The first B.C. Backyard Ultra is underway in Salmon Arm
The winner will earn an invitation to compete as part of Team Canada at Big's Backyard Ultra World Championship in October
The first B.C. Backyard Ultra got off to a joyous start in Salmon Arm’s Little Mountain Park (about 70 km east of Kamloops) at 8:00 a.m. local time. Fifty-four runners set off on the 6.7 km course set out by Lewiston Ultra Events in the surrounding forest’s undulating dirt trails (they’ll switch to a road loop at night), and they will start this loop every hour until only one runner is left. The winner will receive an automatic entry into the Canadian team competing at Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in October.
Thirteen women and 41 men toed the line at the start. Some of the runners we’ll be watching include Matt Shepard of Valleyview, Alta., Darius Sam of Merritt, B.C., Jeremy Wellwood of Winnipeg and Kevin Barata of Abbotsford, B.C.; Shepard, Barata and Wellwood all contributed to Team Canada’s third-place finish at the 2019 Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championships. In 2021, at 21, Sam became the youngest person ever to complete the Moab 240, a 386-km ultra in Utah.
The backyard ultra format was popularized by Laz Lake of Barkley Marathons fame, with Big’s (which takes place in Tennessee every fall) considered the granddaddy of all backyard ultras. Last year, Ohio’s Harvey Lewis was the last person standing, smashing the course record with a mind-boggling 570 km (85 hours, or yards, as the loops are called). According to the rules of backyard racing, after three and a half days of hourly loops or however long the race lasts, everyone but the winner is considered to have scored a DNF.
Runners have an hour to complete each loop; they may use the time between loops to rest, eat and change clothing and gear, and runners are given space for their crew to set up items they will need. There is no aid given on the course, and pacers are not allowed.
Other “silver ticket” races include Outrun Backyard Ultra (to be held July 30 in Alberta), Big Wolf’s Backyard Ultra (July 16 in Quebec), Persistence Backyard Ultra (July 29 in London, Ont.), and New Brunswick Backyard Ultra (July 2).
To follow the action, click here.
Check out the latest buyer's guide:
