The Farmyard Jam BYU
The Backyard Ultra is a form of Ultramarathon where competitors must consecutively run the distance of 6.706km (4.167miles) in less than one hour. Once that hour is up you go again, and again, and again until only one person is left.
Sounds crazy, right? Well, it is, but it's also a really interesting race format (to me anyway).
The Farmyard Jam is a version of this race format but with a twist. You can choose to run a 5km lap and complete an obstacle gauntlet or, skip the obstacles and run an extra mile (making the total lap distance 4 miles).
I entered this race with the goal of running for 24 hours with the highest distance I could achieve in that time.
Race day was one of the hottest days of the year and the start time was 12pm. Whilst it was hot, I was completing the 4 mile laps in 40 - 45 minutes. This was good for being able to rest between laps, but it also meant I was working hard in the heat.
In hindsight, what I should have been doing is slowing down on the lap and walking a bit more. This would have meant I was getting some rest out on course and not working so hard.
My one man crew machine, aka Jay, was doing a fantastic job. Drinks and fuel ready at the end of each lap plus getting a BBQ on the go a few times. Can't beat a burger in the sun!
Having someone to crew for you definitely helps. I know without Jay's help I wouldn't have made it as far as I did.
As the sun set, we went into the night which was a blessing as the heat of the day left with it.
Running in the dark is something I'm used to. The majority of my running is done early in the morning, which, during winter, means running with a headtorch on.
I was feeling fine for the first 13 laps of this race. However when I started lap 14 I wasn't feeling great. I struggled to get any type of rhythm going and also started to think a lot of negative thoughts. Things like, my son will be disappointed if I don't do the whole 24 hours.
Looking back, I think this has a lot to do with the time of day. It was 2am which is normally the lowest someone will feel when running through the night. We are so used to being asleep at this time it messes with our circadian rhythm.
Throughout that lap I was struggling and I finished it in 58 minutes. Whilst I could have carried on, I let my head get the better of me and called it a day with 54 miles covered.
The lessons I learnt from this will be put into practice in March when I have another go at a Backyard Ultra.
Simple things like, setting my watch different so I can see more data, listening to something for a couple of laps and being aware of that 2am demon waiting in my head.
I'll finish by saying that I think Backyard Ultras are a great way for people to achieve distance targets. Some of the people I was running with achieved their first marathon and Ultras during this event. If you have one near you, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go.