Mental Blocks and Record Performances

There’s a special kind of unknown that comes with a brand-new race. No past finishers to question, no course reputation to lean on, just a start line, a whistle and whatever Josh and Taylor at MOAR Events had planned for us. The Scouts Honour Backyard Ultra was their first event and I can say with total confidence, it surely won’t be their last. The whole team ran a tight, well-organised race that both runners and spectators clearly loved.

If you’re not familiar with the backyard ultra format. It’s brutally simple. Run a 4.1667-mile “yard” every hour, on the hour, until you can’t anymore. Fail to make it back in time or fail to head back out when the bell rings and you’re out. Last person standing wins. Everyone else is a DNF. Even the person who comes second, even if they’ve run 100 miles. It’s a format that tests legs, but mostly it tests your head.

Getting Set Up

I arrived early on the Saturday and grabbed a pitch right on the starting corral. If you want to do well in a backyard ultra, this is non-negotiable advice. Get there early and claim your spot as close to the start as possible. Every second you save walking to and from your setup each hour adds up to real recovery time over 24+ hours.

100 runners lined up for the midday start and the atmosphere was brilliant, nervous energy, first-event buzz, everyone sizing up a course that looked, on paper, like an absolute maze.

Yards 1–3: Finding My Feet

The opening yards were all about chatting. I spent the first few laps talking to other runners as we worked out the route together. It looked confusing on the map, but the marking was excellent and it clicked into place fast once you’d run it once or twice.

Tip: Don’t panic if a course looks complicated on paper. Well-marked races are usually far more intuitive on foot than they appear on a map, save your energy for running, not memorising.

Yards 4–7: Getting to Work

Once the small talk settled down, I got into the actual job. Learning the best lines through the course, working out my run/walk strategy before darkness hit, and crucially, dialling in my timings. I like to know exactly what time I need to hit certain points by, so I know how much time I’ve genuinely got for eating, changing kit, or sitting down between yards.

Tip: Build yourself a rough time checklist for each yard, when you need to be back, when you need to be out again, so downtime never quietly develops into panic.

Yards 10–16: The Dark Hours

This is where the race started to evolve. A big chunk of the field dropped through these hours and the course got noticeably quieter. But this is also where I do my best work, I thrive when it’s cooler and the world’s gone quiet.

At midnight, on yard 13, I hit my fastest yard of the whole race – 40 minutes. This was intentional, I wanted to try to grab 15 minutes of sleep before yard 14. It didn’t work. Yard 14 turned into one of my slowest and my wheels genuinely nearly came off. I ate, took on some caffeine and dragged myself back into the game.

Tip: If you’re going to attempt a sleep break, have a backup fuelling plan ready for the yard immediately after, because if the sleep doesn’t land, you’ll need food and caffeine to bridge the gap fast.

Yards 17–24: Sunrise and the Milestone

The sun came up around 5am, yard 17, with 18 runners left. Another five rang the bell between yards 18 and 21 and by the time we crossed the 100-mile milestone at yard 24, just 13 of us remained.

Out on yard 24, I found myself telling other runners I was planning to stop. And here’s the thing nobody tells you about backyard ultras. The moment you say it out loud, it starts becoming real. Your mind grabs onto it and starts building the case for you. I found myself making excuses and blaming the heat of the day which was rising. Don’t get me wrong, the heat was energy sapping, but my legs felt fine. This is the mental side of backyard ultras.

Not Quite Done

I got back with nearly six minutes to spare after yard 24 and sat down in my chair, this was plenty of time, but I was genuinely contemplating ringing the bell. My legs still felt fine. No niggles, no injuries. It was purely the heat and the direct sun on the back that had been grinding me down since around 9am. Maybe I’d quietly hit a subconscious target at 100 miles and my mind decided that was enough. Maybe 24 hours is just a natural mental wall. Whatever it was, for some reason, I was looking for a way out and my legs weren’t the ones asking for it.

Josh wasn’t having it. He came over, told me flatly I wasn’t quitting sat in a chair, put a drink in my hand and sent me back out for yard 25 with one instruction. Walk the first section, see how you feel. I’m genuinely glad he did. And it proves my point on the mental wall. I walked the first 25 minutes, decided I could run again and got round on a run/walk mix.

Tip: When your legs are fine, but your head wants out, give yourself one more yard before you commit. A short walk to reset can completely change the outcome, but you need someone in your corner willing to push you back out there.

A Sprint Finish And A Mental Block?

Out on that same yard, I heard the three-whistle warning back at the starting corral. Three minutes until the next yard started. I picked up the pace. Heard the two-minute whistle. Then saw Josh yelling at me to move. I found whatever was left in the tank and made it back with a minute to spare.

I grabbed a drink, turned straight back out for yard 26, and knew immediately I was done. Not physically. My legs had more in them. But the mindset had gone and, in this format, that’s the whole game. I finished 7th last standing in a genuinely strong field, with 25 yards and 105 miles on the clock. For some reason, I just didn’t have the mental game to break 25 yards again, is it a subconscious mental barrier? Maybe?

The Battle at the Top

Four more runners dropped between yards 26 and 30, leaving two to fight it out. James and Rob. Both experienced backyard ultra runners. And both had their sights set on yard 60, the target needed to comfortably make the “At Large List” for the GB national team and from yard 31 to 58 they battled it out together as a two, sharing the load for a staggering 28 hours. I believe that’s a new record in backyard ultras for a duo to battle it out for the win.

I returned to watch the final yards unfold, alongside a number of other competitors who’d stuck around to witness the story unfold. There’s something special about a backyard ultra that pulls people back out of their beds and chairs to stand at the corral for someone else’s finish and this was exactly that kind of performance.

James eventually tapped out on yard 59, leaving Rob to run the final yard alone and take the win.

58 yards and the assist for James, 59 yards and the win for Rob. Both performances should be enough to see them onto the “At Large List” for the national team. Genuinely incredible to witness and a privilege to have been part of a race that produced a record-breaking finish like that.

Final Thoughts on the MOAR Events BYU

This was the first event MOAR Events had ever put on and it did not show for a second. It was run like an established race, like Josh and Taylor had been doing this for years. Superb organisation, a great location, a brilliant atmosphere and attention to detail throughout. A genuine privilege to line up in such a strong field. And I’m sure I’ll be back next year, hopefully breaking the mental barrier and banking a few more yards.

Key Takeaways for Backyard Ultra Runners

Set-up close to the corral. Every metre you don’t have to walk between yards is recovery time you keep.

Trust the markings, not the map. A course can look impossible on paper and run perfectly clearly on the ground.

Build a timing checklist per yard. So, you know exactly how much time you have for eating, kit changes, or rest.

Have a fuelling backup plan. For failed sleep attempts or extreme low points. Caffeine and food can pull you back from a rough yard.

Watch your language out on course. Saying “I’m done” out loud starts making it true in your head, long before your legs agree.

Separate legs from mind before you ring the bell. If your body’s fine and it’s purely mental or environmental (heat, sun, fatigue), give yourself one more yard before deciding.

Have a crew if you want to go far. Everyone doing a backyard ultra needs someone in their corner to do the thinking for them and someone who won’t let them quit in the chair.