Woodstock woman bests national backyard ultra record, running 382 km | CBC News
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When Amanda Nelson started running the first loop of her latest backyard ultra race, she had one goal in mind: to beat her previous national record.
Nelson, 35, completed 57 laps of the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, last weekend, running a total of 382.2 kilometres.
“I’m feeling really good,” the Woodstock, Ont., woman said. “I’m really happy with what I did and the whole experience, just being able to be there and see how far I could push my limits.”
Nelson set the Canadian backyard ultra record in May at the Race of Champions-Backyard Masters in Rettert, Germany. She completed 56 yards in that race, running 375.5 kilometres.
LISTEN | Ultrarunner Amanda Nelson talks about breaking her own Canadian record on London Morning:
London Morning7:44Woodstock runner bests national record with 382 km ultra race
Featured VideoHave you heard of backyard ultra racing? A Woodstock runner broke her own national record this week, running over 383 kilometres in 57 hours at the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Championship in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Ultrarunner Amanda Nelson tells London Morning all about the race and how she managed to keep at it.
The backyard ultra is a test of endurance as runners have to complete a 6.7 kilometre loop, called a yard, every hour until the final runner fails to complete a loop or stops.
Big’s Backyard Ultra started at 7 a.m. on Saturday. Nelson’s race finished at 4:55 p.m. Monday when her legs stopped working as she attempted to run a 58th lap.
“Mentally, I was still OK. But then physically, I just couldn’t breathe,” she said. “When I actually came in from my record-breaking loop, I rang the bell because they had a bell there to ring every time someone beats their personal best.”
The biggest challenge was breathing in the dust on the road, which impacted her breathing, Nelson said.
“I think it’s because of the lack of oxygen, because I couldn’t take deep breaths anymore,” she said. “I was just starting to lose the connection, from my legs and my brain and the lack of oxygen. I just couldn’t stand.”
Nelson was the runner-up to French ultrarunner Claire Bannwarth, who completed 60 laps, running 402.3 kilometres. Canadian runner Ihor Verys from Chilliwak, B.C., was the runner-up for the men, ending his run after 108 laps, a distance of 717.5 kilometres.
In addition to the national women’s backyard ultra title, Nelson also holds the 100-mile Canadian record (14:45:51), the 24-hour Canadian soil record (248.985 kilometres) and the women’s 12-hour Canadian record (135.072 kilometres).
When she isn’t running, Nelson is an endurance coach and also works for a local dairy farm. She’s married with two young children.
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