Two years after breaking the backyard ultra world record at the Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra record—354.169 miles in 85 hours—Harvey Lewis has done it again. Last weekend he broke the world record with an astounding 450 miles in 108 hours.
The backyard ultra requires runners to run a 4.167-mile loop at the top of every hour until one runner has done at least one more loop than the second-to-last runner.
In the process of nabbing the victory and the world record, Lewis, 47, a high school history teacher, raised nearly $30,00 of a $100,000 goal for the Brighton Center. The Kentucky-based non-profit helps families with services ranging from homelessness to homeownership.
iRunFar reported that on Wednesday, six runners passed 100 hours, calling the feat "remarkable." The runners included Lewis, former joint backyard ultra world record older, Merjin Geerts, and the most recent backyard ultra world record holder, Phil Gore.
Terumichi Morishita and Gore finished the 100th lap but did not start at the next one. Geerts failed to finish in the required hour.
Three runners remained after 101 hours, per iRunFar: Lewis, Ihor Verys, and Bartosz Fudali. And there was just one hour to meet Gore’s 102 hours.
Fudali did not start the 104st hour, leaving Lewis and Verys. Although Verys finished about five minutes than Lewis, according to iRunFar, but just a few loops of the course later, Lewis finished ahead. On the next, 108, loop, Verys chose not to start, making Lewis the winner.
“I have to pinch myself,” Lewis told WLTV5 in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, whose show hosts were also incredulous.
One told viewers, “It's a head-scratcher.”
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner's World, the author of The Runner's World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:40 5K, and 5:33 mile.
