Backyard Ultramarathons | Here To Stay

"You will most likely run further than you have ever run before and find it easier than you expected. And you will have fun! It’s like a running party!"

When I first heard about backyard ultramarathons, I thought it sounded boring AF. It sounded marginally better than the 12 and 24-hour track events. At least in a backyard event, you’re generally running on some trail.

In 2019, Shaun Collins brought the backyard format to Auckland, with Katie Wright beating out the boys for the crown and joining the 200 km club. I remember there was a lot of buzz after the event, and it was a hot topic on all the podcasts. But I still didn’t get it.

Fast forward to 2021, and my good friend Jub had entered Riverhead Relaps and guilted me into being on his crew. It was that weekend when I could see what all the hype was about.