First Backyard Ultra for CHB attracts 100 runners to Tukituki Trails

Brothers Reuben and Jasper Vowden during the weekend’s River-Run Backyard Ultra on the Tukituki Trails in Waipukurau. Photo / Paul Taylor

On Saturday night, while most people slumbered, a group of ultra-marathon runners ran through the night, clocking up lap after lap of a 6.7-kilometre course on Waipukurau’s Tukituki Trails.

They had started at 9am on Saturday morning, running one loop of the track per hour. About 100 runners set off at the start, but by midnight, just nine runners remained, on their 16th lap.

Just over 12 hours later, there was only one - Chris Newson was the last man standing for the 2023 River-Run Backyard Ultra, after 28 laps and 187.6km.

Chris gained a trophy and $500 for his win. Everyone else was handed a rock from the Tukituki River stenciled with “DNF”... Did Not Finish.

Runners tackle the 6.6-kilometre course during the River-Run Backyard Ultra, based at the Central Hawke’s Bay A&P Showgrounds, over the weekend. Photo / Paul Taylor

It was the first time a Backyard Ultra race had been held in Central Hawke’s Bay, but it’s a format that has been run since 2011 when it began in Tennessee in the US. The lap distance is calculated at “100 miles per 24 hours”, and the world record of 108 laps is held by American runner Harvey Lewis.

The format involves all runners starting together, every hour on the hour. As the day goes on, runners tap out and they are marked as DNF. The race does not finish until only one runner is left.

The organisers, ultra-marathon runners Josh Lloyd and Michael Courtney, have competed in many Backyard Ultra races, but for the past couple of years, there haven’t been any in Hawke’s Bay.

They decided to rectify the situation, and Central Hawke’s Bay’s Tukituki Trails were too good a location to resist.

Josh says “There are half a dozen races in New Zealand, and there used to be one near Haumoana, but with that no longer happening we decided to pick up the challenge. I have run the Tukituki Trails a lot, and they are awesome for this format.”

One of the unusual aspects of the Backyard Ultra is that everyone starts together, then re-gathers at the start/finish line and starts together again for the next lap. Josh says it creates a good vibe between the runners.

Josh says, “The 6.7km loop is very achievable in the one hour allowed, even if people walk part of it. At first, you can get back with 15 or so minutes to wait for the next start. It’s achievable... until at some stage, suddenly it’s not!”

Josh did 24 laps of the weekend’s Backyard Ultra, completing 100 miles for the first time.

“As the organisers, Michael and I drew straws for who would pull on the running shoes and who would have the stopwatch. I drew the short straw.

Runners set off every hour, finishing a loop at a time, until only one runner is left. Photo / Paul Taylor

“At first, I was getting back with 15 minutes or so to rest... which of course means you also cool down and stiffen up. By my last few laps, I was barely getting back under the hour allowed, with just three minutes to grab a drink and a bite to eat before the next start.

“It gets hard in the middle of the night. We were based at the shearing shed at the Waipukurau A&P Showgrounds, and there was a warm fire going, a couch and the TV on... it was very difficult to finish a lap and see the organisers and families all cosy and warm, then have to plough on out there for another lap.”

Josh says a turnout of 100 runners - more during the Saturday afternoon when a fun loop was put on for the kids - was outstanding for a first event, and given the great feedback from participants, he says next year’s event will be bigger.

“We will make this an annual event. We had runners from all over the North Island and a couple from the South Island. Visitors from Germany, Wales and Brazil took part. Our winner Chris Newson had come from Whangārei for the race.

“The venue was perfect - close to town, right beside the trails, and we had good parking, facilities, room for people to camp. It couldn’t be better.”

Another unusual aspect of the Backyard Ultra is that it is a free event. Koha was accepted, however, and all donations will go to the Rotary River Pathways Trust for the maintenance of the Tukituki Trails.