Big dogs Backyard ultra 20 23
It all begins with an idea.
Since the race has finished I’ve been trying to figure out what happened, yes I got to 74 hours and with how I was feeling I was so happy with that. I do question why I felt like that? How can I change it? It’s the want to learn so we are planning for 2025 already…
I had qualified for this race from the race in Rettart Germany running 89 hours and being the assist… I have waited for bigs for 2 years as the last time I was meant to go we couldn’t get visas due to covid. We were all set to go, Annabelle was crewing for me back then too, she generously contacted me to see if I needed a crew. This time I wanted to give her first refusal on crewing,, she was delighted to do it. We spoke on the phone a few times on the lead up and we had the same mindset surrounding the race,, we are here for the long haul.. she promised to get me to the start line every hour, all
I had to do was promise to come back before each hour,
Big Dogs Backyard is one of the most iconic races in the world of running and meeting Laz himself for the first time he is kind of celebrity status among us runners…
The course is technical during the day (I didn’t realise how technical it would be)and an out and back on road (not flat at all)
Everyone is allocated a spot in the big tent it looked like a graveyard with peoples names, we also had a shared tent with 1 other runner but we had our tent too,, more privacy and a quiet place to sleep when needed.
The plan was Annabelle would sleep between laps, with a big sleep during the day so I could tend to myself for those couple of hours, this obviously didn’t go this way as she greeted me at the start/finish line every hour without fail. It was amazing to have her there.
As the hours ticked by I felt good, I kept consistent my lap times were decent and I was getting some sleep,, food was going in but it was so hot and humid at times it was not digesting, we tried to keep on top of salt intake too, there is so much you need to be aware of with in this race, this is why the crew person is so important, they need to adjust on the fly or the race will end…
I went through a bad night the second night and part of the morning, it lasted for about 14 hours, we were 40 hours into the race and I was fit to drop out, I mentioned this to Annabelle and she worked wonders to get me back on track, we ended up having an amazing day after that full of energy and rejuvenated…
When the night loop comes it’s so mentally tough, runners are moving from side to side you know they are falling asleep, I found myself a few times nearly in the hedges because of this,, an armadillo ran across in front of me one of the nights and I didn’t know if I was hallucinating or not…
Into the 3rd night of running we still had a record number on the start line it was insane,, everyone here for one thing… to do our best and this is exactly what was happening… as I predicted it was going to go far… I again was starting to struggle, this time energy levels were non existent, I felt under so much pressure, how long could I last doing this… we changed to the day loop on 72 hours I thought this will give the the lift I needed… it wasn’t, I grinded out 2 loops,, legs beginning not to react to anything…
The last loop…
I was losing energy rapidly, still questioning why? Is it the heat, is it food, is it salts… whatever it was it was having a massive impact on me…
Time was going fast like the hands on the clocks were going quicker,, I was dragging my feet, tripping falling, picking myself up,, trying to move… I knew the points I’d needed to be at, I knew the times I needed to reach them, I also knew I was behind….. fuck I can’t move, my body won’t react.. I see Laz’s house, I hear the whistles my heart sinks… it’s over… I’ve given all I had over the 3 days and for once I can say I am proud of myself.
It’s been a tough year for me to get to this race, just to compete.. I’ve had a stress fracture to my femur which kept me out of running for the first 7 months of the year, when I eventually got back running I torn my calf muscle another 3 weeks off running… I tried to keep confident that I could compete in the race and I did what I could on limited training… as Marcus reminded me this morning after me bombarding him with why questions… he said I have not had as little running training for a race since we started together nearly 5 years ago, he was surprised I got to 74 hours…
I have had incredible support from Ireland and across the world… I’ve met some amazing people on this trip, I have created some life memories and I have learned so much… we are preparing for 2025 to return to bigs, you can not have a bad lap in bigs as Laz reminded me…
We seen a new world record set of 108 hours by the veteran Harvey Lewis, we seen guys and girls push their limits of endurance… all done with a friendly smile and encouragement for each other… this is sport, this is Backyard Ultra running.
Thanks to @searchingforzocherman for some pictures
Bigs World Championship: Thoughts from The Other Side
Thoughts from the other side
Keith put together his race report, and I wanted to lay out some thoughts from the crew side.
It’s hard to know where to start, and even harder to describe the experience over the last week in words.
Keith and I first talked in 2021 when I offered to crew for him at Bigs World Championship Backyard ultra, but due to the Covid travel ban, he wasn’t able to attend. Still not having met in person, I was thrilled when he asked me if I wanted to crew for him this year and we got to planning right away.
I arrived in Tennessee on Thursday, with a car packed full of equipment to get through race week. I am so grateful for Sarah & Andrew Moore for lending me a lot of their set up, cooking up a storm in food, and helping me pack up the car.
After a few trips to Walmart, catching up with friends, setting up the camp and getting a quick run around Laz’s trail loop Saturday rolled around before we knew it. In between nerves and some banter we were ready to go.
There was so much excitement in the camp before the start of the race. Everyone with their own hopes and dreams, settling in for the long run (pun intended). While Keith was out running I’d spend the down time cleaning up from the last loop, preparing for his upcoming time in camp, and chatting with some of the other crew. I instantly hit it off with a lot of the other girls around me, and we decided to name our zone ‘C Block’… C for Championship. We helped each other out, sharing supplies, sharing equipment, and many times sharing tears as the hours passed and we witnessed so many great efforts. I will never forget my time with these incredible women. I always say that at these races the best in human spirit is on display, and this was no exception.
Knowing that we were in for the long haul, the plan was that I was going to nap for a few hours during the days and leave Keith to look after himself. The last thing he would have needed late in the race was his crew useless. But we found that the rhythm of me meeting him at the corral each loop was working well.
Keith was like clockwork which made it really easy to plan and be sure to have food and drinks ready exactly when they needed to be. I found this particularly important when timing the tea… it’s not easy to drink when it’s either too hot or too cold. At night I would try to sleep for 15-20 mins each loop while Keith was running, which worked out really well. I used to joke that there would be a chorus of iPhone alarms going off in camp starting around the :35 past the hour and setting off at different times all the way up to the top of the hour. When Keith was napping I’d typically set my alarm to wake him up around 54/55 before the start of the next loop.
There were a few challenges that we needed to work through and pivot from the plan early on. The heat and the humidity is something that I’m used to in summer in Michigan, but not something that Keith could possibly train to in Ireland. It seemed like working together we were able to navigate those challenges and we had some really great chunks of time in between the low points. Coming off the night loops was hard every day but he pushed through. The times that Keith was putting in on the course, along with the consistency and his positive demeanor on the start line each loop masks a lot of the difficult periods. I have said so many times and I’ll say it again, watching Keith do what he does best is incredible, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to take a front row seat in this journey.
We started as strangers, but we left as forever friends. Amazing when you think, because there was always the wildcard that we simply wouldn’t get on. Thank you Keith for taking a leap of faith in me and believing that I could do that it takes to crew you in one of the most important races of your career to date.
I also want to say a huge thank you to my husband Bruce for supporting me and holding the fort at home so that I could go on this incredible adventure.
The Journey to Big’s BackYard Worl Championship
It all begins with an idea.
Keith is representing Ireland at Big Dogs Backyard Ultra World Championship in Tennessee in October 2023. He is currently ranked 6th in the world having completed a mind blowing 89 hours / yards in the ultra race in Rettert, Germany, covering an incredible 596.8km - which is the same distance as over 14 marathons in under 4 days.
Blog Post Title Four
It all begins with an idea.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.