Kinloss Backyard Ultra - ultra marathon number four!

Well this was something a wee bit different! 

Not your usual point-to-point ultra marathon; a backyard ultra is a unique running format that involves running 4.167 miles on the hour every hour until you're either the last person standing, you're timed out (ie you take longer than an hour to complete a 'loop' or 'yard' as they are known, or you're not back at the start line in time to start the next yard), or you quit. Each yard is slightly over four miles so that when you've done 24 hours you've done exactly 100 miles. 12 hours is 50 miles, 6 hours is 25 miles. The format has increased in popularity over recent years (the current world record is 108 yards/450 miles!) but I've got to say it is not something that has really appealed to me. 

--- (skip this next bit if you just want to read about the event!) ---

I've no interest in running through the night at this stage in my life. I feel that I'm still too close to the sleep-deprived crazy days blurring into nights and nights blurring into days of having a newborn that I don't want to go anywhere near messing with my sleep cycle like that - especially not by choice!! It has been 5 years since those early days but I still shudder with horror when I think of my state of mind when met with sleep deprivation (albeit after days of labour/not sleeping in hospital/hallucinations etc not to mention hormones (natural and those given during the very unnatural process of induction) and all of the joys that childbirth brings!)

Even five years later I don't cope well with broken sleep. I admire so many ultra-running mothers who cope - or seem to cope - so well with sleep deprivation, fitting in training around their busy lives, and being away from their children. Right now that's just not for me - sometimes I wonder if I'm lazy and making excuses for myself? But if I'm a bit kinder to myself, I can recognise that again the period after childbirth has played a part in this. The aftermath of post-natal depression has left me finding it so difficult to leave my daughter for any length of time.

Yes it has eased with time. Yes she is now in school and my heart has had to harden along every step of the way. Yes I've left her for some nights (with Dave, obviously!), fewer than 10 in the last five years, but I've done it. Yes I ran for almost 10 hours on the Moray Coast Trail not seeing her once in that time. Yes I can leave her, and she's okay, and I'm okay (ish). But it comes with a lot of guilt and a lot of anxiety. I recognise it is important to do, and keep doing, but it is hard.

Never say never - maybe there will come a time when those memories of early motherhood are blurry and of course as my child grows she will become more and more independent and can do more without me. But all of this preamble is to explain - or maybe make an excuse - why I entered a race with no defined end point with a distance goal in mind and the full intention to stop after 7 hours!

Last year I entered the Loch Ness Marathon with the intention of making that my 'A' marathon event of 2024. As it turns out I've entered another ten or eleven events, a number of which are marathon or ultra distance. I'm drawn to events in Moray due to the family connection there and the caravan in Hopeman providing an excellent base. When I saw that the brand new Kinloss Running Festival was going to host a backyard ultra event, I couldn't resist the temptation of giving it a go in an area I love. I assumed it would be quite a small event which is definitely my preference. I thought in a way it was perfect timing as my last long run before Loch Ness Marathon?! (this was me justifying entering yet another running event!)

A last long run before a marathon is traditionally somewhere between 20 and 23 miles, so my initial thought was to do 6 yards ie 25 miles. Then I realised one more yard would take me over marathon distance therefore meaning it would be an ultra marathon run! Couldn't resist the lure of that!

--- (TLDR: I only wanted to run 7 yards / 7 hours / 29 and a bit miles!) ---

the plan I sent my loved ones in advance!

We travelled up to Hopeman on the Friday evening; it's always nice to be back in my happy place. Unfortunately I didn't get a great night's sleep but didn't feel too bad when I got up at 6.30am ish on Saturday morning. A straightforward 15 minute drive to Kinloss and everything was very relaxed. The backyard ultra entrants had an option to register on the Friday evening or the Saturday morning between 7am and 8.30am. I arrived around 7.30am, the volunteers were incredibly friendly and helpful, there was a very relaxed feel to everything. I met Martin the organiser and his mum who was lovely! Parked the car on a grass verge a short distance - a hundred yards or so? - from the start/finish and wandered around taking photos of the Nimrod airplane, making use of the portaloos, and checking everything was handy in the car. As I was only taking part for a short time I didn't have a tent or a crew or anything, I just used my car as my wee hub.

A very kind lady near me - whose daughter was also taking part - offered me help if I needed it, ie bringing things to the start/finish if I needed. I didn't, but it was so kind of her to offer. That really summed up the whole feel of the event - it was very friendly, and everyone seemed to help each other, there wasn't really a competitive aspect to it that I could tell. Everyone supported one another. The people opposite me made a day of it, with beer and tunes and good times - I heard AC/DC Thunderstruck a few times from their tent and it really boosted me!

I had planned to run with my hydration vest but as it was already very warm by 8.30am I decided I couldn't face putting it on. After all I'd be back at the car every hour for top ups of what I needed. I imagine if you're going longer/through the night, having some food & drink with you would be a good idea.

At 8.55am we gathered in the starting corral and Martin gave us a brief briefing :) All eyes were on the clock and at 9am on the dot we were off! It was immediately harder than I expected, with the tussocky uneven ground underfoot proving more of a mental and physical challenge than anticipated. The novelty of the route was helpful though, especially in that first lap or so (I'm more comfortable calling them laps than yards!). It was an interesting route, hard to describe, some sandy bits, some bits where you couldn't avoid the gorse scratching your legs or arms (barely scratching, but if you took your eye off the ball you could get a shock!), then some tarmac which felt like a good break from the tussocky terrain, and some bits of the tarmac section had a nice breeze, then back into the sandy/rocky paths and the trampled grass to the finish.

There's a huge mental aspect to a backyard ultra that's unlike anything I've experienced before. Do you run a lap faster and have more recovery time, or do you take it slowly and not over-exert yourself? I tried to do a bit of both. I was fairly consistent around the 45 minute laps, sometimes the running felt a bit quicker than it needed to be, but I appreciated the 'chill time' at the car. I personally think I'd have struggled to come in at 55-59 minutes and gone straight back out again. I valued standing at my car 'decompressing' before the next one.

I didn't sit down in between because I felt I'd struggle to want to get back up again. I drank - it was very warm, over 20 degrees I think in the afternoon, and I was sweating buckets. I grazed on things like crisps, bananas, babybels and peanut M&Ms. I had brought a lot of food but I didn't eat most of it. I just wanted to make sure I had options because I didn't know what I'd fancy. One lap I felt hungry so I sped up a wee bit (43 minutes I think) to give myself more time to eat. One lap I carried my soft flask with Active Root sports drink in it, because it was feeling very warm out there.

After my second lap I had the bonus of seeing Dave's cousin Luci and her son Hamish. She was running the half marathon event at 11.15am so we had a short window at 10.45ish to chat (I was very embarrassed at how sweaty I was!).

I find the social aspect of life very difficult but once I let my guard down a little bit I got chatting to some fantastic people. In particular Kirsty and Martin from Deveron Harriers who were so lovely and friendly, and their company on a few of the laps made a huge difference to my overall enjoyment of the race. There was another lass who I had a bit of rapport with, sadly didn't get her name (behind me in the photo below), but we always cheered each other on when we passed each other on the out and back sections. That really helped! There were a number of other interesting people who I had brief exchanges with, but because I was there for a limited time I didn't get to know them much better. I would've liked to have done more of that because it really felt like a special community vibe to be part of, plus it was pushing me out my comfort zone.

Credit: Blaire Cameron Photography

Prior to the event I'd noticed that 8 laps/yards was the equivalent distance of 33.33 miles and that was very tempting, but once reality kicked in - the heat, the terrain - and I realised this was physically and psychologically much harder than I expected, I was more than happy to stop at my target of 7 laps/29 miles. My fourth ultra. 

Credit: Blaire Cameron Photography

Going out on that last lap at 3pm felt really good, I knew I was ready to be done. I was tiring of the route, I was ready to go back and see my wee girl. Physically I felt okay - yes I think I could've carried on to do another lap or two, but I didn't want to! I ran most of it then walked the last kilometre or so, soaking up my last steps on this unique course. I wondered if I'd ever get the opportunity to run on these routes again?

Credit: Blaire Cameron Photography

There were many encouraging voices near the finish line trying to persuade me to keep going, but I walked it in with a huge smile on my face, delighted to achieve the goal I'd set out to, and delighted to be ending it there!

Credit: Blaire Cameron Photography

It was extra cool to get a medal to mark the DNF (everyone is a Did Not Finish in a backyard ultra, except the last person standing - the event actually went on to 28 hours/28 laps, incredible!).

I was tired but I wasn't completely gubbed - I could still function, parent a bit, paddle and eat ice cream! The main issue was my very sunburnt face (took my cap but didn't wear it!) and a sore throat.

I've been pretty tired ever since but I haven't had a good night's sleep for quite a few nights now, so that delays the recovery. We're all fighting off a bug (here comes germ term!) and feeling rundown.

But I am beyond delighted that I took part in this inaugural event and gave the backyard ultra format a go. I would do it again, but I'm happy to wait a few years until the prospect of 8, 9, 10 or more laps becomes more appealing - if it ever does?!

Credit: Blaire Cameron Photography

And as for Loch Ness Marathon? I haven't done the training that my original aim requires. I was chuffed to bits to get a huge PB in the marathon back in April in Elgin (4.33 to 4.14!) so I can't ask for more than that. I hope to have an enjoyable day out in what I've heard is an incredible event. How lucky am I that I get to take part in these brilliant things?!