Harvey Lewis Shatters Backyard Ultramarathon Record with 450 Mile Run in Record-Breaking Time
Harvey Lewis smashes the world record at Big's Backyard Ultra, covering a staggering 450 miles in just four and a half days of relentless running
Harvey Lewis reached a moment, while running along a rural Tennessee roadside, where he felt like he could run endlessly. By this time, he had been running almost continuously for about four days, circling the same roads, trails, and tracks with a dwindling group of runners.
Struggling with feverish sleep deprivation and heavy, tired legs, he sported a sweat-stained vest with evidence of a previous nosebleed. Despite his appearance, Lewis remained determined to win the backyard ultramarathon by outlasting his competitors.
As the race wore on, he began to feel unstoppable.
"It was like a frequency I found with my rhythm and my pace," says Lewis, "where I could just maintain that for an incredible amount of time.
"There was some sort of place where my brain took over ⦠and the body finally surrendered to my mind."
US ultramarathon runner Courtney Dauwalter is pictured during her morning fitness run near Twin Lakes, Colorado on May 16, 2023. Dauwalter is recognized as one of the top ultra runners, conquering distances of 50, 100, or even 200 miles in a single run. With her distinctive oversized shorts and a radiant smile, she burst onto the running scene about ten years ago, quickly outperforming her competitors, including male runners, and setting new course records. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Ultrarunner Courtney Dauwalter breaks record of worlds oldest 100-mile race by almost 80 minutes
This was at Bigs Backyard Ultra in October, the world championships of backyard ultrarunning.
Ultrarunning encompasses any distance beyond the standard 26.2 miles of a marathon, while a backyard ultra has no set length. Participants run a 4.167-mile loop every hour, and continue until only one runner remains. Others are eliminated for either dropping out or not completing a loop within the time limit.
Lewis, a high school teacher and experienced distance runner from Cincinnati, pushed the boundaries of backyard ultras by completing an incredible 108 loops, equivalent to 450 miles, over four and a half days at Bigs.
After completing an astonishing display of endurance and resilience, Lewis finally saw his incredible feat come to an end when his competitor Ihor Verys failed to finish his 108th loop, earning the title of "the assist" in the world of backyard ultrarunning. To this day, Lewis is still processing his world record achievement, surpassing Australian Phil Gores by six laps or 25 miles at a previous backyard ultra event.
"I successfully extended it to four and a half days," Lewis shared with CNN Sport. "That's truly fascinating to me. It ignites my imagination."
Overall, Lewis covered the same distance as the entire length of Florida, or approximately the distance from his hometown Cincinnati to Atlanta, without stopping for more than a few minutes between each loop.
Midway through his final lap, the realization hit him like a ton of bricks - Verys had at last fallen victim to the grueling race, leaving Lewis in the lead as long as he could make it to the final checkpoint one more time.
Lewis (left), Canada's Ihor Verys (center), and Poland's Bartosz Fudali were the last three runners standing at Big's Backyard Ultra.
Howie Stern
"Completing the last lap leaves you feeling ecstatic," 47-year-old Lewis exclaims. "It's one of the most exhilarating moments in my life. I can't put it into words, especially when it's such a demanding, challenging achievement."
While hundreds of backyard ultras take place worldwide each year, Bigs is the original and most renowned event in the discipline.
The idea originated from Gary Cantrell, the organizer of some of the most grueling foot races in the world, such as the renowned Barkley Marathons. Lazarus Lake, also known as "Laz" among ultrarunners, initially hosted Bigs on his farm in Bell Buckle in 2011.
Aurélien Sanchez was one of three finishers at this year's Barkley Marathons
Alexandre Ricaud
Only a handful of individuals have successfully completed the challenging Barkley Marathons. Aurélien Sanchez joined this elite group thanks to some cheeseburgers and a quick power nap.
The race is divided into two loops, with one taking place on trails during the day and the other on roads at night. Each loop begins and ends with an overhead structure that ominously reads "there is no finish," with the first three words crudely hand-written and pinned to the banner.
At the top of every hour, runners must gather there to remain in the competition. "It's a testament to the human capacity to consistently push the limits of what is achievable," Cantrell states in a promotional video for the event.
Lewis, now a two-time winner and three-time assist, attributes his success in this year's race to meticulous preparation, his prior experience in various ultramarathons, and sheer determination in the final stages. "I always believed that I would be the last person standing and never lost sight of that vision," Lewis remarks.
His preparation for this year's race was unconventional at times, especially in regards to handling sleep deprivation. During his school lunch breaks, Lewis would unfurl a yoga mat in a storage closet and attempt to quickly fall asleep for three to five minutes, mimicking the short rest periods he would have between loops at Bigs. Other times, he recalls running to the park and lying down on the grass for several minutes.
Lewis sets off for another lap at Big's Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
When it came to the actual race, Lewis' sleeping strategy didn't go as planned. He struggled to quiet his mind the night before, only managing three hours of sleep and then going without any sleep for the first three days of the race. Even after that, he was only able to switch off for one or two minutes between loops.
Fortunately, he didn't experience the same "incredibly intense hallucinations" that had troubled him during a previous backyard ultra in Australia earlier that year.
"I actually witnessed these figures made of grass and the trees seemed to come to life," Lewis remembers. "There were moments when I would briefly doze off and my hearing felt heightened. It was kind of like the TV show Stranger Things."
Content If he experiences similar hallucinations in another race, Lewis believes he would be able to push through them, making the experience very interesting. However, at Bigs, his sanity began to waver, and on the fourth day, he started speaking gibberish to the other competitors.
"I found myself in a semi-conscious, semi-dreaming state, and I would blurt out random things," Lewis reveals. "I had to filter my thoughts and refrain from speaking whatever came to mind in that dream-like state of mind."
Courtney Dauwalter of the USA celebrates her victory at the Mount Blanc Ultra Trail (UTMB) race, a 170 km race that spans France, Italy, and Switzerland. The event took place on August 31, 2019, and concluded near Chamonix. (Photo by JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT / AFP)(Photo credit should read JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT/AFP via Getty Images)
Courtney Dauwalter, the ultramarathon sensation fueled by fun, is defying scientific odds. She believes she consumed over 40,000 calories during the race, all of which came from plant-based sources. Dauwalter claims that this diet choice helped to settle her stomach as she ate on the go.
He had a diverse and generous race diet, including avocado and hummus wraps, lentil soup, peanut noodles, vegan mac and cheese, vegan yogurt, cupcakes, and an assortment of fruits such as blueberries, mangoes, and watermelon.
In addition, he chose not to consume water during the race, instead favoring calorie-containing fluids like coconut water, Coke, or electrolyte drinks.
"Always snacking on food," Lewis explains, "savoring my hunger and savoring the variety of options."
An upset stomach is just one of the many obstacles that a runner may encounter at Bigs. Another challenge is the possibility of tripping, especially with the roots, rocks, and plants along the daytime loop around Cantrell's farm, while encountering rattlesnakes and copperheads can also be concerning for those on the trails.
During the race, Lewis only fell once, as evidenced by the reddish marks on the side of his head. He casually mentioned, "I'm pretty good at falling. I've fallen a lot in my lifetime."
The way a runner deals with challenges can greatly impact their endurance at Bigs. Lewis believes that the mental aspect makes up 70% of the effort in the race, and the physical aspect is only 30%. To prepare, he has found unique ways to toughen his mind during backyard ultras.
Lewis says that he likes to embody his spirit animals during races. "When I ran with Bigs, I said my spirit animal was the honey badger. The honey badger can endure being knocked down, beaten, bitten, and cut - but it just keeps on going."
The analogy of the honey badger can also be applied to Lewis' career in ultrarunning as a whole, with his progress marked by determination and slow, steady growth. He explains that it took him 17 years of attempting before he achieved the qualification time for the Boston Marathon, and 13 years before winning an ultramarathon after his first competition.
As a child, Lewis referred to himself as "chubby," but now he runs to and from work, gradually increasing his distance as he prepares for a race. "It was quite a journey to get to where I am today," he says.
He participated in the Bigs event to raise funds for the Brighton Center, an organization in Northern Kentucky that supports individuals and families in attaining financial stability and independence. Additionally, he aims to encourage people to prioritize their personal health, whether it's by spending time outdoors for 20 or 30 minutes daily. As for his own aspirations, Lewis is contemplating what he can accomplish in the backyard ultra format.
He ponders, "If I get the chance again, how will I push through that fifth night? What will I have left on the sixth day, and when will we face another night?"
Perhaps four and a half days and 450 miles is just the beginning for Harvey Lewis. After all, this race has no end in sight.
