Big’s Backyard Ultra

The craze that started every ‘last man runner standing’ event is happening this weekend… and beyond in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Big’s Backyard Ultra is another event by the mastermind Lazarus Lake of Barkley fame. I’ve been trying to wrap my head around the phenomena of these types of events and how they fits into our sport.

Some thoughts:

• The simplicity of events like these are just brilliant. Short course, small field, no aid station, simple time-keeping.
• Events like these attract a media attention that’s fascinating, and is probably unlike any other trail/ultra event, when it comes to the ratio of runners participating vs. spectators following along. (Maybe only Barkley’s ratio is higher – even fewer runners and more spectators)
• Backyard Ultras really aren’t ‘trail’ events, and as such are so entirely different to what excites me about participating in the sport that I, despite my trying, can’t get myself to be ever interested in running one.
• The fact that these type of events attract conservative influencers peddling performance enhancing supplements with dubious health benefit claims isn’t lost on me.
• Backyard Ultras would make for the perfect Olympic ‘ultra’ sport. Simple course design, endless spectating possibilities.

Probably have more thoughts, but Singletrack is in hibernation right now, so I gotta write them down and can’t vex poetically into a microphone.