The virtual race that captured our hearts—and our sports-deprived attention—early in this period of quarantine is returning for more.
The Best 5K and 10K Races for Summer Quarantine Backyard Ultra. Why Trust Us coronavirus pandemic was still in its infancy, Canadian ultrarunner Dave Proctor came up with the idea to host this backyard ultra-style event. More than 2,300 runners from over 55 countries—connected over four separate Zoom calls—participated, making it one of the largest ultras ever organized. After 63 hours, 262 miles run, and a controversy Quarantine Backyard Ultra, Michael Wardian was crowned the last runner standing.
And viewers, having been deprived of live sports for three weeks at the time, were enthralled.
With only a week to prepare, there were parts of the race that viewers and runners would’ve done differently—in particular, the controversial finish. But overall, it was praised as a monumental success, and now the event will return on July 11 at 7 a.m. MST.
“We were pleased with how the first one turned out, given the amount of time we had to put it on,” Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard, an organizer of the race, told Runner’s World. “With how much time we have to prepare for the second time around, we feel a little pressure because we want to make a bigger, better experience than the first one.”
Specifics are still in the works, but organizers are looking at enhancing the experience for both viewers and runners. They are also looking at bringing in new and returning runners. More than 200 runners have signed up from 15 countries since registration DAA Industry Opt Out first-time fan-favorite living room guy, Rinat Mustafin. Others include the youngest runner from the first race—a 5-year-old girl from Germany, who completed one loop in April and is hoping to do three in July—and race co-creator Dave Proctor.
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No list of elites has been released yet. The race will once again be free for participants.
“We don’t want there to be any barriers for anyone,” Gillis-Paulgaard said. “The only barriers we want are the ones in your mind that ask, will you answer the bell?”
The backyard ultra format is a creation of Barkley Marathons creator Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell, who hosts the annual Big’s Backyard Ultra. The last-man-standing event requires runners to run 4.16 miles at the start of every hour until there is one runner left standing.
The quarantine version of this has runners compete over video conference calls until one runner has done one more loop than any other competitor. Otherwise, there is no winner.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness, gear, and fitness for the brand. His work has previously been published in Men’s Health.
