Sydney's Backyard Ultra has quickly become one of my favourite events on the calendar. There are just so many unique aspects to this format that keep me coming back.
For those unfamiliar with how a backyard ultra works it is a 6.7km lap (or yard) which has to be completed within an hour. At the start of the next hour you must be back in the start area and ready to go again. This goes on hour after hour, non stop, until only one person is left.
The world record currently stands at 116 hours (or laps). Yes, 116 laps, or just over 4.5 days. When you take into account the average lap time is 50 minutes, that only leaves 10 minutes each hour to sit, eat, go to the bathroom and if you are lucky get some sort of nap. Its not just a massive physical challenge, the mental aspect is possibly even tougher.
This was my 3rd attempt at the event with my 100km effort from April 2024 backed up with a slightly (in my mind very) disappointing 87km in October 2024.
This time around I put 100% focus into my training and nutrition in the months leading up to the event, leaving nothing to chance and nothing on the table.
My nutrition was detailed and planned out for each lap, with the aim of hitting 75 grams of carbs and 700mg sodium each hour. My crew kept a running total of everything I put into my body to keep me on track. I cant stress the importance of a good crew during a backyard ultra, and my wife and fellow trailblazer founder Kat has this absolutely nailed.
In a testament to how much faith we put into our products, I used TN Elite Endurance as my primary fuel and electrolyte source throughout the entire 25 hours, topped up with solid food, lollies and the odd gel when required. I consumed 500ml of water in a flask with 2 scoops of TN Elite Endurance every lap, which totalled 50 grams of carbs and 550mg sodium knowing that this only left us with 25 grams of carbs and 150mg sodium to top up each hour.
In the end I managed 25 yards or 167km which was a massive PB (by 67km). The aim was to get through the first 24 hours at a minimum and take it from there. Seeing the sun rise after running for 22 hours was an absolute highlight and something that will stick with me forever.
If you are considering signing up for a BYU, seriously just do it, its a great event, the comradery is something you just wont get at any other event and the format is friendly to running a distance PB.
As always at Trailblazer Nutrition we are happy to take questions on events and share our experiences, so if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to us.