by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
the morning light has brought the camp to life and returned some smiles to the faces of the 72. they are all off dreams still alive, surviving the long night reason enough to rejoice…. . how many will live to see the road...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
only 72 athletes took the road for the final night loop. the sun and the trail will be waiting at the end of this yard… . rene cunha, the courageous brazilian could go no further. his legs were strong his eyes were clear we did not even realize he was in trouble...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
it is amazing how many of them show absolutely no sign of damage. even the ones that have some scratches and dents look strong… . and sticking to my plan to last for another 4 days it is time for my 30 minutes of sleep on the first...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
and the long, long night goes on. 3 more hours until daylight. and we wonder what thoughts the runners are thinking. their faces reveal nothing as they go about the task at hand. unwavering unflinching. . do they think about the many days and nights ahead? they dare...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
there is one common thread between all of these athletes. and the more i am here around them the more it stands out. . mental toughness. . if you were to hold tryouts and gauge their pure athleticism a lot of these athletes would not make your team. but if you were...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
as we grind our way through the dark hours the field seems to have all settled in. they line up every hour and they run. those who have encountered difficulties seem to have gotten everything under control. if not every face is a happy face there are no haunted faces...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
looks like patryk’s resurrection has been well covered. i will only add that while people sleep away half the day, there is always something happening in the backyard. anything can happen in the backyard, and it probably will.
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
patryk watch; . patryk came in after 2 whistles again. but he left with a kielbasa in each hand. more importantly, sunrise in poland comes 13 minutes into the hour. . it is not uncommon at big’s for athletes to struggle thru the wee hours at home and recover...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
the finish line is now on patryk watch. he finished hour 16 after 2 whistles…. . his spiral has nearly closed and this time he got virtually no respite. but he stepped back in the corral and went out. . most of us think he has come to the end. but patryk has the...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 22, 2023 | Race Reports
just like that they are out on the 16th yard. the young polish runner, patryk swietochowski seems to be struggling. he is coming in late which means less rest which means less recovery which means… . it is called the death spiral. the end is closing in on him...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
this is another money lap especially in metric countries; 100 km at the end of this one. . so many runners have reached 100 km in the backyard when they never expected to be able to go so far. this is where there are usually a lot of stops. but no one started this...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
three whistles two whistles one whistle and a bell. . on and on and on they go. groundhog hour is every hour and they dont want anything different to happen. because nothing can happen in the first couple of days unless it is something bad. . so you manage your effort...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
this was a clean hour. everyone looks very strong and the times naturally have picked up considerably. there will be a huge advantage between now and sunup for the runners who can already start napping. . backyard for days is in many ways a management challenge. the...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
not much time for an update this hour. hour 12 is the first road loop and also the onset of darkness…. , when i must build the fire for the night. . we are but 73 now. fabrice puad suffered an injury two weeks ago. but one does not let the opportunity pass to...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
the final trail loop. among the runners who will be glad to reach the road is jennifer russo. at 57 she is the oldest participant in this year’s championship…. . and she is the epitome of an athlete especially the backyard athlete. during the team...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
there will not be 75 runners to reach 24 hours. kartick joshi from india is out. he fell on the trail, and suffered some manner of rib injury. . the heartbreak was palpable when he came in on the 9th yard. two years of dreams broken without the opportunity to truly...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
the drumbeat continues. the miles slowly add up. it is a funny thing in a backyard, each hour seems to take so long but they add up so quickly. this lap will bring the field to 37.5 miles finally a distance that most everyone can feel. this is the second biggest...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
the clock continues its relentless progress.the yards pass by one by one.the sun continues its slow journey across the sky.soon it will start approaching the horizon.this time of year the golden orb has moved far south in the skyand the temperature will drop much...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
we are finally passing the marathon mark. in a regular backyard this would be the final lap for many runners. passing the marathon and going further is a big landmark. it will pass with little notice today. no one wants to go out in less than 24 hours. no one! . i was...
by Lazarus Lake | Oct 21, 2023 | Race Reports
the day has turned a little warm for most of the runners. for those coming from places like morocco, india, and brazil this is probably the best it has felt all day. while the ones from places like finland and sweden are cooking in their own skin. people have been...
