by Lazarus Lake | Oct 24, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra T minus one year (and counting).that was the longest saturday.the last 3 belgians went so longthat our race site had been completely cleared,and i was down to the last dozen or so flags to fold and put waybefore the race finally...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard hour 66:.how can i possibly describe what it is like in camp?tent city with holes like missing teethwhere the tents of the casualties once stood.watching the shambling forms of the 8 remaining warriorslooking like refugees of some apocalyptic...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 56:and sometimes it is the weather.i was so relieved last week when the weather finally broke.and real fall came (allegedly)up until then every day i went out into sweltering heat.temperatures were in the 80s and 90sand i was...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 55:right now the biggest challenge facing team manager is keeping the runners on the course.the number of runners seems to change every hour.right now,at this momentbelgium, usa, and australia all have 11 running.japan has 10.it is...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big’s backyard ultra hour 54:the biggest news is that the belgians finally broke.it was looking like they might have 15 runners go 100 yards!actually, 4 of the belgians are now out,actually giving them fewer runners on the course than team usa.prior to that...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra starting hour 53:the long game has begun.team backyard is a game with more than one part.the setup period is roughly the first half of the race.during the first half of the race,the key is to keep the team intact as long as possible.as...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra: hours 51 and 52:it came time for a nap,i realized it when i tried to wait on the tracking sheet to all get updated.the important thing was that i not oversleep the next whistlewhich depends on your definition of oversleep!i performed...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra 50 hours:this is it.this is where the race begins!seriously,even though what belgium has done so far transcends anything i imagined possible,there is no need for team usa to despair.considering what guatemala didand icelandthere is no...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big’s backyard ultra hour 49:so here is what i get from the tracking sheet173 people in 24 countries just finished doing 200 miles in less than 48 hours.these are numbers so unimaginable that they redefine human potential.congratulations to the worldwide...
by Mike Dobies | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra 48 hours!!!!!and so we head into the 200 mile hour.i am anxious to see how many make it…177 runners in 24 countries completed the 47th hour,the satellite championships are about to produce more 200 milers in under 48 hours than anyone...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 47:the third sunrise is not far away.the second night has not much longer to run.one more loop of full on darknessthen a loop that starts in the darkand ends in the light.i am ready for the daytime.i have had enough of the distorted...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big’s backyard ultra hour 46:had an task to take care of,so this will be quick.iceland has now closed to within 2 yards of the dutch.i quite expect them to be tied at the end of this hour.as a matter of fact,they are now closing in on germany also….iceland...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard hour 45 is happening:.the netherlands lead has shrunk to 4 yards,it isnt hard to calculate where this is headed.the two teams will be tied at the end of 46 hours..in the large category belgium is still intact.second place new zealand has lost...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 44:.at this point iceland’s pursuit of netherlands has become the most captivating contest going on.the margin is now 6 yards.on and on they go,5 icelanders pursuing 3 dutch..it must be frustrating for the dutch.all they can...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra starting hour 43:.i get so caught up in scouring the leaderboard every hourthat i am confused why it seems like everyone has gone to bed.how can you stand to miss a minute?i can see all these teamsin all their cool locations.i can...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 42:.whoa nellie!the netherlands-iceland shootout gets more interesting every hour.netherlands lead has been cut to 10 yards now,and iceland has a two man advantage on the ground. (5-3)this has gone from casual to intense...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 41:.straight into the competitive stuff.in the midsize the netherlands-iceland duel continues to tighten.iceland once again has a man advantage;5-4and they have cut the deficit to 12 yards.it looked like this one was over 6 hours...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 20, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra heading for 40 hours:.how fast has the backyard grown?in 2021 a 40 hour backyard would punch your ticket to the world individual championships..tonight (today, this morning, etc) 221 athletes just started their 40th yard..so lets see...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 20, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra hour 39:as we sit here on the cusp of 40 hours,i was thinking about one of the least appreciated aspects of elite level backyard running.at its heart backyard is a fun gamelike we used to play as kids.only about 5% of backyard runners go...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 20, 2024 | Race Reports
big dog’s backyard ultra 38 hours underway:.a few stats for your entertainment, or amazement,…after 37 hours we still have 32 teams still competingand 241 runners who have already run more than a day and a half..the satellite runners have done 21,316...
