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No finish line: Australian runner Jack Hanley takes on the Backyard Ultra in Wollongong

Known as 'the crazy running man', Hanley hopes to beat his 74-hour mark at a race where the last runner standing wins

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sources3 outlets
Australian endurance runner Jack Hanley will strive to be the last man standing when he represents Team Australia at the Backyard Ultra in Wollongong on Saturday, hoping to beat his previous record of 74 hours in a race that has no finish line.

Hanley, known on Instagram as @the_crazy_running_man, is one of the few athletes for whom a never-ending race sounds like 'an absolute party'.

'The energy, the vibe, the people, it's just so awesome,' he said. 'The endurance in the legs, and also juggling the sleep deprivation, and also having the nutrition on point. It makes it an awesome challenge.'

The Backyard Ultra is a form of ultra marathon in which competitors must run 6.706 kilometres, referred to as a 'yard', each hour on the hour. Races can last several days, with runners dropping out the moment they fail to complete the distance within the hour. The winner is the final runner still meeting the benchmark.

For most experienced endurance runners, the hardest part of such an event would be shattering mental fatigue, blistered feet and sleep deprivation that leaves you with mild hallucinations and nausea. Hanley's aim is to surpass his previous Backyard Ultra record of 74 hours in Wollongong.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The Backyard Ultra is endurance sport stripped to its simplest and most brutal rule: run a 6.706 km yard every hour until you cannot. There is no finish line, only a last runner standing.
  • Hanley's attempt to go past 74 hours tests how far the human body can be pushed on sleep deprivation, nutrition and relentless effort.
  • The event gives Australian audiences a chance to follow a world-class ultra endurance competition on home soil.

Background

The Backyard Ultra format was devised in the United States by Gary Cantrell, the race director better known as Lazarus Lake, who also created the Barkley Marathons. The concept has since spread internationally, with runners representing national teams. The Wollongong race is the latest edition of a format that consistently produces multi-day efforts, with the field shrinking each hour as runners miss the benchmark.

Key Perspectives

Jack Hanley: For the athlete, the format is part of the appeal. He describes the race as 'an absolute party', embracing the energy of the event alongside the endurance in the legs, the nutrition demands and the sleep deprivation. The field: Every runner faces the same hourly deadline, and the race narrows quickly. Fail to finish a yard in the hour and you are out, making each lap a test of pacing, recovery and judgment. Medical and safety observers: The longer the race runs, the greater the risks of sleep deprivation, which can bring on hallucinations and nausea, and of injuries from running on exhausted legs.

What to Watch

  • Whether Hanley beats his previous Backyard Ultra record of 74 hours.
  • How many competitors are still running after the first 24 and 48 hours.
  • How long the Wollongong event runs before a last runner standing is confirmed.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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