World Records Drop at Big’s Backyard

This article originally appeared on Trail Runner

Before clinching a new world record at Big Dog's Backyard Ultra last week, renowned American ultrarunner Harvey Lewis discussed the interplay between the three branches of government with his advanced placement government class before making history himself in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

While taking a temporary break from teaching at Ohio's Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts, Lewis, 47, completed an astonishing 108 laps and covered 450 miles between October 21 and October 25 to win this year's backyard ultra world championship. And when he arrived back in the classroom on October 27--after driving 325 miles home--he was greeted with a rousing round of applause from his students.

Ihor Verys, a Ukrainian runner who lives in Canada, was second place with 107 yards and nearly 446 miles, earning the proverbial title of "Assist" the second-to-last person standing and the runner who helped push Lewis to the brink of the new record.

The victory marks Lewis's second win at "Big's," as the race is more casually known. He previously triumphed in 2021 by running 354 miles in 85 hours. Lewis has served as the assist runner three times.

Lewis is a legend in the American ultrarunning scene, having won the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon from Death Valley to the base of Mount Whitney in California, in 2014 and 2021, as well as the FANS 24-Hour Race in Minnesota in 2012 and 2022, while also competing for the U.S. at the IAU 24-Hour World Championship on four occasions.

'I Was Programmed to Keep on Going'

He admitted that there were times during Big's when he was having mild hallucinations and other times when he had to fight to stay awake. But there were moments where he felt great and could run forever. "I actually felt like we could go through another whole night," Lewis told me with a raspy voice a few days after finishing. "Because the previous night, just hitting the 55 [minutes per 'yard'] was not easy, but it was doable."

In the quirky but compelling format of backyard racing, runners complete a 4.167-mile lap (also known as "yards") once every hour for as long as it takes until only one runner remains. Laps typically take between 42 and 55 minutes, allowing the runners to rest, recover, refuel, and rehydrate during the remaining time at the start-finish area. The final runner must complete one more lap to be declared the winner.

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Australia's Phil Gore, who finished fifth with 416 miles, was the fastest runner of the event with an average lap time of 46:22. Harvey averaged about 52:22 per lap, meaning he had only seven minutes to rest on each lap.

"If I was running at the right pace, I could stay with the frequency and keep going," Lewis recalled. "That's how I felt. I was programmed to just keep on going until you're stopped. When I started, I went down the first half, the midpoint, and purposely never turned back [to check for other runners]. Even when I made a 90-degree turn, I didn't even look out of the corner of my eye. On purpose. I just kept on moving. I did those things in my head. There's a cardinal rule of running: If a person turns around, it's like a symbol of weakness. It would give your opponent an edge."

A Level Playing Field

One of the compelling things about the backyard ultra format is that it allows men and women to compete head-to-head. Maggie Guterl, a runner from Durango, Colorado, was the outright winner in 2019 (60 yards, 250 miles) while Courtney Dauwalter, of Leadville, Colorado, won it the following year (68 laps or 283.33 miles). French runner Claire Bannwarth was the top female competitor this year, finishing in 31st place with 60 yards and 250 miles. This year, six runners reached 100 yards and 416.66 miles (670.5K), Lewis (108), Verys (107), Poland's Bartosz Fudali (103), Japan's Terumichi Morishita (101), Gore (100) and Belgium's Merijn Geerts (100).

As Lewis traveled to Tennessee, centenarian Mike Freemont, tongue-in-cheek, provided sage words to Lewis during a call: "If you just do everything you can, then you will survive."

Lewis emphasizes the importance of consistency and avoiding unnecessary risks during each lap. His approach involves maintaining a strong pace and preserving energy for the long haul. His goal for the race was straightforward: Just be controlled and intentional on each lap. "My goal is not to do anything crazy on any given lap," said Lewis, who began running ultra-distance races in the mid-1990s when he was in his early 20s. "If I run too fast, fall down too hard, eat something that doesn’t agree, or make any number of mistakes that end up multiplying, that's a big issue."

Nutrition Choices

Lewis, who follows a plant-based diet, had a consistent supply of Tailwind throughout the race, complemented by coconut water and sodas. Among his favored food options during the race were mango and chia seed combinations.

"The plant-based foods really made an impact," Lewis said. "I never got sick. I always had constant energy. And it was easy on my stomach and body for the long distance. I think I probably absorbed more calories than anyone else in the field throughout that whole adventure."

His nutrition strategy included wraps with avocado and hummus, pea soup, potato chips, and Pad Thai noodles."I try to be consistent," said Lewis. "I don't run too fast. I don't try to win any particular lap because it doesn't really matter. I usually just try to survive."

Helping Others to Help Yourself

During the race, people questioned why Lewis was helping others, especially in a partnership to reach the 300-mile mark. "I think we had about seven go across the line together to make 300 [miles]," Lewis said. "Someone might say, 'Well, that seems stupid. Why'd you help all those people?' That helped me, too. Having that collaboration made it easier for me at night as well."

Lewis used the race as an opportunity to support others, collaborating with the Brighton Center, a nonprofit aiding those in need in northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati. The goal is to raise $100,000. "They help about 20,000 people annually, from homelessness to rehabilitation from alcohol and drugs to assistance with financial literacy, job coaching, and even help people buy their homes," Lewis said. "They try to create stability. It's a critical time right now. It's a noteworthy charity in our region benefiting people. We have too much homelessness in our country. Too many people are facing very difficult decisions."

Be the Honey Badger

Lewis has a variety of animal personas he embodies for big races. Harvey spoke about his persona during this race--the honey badger. The resilience and never-give-up attitude of the honey badger align perfectly with Harvey's approach to ultrarunning. "If it falls down or gets beat up, it just keeps on going," said Lewis. That mindset drove him day and night.

At the 104th lap, only Lewis and Verys were still moving. "He's a very strong runner," Lewis said. "I wasn't sure where he was going to be mentally, if he was ready to finish, or if he wanted to keep going."

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During the 107th lap, Lewis noticed Verys wasn't behind him. Lewis recounts the rollercoaster of emotions when he realized Verys wasn't behind him and had dropped from the race. "I thought, OK, well, that's really interesting. But I don't know if that means anything," Lewis recalled. "I ran down to that first possible turn. I turned right and back up a slight, gradual hill, and I couldn't see him there. There's one final hill, almost 1.5 miles into this part of the race. Once I got there, I could see across the field [noticing Verys wasn't on the course]. I knew for 100 percent that he had dropped out of the race."

"The field was amazing. It was like riding a giant wave. I managed to get to the midpoint. I believe it was 22 minutes--so that's pretty fast. When I came back, I was looking out across everything. Then I thought, 'Well, I could run back and finish around 45 minutes or something faster.' What I need to do is savor this moment and say a prayer. I looked out and had gratitude for something I've worked hard for coming to fruition."

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