Last Runner Standing 2020

Backyard ultras have become popular in the past couple years due mainly to Big Backyard Ultra in Tennessee.  The concept is simple, run 4.167 miles (6.7km) an hour, every hour.  The last runner standing wins, everyone else gets a DNF. 

I would never have run a Backyard ultra as I prefer mountain trails, and I can’t run 4 miles an hour in the mountains.  But thanks to a global pandemic that led to the closure of all provincial parks and many trails, the stars aligned for me to run 100 miles on pavement.  Plus, I’ve always wanted to run 100 miles in under 24 hours, so this was my shot. 

The training block was aggressive, 450km in 4 weeks, followed by a 2 week taper. 

On Saturday June 6^th at 8am I started out on lap #1 in the rain with Marc.  The plan was to hold back at 7:30 min/km pace.  I knew that pacing properly was the only way I would finish, and I enjoyed the jogging pace.

Like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day I did the same thing over and over again.  Run for 50 minutes, sit down, eat, drink, repeat.  Christina coordinated people to run with me and in 24 hours I was alone for less than 90 minutes.  17 different people ran or biked with me.  I had never actually met Charles and he ran 13 laps with me overnight.

In addition to my pacers 4 families came out at various times to cheer me on.  This lifted my spirits and gave me the push to keep on going, especially as the agony and boredom set in during the second half. 

There were a few really dark times during the night.  The stretch from midnight to 5am was particularly bad.  Darien joined me at 3am, yet that was my slowest lap.  I was worried we’d start slipping time, but after a 52 minute lap at 3am we got back on track with 50 minutes at 4am and 5am.  When Brendan showed up at 5am and Aarash at 6am I was really miserable, but still shuffling forward at the right pace.

Starting the final lap with Charles, Brendan, Darien, Camille, Christina, Aarash, Parisa, Denna, Abby and Matt was amazing.  I was less than an hour from an official DNF, but this was my victory lap.  With a mile to go I realized the faster I ran the sooner it would be done, so we picked up the pace for the quickest lap of the day.  A dozen friends were waiting at 7:47am to celebrate the finish. 

This was a great experience for so many reasons, mainly due to the friends and family that ran with me and cheered throughout the day and night.  Officially I dropped out after 100 miles in 23 hours and 47 minutes.  There were only 3 runners that continued onto lap 25 and the winner ran 29 laps.  I will never run 100 miles on pavement again.

2020 Black Canyon 100k

Black Canyon 2016 was blazing hot and my first 100k, 2017 brought terrible mud and hail, so 2020 was to be my year.  I set a completely arbitrary goal of a 3-hour PR, the "A" goal was to finish under 12:52.

Training

A lot went right.  I focused on run quality over quantity, did strength training twice a week, and dropped 15 pounds in January.  I was strong, fast and light.  My run volume averaged 80km per week with a peak of 97k including multiple weekly quality runs such as speed work and tempo runs. 

Race Preparation

I’ve spent too long at aid stations in the past.  The food is great, drinks are warm, volunteers are friendly, and the seats are so comfortable.  At Black Canyon the plan was 60 seconds at minor aid stations to refill bottles and 5 minutes max at major ones to load up on nutrition and deal with any issues, get out fast and don’t waste time.

My gear plan was simple, one pair of shoes, one pair of socks and no shirt changes.  With 4 knee deep river crossings this was risky, but I wanted to keep it simple stupid and free my mind to focus on running.

The nutrition plan was also simple, just gels and tailwind.  I like solid food during a race but knew I wouldn’t be able to digest a grilled cheese while running fast.

0-30k

It was nice and cold for the 7am start and I averaged 5:40 min/k pace over the first 6k.  Even at the time I knew this was too fast but I felt good and decided to push.  When we hit the first hill everyone ran the climb including me.  For the second hill I walked but was the only person that didn't run.  Then it occurred to me that I was running near the front with people that don’t hike the climbs.  This was scary, these are not my people and was the first sign that I may be in over my head.

I arrived at the first aid station at 12.5k, filled water bottles and was out in under a minute.  Same thing for the second aid station at 21k.  I got to 30k in just over 3 hours and was feeling great.  My plan was to bank time early then dial back the effort later and cruise to a strong finish. 

30-60k

Things got harder but I was still running well and feeling pretty good.  After hitting 50k in 6 hours I was encouraged with my progress.  I ate and drank regularly, and the intense midday heat wasn’t a bother.  However, when I came into the second major aid station at 60k I was in rough shape.  My head and stomach were okay but my legs were shot.  I ate and drank everything in sight to recover.  Had I been running the 60k race that would have been an amazing finish and a perfect day.  Unfortunately I still had another 40k ahead of me.

60-101k

Black Canyon is a deceptive race.  With only 1,600m of elevation gain it looks like an easy course.  But the constant ankle-twisting rocks take a significant toll.  The climbs aren’t steep but they’re miles long.  I prefer short steep climbs, but these ones go on forever and suck the life out of your legs and mind.  And the second half of the course is harder than the first with very technical rocky terrain.  I power hiked the climbs which spiked my heart rate and could barely run the descents due to the million rocks.

After multiple unsuccessful physical and mental attempts to rally and get back on track I admitted that my sub 13-hour finish was out of reach.  I had pushed myself too hard, blew up spectacularly and the race was now about finishing under 17 hours to get my Western States lottery ticket.  I took my time at aid stations, ate the good food (quesadillas not gels) and finished in 15:23 for 330^th place out of 721 runners. 

Summary

I don’t regret going out so fast as it was an amazing experience.  I do wonder if I could have held on if I moderated my effort better in the first half.  When a runner passed me at 95k I figured they ran a smart race and saved energy for the end.  Maybe I could have trained better, probably with more long quality runs of 30-50k at a solid pace.  Since I don’t have a coach this is just one big experiment.  This is just a hobby and I thoroughly enjoy the process.  I do this for fun, and somehow really enjoy suffering in a desert canyon for 15 hours.