Not sure if this is even possible, but went to the Big Dog Backyard Ultra yesterday to witness the event firsthand. For those who aren’t familiar, a Backyard Ultra is a “race” where at the top of the hour the runners head out on a 4.16 mile loop. When they return to the start they have the remaining time in that hour to rest (so, if you run it in 35 minutes you get 25 minutes to rest). At the top of the next hour you have to toe the line again and head out for your next loop. The race goes on until there is only one runner that finished a final loop.
The Backyard Ultra record, by John Stocker, is 81 yards (loops) for a total of 337.5 miles. Lot’s of strategy come into this racing format because it is a constant give and take between speed and rest.
For example, some of the best ultra runners in the world are at Big Dogs…in the first day, with fresh legs, the best runners were coming in on each lap around 47 minutes. They could all run significantly faster for many hours, but they choose to run slower so that they can stay longer.
So, got me thinking about whether you could create a “safe” super sprint format where the course distances would put the racers back at the start somewhere between that 40-60 minute mark.
I know there are unique challenges of safety that exist in tri that don’t exist in running (extreme fatigue and swimming or cycling). There is also the repetitive nature of transitions in tri that don’t exist in running. Plus, you’d have to create a course where people could swim cycle in the dark safely.
Probably not possible, but interesting to think about a short distance style race where the competitors grind it out hour after hour for a few days.
Oh, I like this idea. As a challenge, this is way more appealing than the Ultraman. What would these distances be? Mixed team relay distances? (300m swim, 6.8km ride, 2km run?) A little longer than that? I’m just thinking about all the equipment requirements too, this would be so hard!
Have a wetsuit legal swim? Need enough time to get a wet wetsuit back on before you start your next lap.
Non-wetsuit swim? Then you’re contending with the kind of heat/environment that keeps wetsuits away.
Bike is going to get wet over and over again - same with your shoes.
And then running shoes… and socks! Do you bring enough pairs of shoes to swap to dry ones every once in a while? Do you spend part of your lap resetting your transition area?
…how do we set one of these up. This would be (type 2) fun. Safety crew would have to be just as dedicated as the athletes!
Sounds like a great type of event. Going through the night would be tricky for the swim, purely on safety grounds, but I’m sure something can be figured out given the short distance of the swim.
I guess the best type of venue would be a closed venue of some kind where the swim, bike and run circuits are an enclosed area.
Sounds like a great type of event. Going through the night would be tricky for the swim, purely on safety grounds, but I’m sure something can be figured out given the short distance of the swim.
I guess the best type of venue would be a closed venue of some kind where the swim, bike and run circuits are an enclosed area.
Could do it indoor tri style (pool, indoor bike, treadmill) for safety/ease of transitions. The bike and run could be switched to outdoors during daytime hours to mix it up as well.
Sounds like a great type of event. Going through the night would be tricky for the swim, purely on safety grounds, but I’m sure something can be figured out given the short distance of the swim.
I guess the best type of venue would be a closed venue of some kind where the swim, bike and run circuits are an enclosed area.
Something like Daytona or another race track where they could set-up a pool for the swim (or if there’s a pond/lake INSIDE the track)-bike/run on the track-keep it all self contained. Cool idea.
Oh, I like this idea. As a challenge, this is way more appealing than the Ultraman. What would these distances be? Mixed team relay distances? (300m swim, 6.8km ride, 2km run?) A little longer than that? I’m just thinking about all the equipment requirements too, this would be so hard!
Have a wetsuit legal swim? Need enough time to get a wet wetsuit back on before you start your next lap.
Non-wetsuit swim? Then you’re contending with the kind of heat/environment that keeps wetsuits away.
Bike is going to get wet over and over again - same with your shoes.
And then running shoes… and socks! Do you bring enough pairs of shoes to swap to dry ones every once in a while? Do you spend part of your lap resetting your transition area?
…how do we set one of these up. This would be (type 2) fun. Safety crew would have to be just as dedicated as the athletes!
Definitely wouldn’t want it any longer than 300/6.8/2km. Even at those distances getting through 24 hours would be a tough ask.
Athletes would need a support crew to feed them, optimise their opportunity for rest, keep gear organised, etc. No different from the ultra format.
Pool swim, no wetsuit. Road loop or out/back for the cycle and the run.
Since you’re not trying to go as fast as possible, cycle shoes might be obsolete.
Sounds like a great type of event. Going through the night would be tricky for the swim, purely on safety grounds, but I’m sure something can be figured out given the short distance of the swim.
I guess the best type of venue would be a closed venue of some kind where the swim, bike and run circuits are an enclosed area.
Could do it indoor tri style (pool, indoor bike, treadmill) for safety/ease of transitions. The bike and run could be switched to outdoors during daytime hours to mix it up as well.
Indoor bike? Treadmill? Seriously?
Triathletes can really sanitise the f*ck out of a sport.
They used to do an 8 and 24 hr Tri here in Wisconsin- can’t find the link right now to see if still going on.
They did it a bit different in that it was who could complete the most sprint tris in the time allotted
It was a lake swim and you could not swim at night so obviously get the swims in during the day and then
add the bike/runs over night to even it out.
Similar concept- never did it as couldn’t find a team to do it with me and no way was I going to go it alone
Iron distance- all good- this was a little more than I felt ready for
