6 ms·

A day and night running round a track

32 points by HansardExpert 2y ago

HansardExpert 2y ago
A 24-hour party of pain - a day and night running round a track
embeng4096 2y ago
Relatedly, see Big's Backyard Ultra[0]: runners run a 4-mile loop, on the hour, every hour, 24 hours a day, until only one runner completes a loop that nobody else does. In 2011, when it started, the winner did 18 laps. In 2023, the winner completed 108 laps! [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big%27s_Backyard_Ultra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big%27s_Backyard_Ultra
- jonathanpglick 2y ago
  Reminds me of an awesome documentary about The Barkley Marathons called "The Barkley Marathons: The Race that Eats its Young". People are incredible!
  - mikestew 2y ago
    Guess who came up with the idea of the Backyard Ultra? The Barkley race director.
- pierot 2y ago
  We are 2024 and it stands at 110 laps, by a belgian team!
- TYPE_FASTER 2y ago
  Related: the Last Skier Standing - one uphill lap per hour. https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/02/15/last-skier-standing-crowned-after-76-hour-sufferfest/ https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/02/15/last-skier-standin...
mtalantikite 2y ago
The same organization has one here in NYC that is nearly 5000km, running around a single block in Jamaica, Queens, over the course of 52 days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_Race https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_R...
mygrant 2y ago
Reminds me of Beau Miles' "24 marathon" which was much more fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvT5XS7j-Dc&t=6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvT5XS7j-Dc&t=6s
paulette449 2y ago
For anyone in the northeast, i can recommend Three Days At The Fair [1], the longest duration of which is actually 6 days and the course is a 1 mile loop around a state fair ground in New Jersey. I did a mere 12 hour option on the final weekend, and the suffering of those competitors on their 5th/6th day is something i will never forget. Sideways leans, some quite pronounced, others moving backwards to alleviate pains developed moving forwards etc. Why do they do it? Well, the camaraderie is incredible. Much of the course is lined where runners have pitched their tents/campers/chairs and the support, sharing of food, stories and beer make it a unique event. The shortest duration is 6 hours and you’re not obliged to run more than a single loop/mile if you don’t want to. [1] - https://sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/fair https://sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/fair
antfarm 2y ago
On skateboards, it's called an Ultraskate: https://24hourultraskate.com/ https://24hourultraskate.com/
tetris11 2y ago
> it's the most pure running format. Pro-tip: stay clear from anyone who makes these comments. Someone sold them a philosophy and they are too financially deep into it to back down.
- cafard 2y ago
  I don't think that this is the most pure running format. I don't know what that would be, never having aimed at purity in running--maybe it's kids playing tag. Financially, though, this doesn't sound that bad. One must go through quite a few pairs of shoes every year, and there's the cost of travel to such competitions. Plenty of people like to ski, and I can imagine they drop a lot more money on that.
  - tetris11 2y ago
    Skiing is mentally and physically genuinely enjoyable. Endurance/exhaustion running is defined as at least 12-hours of pain, which to me translates as "proselytization via self-flagellation". I hope the sense of achievement they get at the end is genuinely worth it.

32 points by HansardExpert 2y ago

A 24-hour party of pain - a day and night running round a track

Relatedly, see Big's Backyard Ultra[0]: runners run a 4-mile loop, on the hour, every hour, 24 hours a day, until only one runner completes a loop that nobody else does. In 2011, when it started, the winner did 18 laps. In 2023, the winner completed 108 laps! [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big%27s_Backyard_Ultra https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big%27s_Backyard_Ultra

jonathanpglick 2y ago
Reminds me of an awesome documentary about The Barkley Marathons called "The Barkley Marathons: The Race that Eats its Young". People are incredible!
- mikestew 2y ago
  Guess who came up with the idea of the Backyard Ultra? The Barkley race director.
pierot 2y ago
We are 2024 and it stands at 110 laps, by a belgian team!
TYPE_FASTER 2y ago
Related: the Last Skier Standing - one uphill lap per hour. https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/02/15/last-skier-standing-crowned-after-76-hour-sufferfest/ https://unofficialnetworks.com/2024/02/15/last-skier-standin...

mtalantikite 2y ago

The same organization has one here in NYC that is nearly 5000km, running around a single block in Jamaica, Queens, over the course of 52 days: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_Race https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Transcendence_3100_Mile_R...

mygrant 2y ago

Reminds me of Beau Miles' "24 marathon" which was much more fun: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvT5XS7j-Dc&t=6s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvT5XS7j-Dc&t=6s

paulette449 2y ago

For anyone in the northeast, i can recommend Three Days At The Fair [1], the longest duration of which is actually 6 days and the course is a 1 mile loop around a state fair ground in New Jersey. I did a mere 12 hour option on the final weekend, and the suffering of those competitors on their 5th/6th day is something i will never forget. Sideways leans, some quite pronounced, others moving backwards to alleviate pains developed moving forwards etc. Why do they do it? Well, the camaraderie is incredible. Much of the course is lined where runners have pitched their tents/campers/chairs and the support, sharing of food, stories and beer make it a unique event. The shortest duration is 6 hours and you’re not obliged to run more than a single loop/mile if you don’t want to. [1] - https://sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/fair https://sites.google.com/site/njtrailseries/fair

antfarm 2y ago

On skateboards, it's called an Ultraskate: https://24hourultraskate.com/ https://24hourultraskate.com/

tetris11 2y ago

> it's the most pure running format. Pro-tip: stay clear from anyone who makes these comments. Someone sold them a philosophy and they are too financially deep into it to back down.

cafard 2y ago
I don't think that this is the most pure running format. I don't know what that would be, never having aimed at purity in running--maybe it's kids playing tag. Financially, though, this doesn't sound that bad. One must go through quite a few pairs of shoes every year, and there's the cost of travel to such competitions. Plenty of people like to ski, and I can imagine they drop a lot more money on that.
- tetris11 2y ago
  Skiing is mentally and physically genuinely enjoyable. Endurance/exhaustion running is defined as at least 12-hours of pain, which to me translates as "proselytization via self-flagellation". I hope the sense of achievement they get at the end is genuinely worth it.