All of which was achieved by locals and visitors at the 2 Rivers ultra-marathon event in Echuca-Moama on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18.
A Backyard Ultra is a form of ultra-marathon race where competitors must run the distance of 6.72km each hour, which is a pace of 100 miles in 24 hours, for as many consecutive hours as they can.
The race is over when only one runner remains to complete a lap and that runner is marked as the winner and only finisher.
This past weekend was the second time North-Vic Backyard Ultras had hosted an event in Echuca, with the first being round four of the Backyard Trial Series in 2024.
Sixty runners competed in this year’s event, 20 of whom were members of Echuca-Moama Run Club, with the rest made up of visitors from across Australia.
There were many personal bests broken over the weekend, including one Echuca local, Kaja Jensen from Echuca-Moama Run Club, who previously had never done more than a half-marathon, and completed 12 laps at the event, which equates to 80km.
The last female competitor running was Rose Fuller, who completed 30 laps. Her previous best was 19, so she increased her personal best by 11 hours.
Only six runners passed the 200km mark, with two runners dropping out at 31 laps, leaving three to continue on.
David Patterson reached 33 laps before he had to retire due to a knee injury, while Echuca-Moama Run Club’s Chris Dalton called time after lap 35, with Ross McLean from Tasmania the last man standing, completing his 36th and final lap on the stroke of midnight on Sunday.
North-Vic Backyard Ultra race director Robert Howse reflected on the event and how special it was for the Echuca-Moama community to show their support.
“The 20 runners from Echuca-Moama Run Club was great to see because it (demonstrated) strong local support and engagement,” he said.
“It was great to have the Echuca community in general come down and support the runners throughout the day.
“A lot of the runners pointed out that they ran further than they would’ve before, just because there was such a large crowd of people at the finish line.
“We’ve been running this event for four years and in the last three years I haven’t seen a crowd that big that wasn’t part of the event than I saw in Echuca, especially on the Saturday afternoon; it was fantastic.
“There were plenty of walkers out on the trail over the weekend and showed some real interest in what we were doing so it was a great community vibe.”
Howse also highlighted the benefits of participating in a Backyard Ultra, particularly its open-ended format which is less intimidating than a tradition half or full-length marathon.
“The beauty of the event is that a park runner can do it because it is 6.72km, and then you have a rest period so you can come in and do it with not much experience, it’s definitely a format that’s available to everyone,” he said.
“If you are new to running, the thought of a marathon is quite daunting, so the fact that it is an open-ended event and everyone technically fails at some point, it takes the pressure off and allows you to go for a personal best.”
While not confirmed, Howse expressed his interest in hosting another North-Vic Backyard Ultra in Echuca-Moama in the future due to the support and participation numbers.
“Coming back and having another event in Echuca is something that we are interested in and definitely a possibility,” he said.
“The overwhelming appreciation from all the attendees, both locals and visitors, indicated that it was a great place to hold an event like this.”
