Competitors in the Big’s Backyard Ultra race must complete a 6,705km loop every hour until only one runner remains. Maggie Guterl became the first woman to win the race in 2019, running 402km in 60 hours. Running has numerous health benefits, including strengthening the immune system and increasing bone density. Serge Girard holds the record for the longest run in a year, covering 27,011km in 25 countries. Running outdoors burns more calories than on a treadmill. The 2020 race is scheduled for October 17th.
Most races have a finish line, but competitors in the annual Big’s Backyard Ultra know the only line they have to cross is inside them. It’s what it says: “Don’t stop until everyone else has.” Since 2012, brave, endurance-obsessed runners have been coming to Bell Buckle, Tennessee to complete a 4,166667-mile (6,705km) loop every hour for days on end. To win, you must be the only one still in the running. The invention of Gary Cantrell, the race has gotten more competitive every year. In 2019, the “Last Man Standing” contest was won by a woman for the first time. Maggie Guterl of Durango, Colorado, endured 60 hours, running a distance of 250 miles (402km) to take the title. Guterl, who abandoned the race a year earlier after 180 miles (290km), said he took the words of that year’s winner to heart to stay the course. “Johan Steene told me he told himself she wasn’t quitting in 2018, which overrode the decision-making process for him during the race,” Guterl told Runner’s World. Steene set the course record to victory, running 283.335 miles (455.983 km) in 67 hours and 48 minutes. For those with a lot of ambition and leg strength, the 2020 race is scheduled for October 17th.
What’s your rush?
Running has been shown to strengthen the immune system, increase bone density strength, and lower “bad” cholesterol.
Serge Girard of France holds the record for the longest run in a year, covering 16,783 miles (27,011 km) in 25 countries between 2009 and 2010.
You burn 3% to 7% more calories running outdoors than on a treadmill.
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