Runner takes legal action against Australia’s Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra
The backyard ultra world record of 102 yards (684 kilometres) was set at the same race in June
The race director of Dead Cow Gully, a backyard ultra in Australia, is facing legal action from a runner who was not a participant in this year’s event. In a recent post on social media, Timothy Walsh called the situation “distressing” and asked for ultrarunners to support one another within the running community. Dead Cow Gully is the home of the Australian Backyard Ultra Masters, where a new world backyard ultra record was set in June.
Australian runner Phil Gore (who, along with the other participants in the event, have nothing to do with the legal action) ran 102 laps (also called yards) and close to 685 kilometres to win the event, which was held outside Nanango, 180km northwest of Brisbane.
The backyard ultra format requires participants to start one “yard” (lap) every hour on the hour, until only one runner remains. (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, and Gore was assisted by New Zealand runner Sam Harvey. The competition included American ultrarunner Harvey Lewis, who completed 90 yards, or just over 600 kilometres.
Walsh took to social media to explain what the legal issues were earlier this week, although he can’t share the details of the runner involved. He explained that the runner taking legal action was not at their event, and is not acting on behalf of a runner at the event. Walsh also shared that the legal action isn’t based on health or safety, accidents, injuries, or anything that relates to negligence, but rather that the issue stems from a grievance over course differences between Dead Cow Gully Backyard Ultra (held in April) and the Australian Masters Backyard Ultra (held in June).
Walsh further explained that the “DCG course has changed 3 times (due to weather events) since its inception,” and noted that the runner had connected with a large local running group, “trawling through Facebook posts and attacking members of the (Dead Cow Gully) running group.”
“We’ve been trying to deal with this privately,” Walsh said, “but it’s really kind of escalated. It’s a real downer.” He added that the Masters’ event was a large personal financial loss as he invested his own funds to help it go forward, and that he finds it baffling that the runner involved is asking for some kind of financial compensation. The runner has also been trying to get people to boycott Dead Cow Gully 2024.
“I really don’t know why they’re doing this or where they are coming from, it’s just really very confusing,” said Walsh. “This type of behaviour just doesn’t belong in the running community.”
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