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Team Belgium smashes record at Team World Backyard Ultra Championships

Three Belgian runners set a new world record by running for 110 hours and more than 737 kilometres

backyard ultra team canada Photo by: Dave Dupéré

On Wednesday, Belgium secured the title of Team Backyard Ultra World Champions, with three runners completing a mind-boggling 110 yards (or hours) and covering more than 737 km. This feat set a new (team) world record in the unique endurance event that tests athletes not only against one another, but also against the relentless clock.

The uniqueness of the backyard ultra event

The backyard ultra, created by Gary Cantrell (also known as Laz Lake), requires participants to run a 6.706 km loop every hour on the hour until only one person remains standing. It’s a race of both physical and mental endurance, as the clock doesn’t stop—if you can’t finish the loop within the hour, you’re out. This year’s event saw 63 countries participate, a significant leap from the 37 teams in 2022 and 21 in the inaugural competition in 2020.

Having multiple runners finish together was unheard of until 2022, when Belgian runners Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert made history by setting a team record of 101 yards (677.306 km). This year, Geerts and Steyaert returned with teammate Frank Gielen to push the limits even further. Together, the trio shattered the previous mark, completing 110 yards before deciding to stop as a team. Their achievement left Australia in second place, with the United States finishing third.

Belgium’s top three runners not only broke the previous team world record but also surpassed the individual record set by American ultrarunner Harvey Lewis, who completed 108 yards in 2023. In that race, Canadian ultrarunner Ihor Verys assisted Lewis, completing 107 loops, covering over 717 km.

Megan Eckert of the U.S. also made history during the event, shattering the previous women’s world record by completing an incredible 87 yards, surpassing fellow American Jennifer Russo’s record of 74 yards (496.21 km), set in 2023 at the Capital Backyard Ultra in Lorton, Va.

Lee Murphy and Eric Deshaies
Team Canada, Backyard Ultra World Champs, 2024. Photo: Dave Dupéré

Team Canada sets new records

After 68 hours of continuous racing in Edmundston, N.B., Nova Scotia’s Lee Alonzo Murphy emerged as the champion of the Canadian Backyard Ultra, completing 456 km on the 6.706-km loop. Murphy shattered his personal record of 54 yards, with Quebec’s Éric Deshaies serving as his assist. Deshaies took a DNF when he couldn’t complete his 68th lap due to a foot problem. Ontario’s Amanda Nelson also pushed her limits, completing 60 laps (402.4 km), breaking her personal record of 57 loops—she has gone farther than any other Canadian woman in a backyard ultra-style event.

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