Races & Places ultrarunner Jennifer Russo broke the world record for the women's backyard ultra at the Capital Backyard Ultra in Lorton, Virginia.

A mom of three, the 57-year-old from New Richmond, Ohio, completed the multi-day race, which began on Saturday and finished with 74 laps (also called “yards”) of the course, totaling a whopping 311 miles. In the backyard ultra Could Women Be Hardwired for Endurance Events.

Russo’s new record makes her the first American female to cover 300 miles in 72 hours in any race format, a record that unfortunately won’t be ratified since the course was not USATF-certified. Russo’s performance also ties her for 16th place in the all-time longest distance covered in the backyard ultra format, surpassing the former record of 68 yards set by fellow American ultramarathoner Courtney Dauwalter at Big’s Backyard Ultra, in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, in 2020.

After nearly six hours of competition between Russo and New Jersey’s Scott Snell, Snell emerged as the victor, running 75 yards. Levi Yoder of Dundee, Ohio, finished in third with 63 yards but couldn't complete his 64th.

Elsewhere in the competition, Canada’s Viktoria Brown of Ontario picked up the second-highest number of yards among the six female racers, with 49, finishing the race in the top six. She fell seven laps short of Amanda Nelson’s women’s Canadian backyard ultra record set in Rettert, Germany at the Race of Champions-Backyard Masters.

In addition to (clearly) logging loads of miles, Russo herself is also a race organizer and co-founder of Empower Ultras, Health - Injuries.

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Laura Ratliff
Contributing Writer

Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and Condé Nast Traveler Races & Places TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.