Harvey Lewis smashes backyard ultra world record at Big’s
The American completed 108 yards—more than 724 kilometres—over five days, thanks to an assist from Canada's Ihor Verys
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American ultrarunner Harvey Lewis outlasted Canada’s Ihor Verys in a dramatic duel in the closing hours of Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tenn., on Wednesday night.
Lewis completed 108 6.706-km hourly loops—724.248 km in total—to shatter the previous backyard ultra world record by more than 40 km.
Lewis, the course’s defending champion who won the 2021 edition of the race in 85 yards (570.2 km), was among an accomplished field of 75 international athletes who toed the start line Saturday morning for this year’s individual world championships. (Backyard ultra individual and team world championships are held in alternating years.)
The backyard ultra format requires participants to start one “yard” (loop) every hour on the hour until all runners but one either voluntarily drop out or fail to complete a loop. (Backyard racing is designed so that theoretically, runners can complete the 100-mile distance in 24 hours.) Once all other competitors are out of the race, the remaining runner must complete one final lap, making any record attempt both a team effort and an individual one.
The field at Big’s this year was touted by race director and backyard ultra format creator Laz Lake (a.k.a. Gary Cantrell) as the most talented lineup of multi-day racers ever assembled. It included the previous world record holder, Australia’s Phil Gore, and Belgians Merijn Gertz and Ivo Steyaert–runners who had each totalled more than 100 yards in previous races. Despite the depth of talent, however, there were doubts that a new world record would be set at Big’s due to the technically challenging trail that runners competed on during the day. (The race switched to a road course during the nighttime hours, for safety.)
The athletes went on to prove the skeptics wrong, however, with three runners surpassing the previous record of 102 laps set by Gore earlier this year. Gore himself totalled 100 miles at Big’s, but returned to camp on his 101st loop after taking a spill and injuring himself.
The race became a two-man showdown between Lewis and Verys when Poland’s Bartosz Fudali tapped out at the beginning of the 104th yard. As the showdown progressed, Verys appeared to struggle with fatigue, but rallied with the support of his crew captain, Marina Striker, and spectators gathered at the start line.
About 10 minutes into the 108th lap, Verys could be seen sitting on the road for several minutes with his shoes off—he had said he was experiencing foot pain before setting out on that lap. When he stood up, Verys made his way back toward camp, clearing the way for Lewis to complete the lap and secure the win.
“I just have to pinch myself,” Lewis said after crossing the finish line and putting his feet up. “When it’s something so difficult that you have a goal towards, and then it all comes to fruition, it’s just such a sweet spot in life.”
The 47-year-old from Cincinnati described the Big’s course as “unrelenting,” but said that he was ready to continue his effort for “days” had he needed to. “I was pretty much prepared for anything,” he said.
Although the win went to Lewis, Verys noted after the race that he had much to celebrate.
“I would ask that we celebrate what we achieved at the end of the day,” said the Ukrainian-Canadian ultrarunner who is based in Chilliwack, B.C. “This is my third backyard, and I did get an assist with 107 loops, and that’s not bad. I’m only 29 and this is my third year of ultrarunning, so I think I have to do it gradually. … I had quite an adventure, and I think we have to focus on that.”
With his astounding performance at Big’s, Verys has set an extremely high bar for other Canadian backyard ultrarunners. His new Canadian record of 107 yards (717.542 km) completely eclipses his previous national record of 67 yards, or just under 450 km.
It was also a breakthrough race for fellow Canadian Amanda Nelson. The Woodstock, Ont., ultrarunner completed 57 laps—a distance of 382.242km—to top her previous Canadian women’s backyard ultra record of 375.51 kilometres in 56 hours. Nelson, one of only four female competitors at Big’s this year, also holds the women’s 12-hour Canadian record (135.072 km), the 100-mile Canadian record (14:45:51) and the 24-hour Canadian record (248.985 km).
Eric Deshaies of Gatineau, Que., who ran 50 yards (335 km) at Big’s in 2021 to become the last Canadian standing in that race, turned in a strong performance this year, completing 37 laps, or just under 250 kilometres.
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