravel sections.

It was difficult for me personally to find a natural running rhythm on the grassy sections and I ended up rolling my ankle several times in the first three laps which was frustrating and caused me a few issues early on. Part of me was questioning if I would even make it past sunset at this stage, but thankfully as the day went by and the grass became more trodden it was more runnable which allowed my ankle to recover.

Right at the beginning of lap 7 I got a nose bleed out the blue, most likely due to the dry air and lots of dust in the forest sections, I had also been focusing on nose breathing with the use of nasal strips to try and be more efficient and to save my throat which had been sore during the taper. This wasn’t really a problem but just part of the story of my day.

The sun went down between laps 9 and 10, and I was able to settle into the evening loops comfortably with no real pain or issues. I also introduced some caffeine and a bit of music which I had deliberately avoided all day, this was a nice little boost, although I have realised I just prefer to run without any music and focus on what is going on around me, because even though every loop is the same, it really isn’t! One of the main highlights was the opportunity to meet so many new people out there, all with the same mindset, all willing each other to do well.

My energy levels stayed high throughout the night and mentally I felt completely fresh which came as a surprise.

I had maintained a steady intake of carbs, calories and sodium by consuming 1-2 scoops of @highlandfuelnutrition - Barefuel every single hour, combined with some real food. I never at any stage felt weak or even particularly tired which was a massive win.

My best hours were between midnight and 2am, I haven’t done much night running, so the change from daylight to dark kept it fun and more interesting and I felt strong.

Having a crew to come back to every single lap also made a huge difference to me mentally as well as physically.

Around 3/4am the temperature began to drop and my muscles started to seize up during the rests, this is something that will need addressing for future events. It became increasingly difficult to get moving every hour and even just walking became incredibly difficult and painful.

It was also clear that more strength training was required in my training block to stop the muscles breaking down so early on.

By 4am I had slowed down to a walking pace and it was pretty obvious that I was not going to make it back in time to start the next lap.

Both myself and Adam, who was feeling the same way, called it a day half way through lap 17 at 113.8km (70 miles)

This was initially disappointing, but on reflection this disappointment was purely based on the high expectations I had set for myself going into the race.

This was my first all out attempt in this format, and my longest ever run. I was also lucky enough to do the entire event side by side with a friend and have the best support crew helping make it happen all day. Couldn’t really ask for much more than that.

Backyard Ultras are so unique and are not just about the mileage but all the other problem solving that goes on throughout.

How you approach different areas of the course, nutrition management, rest, efficiency of gear changing, dealing with muscular issues, challenges you don’t tend to face during everyday training runs.

This was such a humbling experience but in the best way possible. I am incredibly proud of the result but I know that I am capable of more.

Right now the priority is recovery, followed by a good block of strength training and streamlining my nutrition and rest period strategy for the next BYU in October. This will have its own challenges, more elevation, longer night hours, and cooler temperatures will all be things to consider.. but I already cant wait.