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📚Book Announcement📚 Back at the Barkley firepit this year – and thrilled to announce THE ENDURANCE ARTIST is now available for pre-order! This rare look into Lazarus Lake will be published by 80/20 and distributed by Simon & Schuster. #BM100🔗bit.ly/3FuwNe5

I plan to be in Bell Buckle, TN next October. On-the-ground coverage. It's going to be epic. It always is.

The Belgian duo has stopped. They completed 124 Yards. 124 hours of running. Ignored 124 chances to quit. A new World Record. 👏

Yard 124. The dynamic duo of Belgium continue. 🇧🇪

I wrote about these two in the Laz book. It was 2023: "Ivo crossed the line, mere seconds left, and staggered backwards into the corral. Laz rang the bell. Ivo stumbled. A competitor caught him, pulled him across the start line...Ivo ran on." 👇 www.amazon.com/dp/B0DV4NBP4...

Yard 123. Ivo and Merijn came in at the first whistle (3 minutes till the bell). A short turnaround and they are back out.

YARD 122 Two Belgian runners, Ivo Steyeart and Merijn Geerts, have broken the World Record in Backyard Ultra. The previous Record was 119, set by Australian Phil Gore. The Belgians continue to run.

Yard 112.

Yard 111 underway in Belgium. Ivo and Merijn return to the course. Between them, they've run 916 miles. So far.

Ivo and Merijn are in from 110. Next up 111.

Yard 110. Two Belgians. Both former WR holders. Chasing 119.

Yard 109. It does go on. What's left? The World Record. Just 10 Yards away. Ivo Steyeart and Merijn Geerts are chasing it. 🇧🇪

Mark Dowdle wins the United States race with 107 yards; Jon Noll with the assist. The United States finishes with 1,120 yards, #1 overall.

Yard 104 is underway. Noll and Dowdle for the US. Course Record is 10 Yards more. 15 for WR.

Yard 103. Dowdle sprinted in with seconds to go. Stumbled around and is now out on the next loop.

Yard 102. Now, it's individual. Each national champion earns a spot in the individual championship to be held in 2027 at Laz's course in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Called BIG'S. So, six runners push on.

And then there were three. Julien Pierlot did not start yard 101; Christophe Baud will win for France assuming he completes this yard. Three nations remain in Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championship.

Yard 100. This race began Saturday morning.

Yard 98 underway. 4 countries remain. Each has two runners. These are the US, Japan, Belgium, and France. Australia still in second place but have no more runners to score extra points. Team USA in the lead.

Team USA has now drawn even. But Australia is out. USA continues with 4. Hats off to The Tractor in Australia. "If you're going to do a Backyard, it's good when it's over." Belgium down to two. Familiar names in the Backyard world: Ivo Steyaert and Merijn Geerts.

Yard 87. Ben "the tractor" Nicholls is pushing on. The Aussie is keeping their team alive. But he's in serious pain. The US can take tie for the lead after this Yard.

Yard 86. Team USA has lost Nick Petterson. That drops them to 5 runners. Currently six points behind Australia. These two down under have been gritting it out for hours. One just fell but got to the line to go again. He tore his calf but will run "on his toes."

Yard 85. Team USA is still 9 points behind Australia. If they hold the six runners they currently have, they can gain 4 points on the Aussies per Yard. UK lost Jay Stapley. That's drops them to 2, along with France. Belgium holding at 3. Japan 3.

Harvey Lewis is out. "What happened? "Everything."

Yard 84 underway. If Team USA holds, they will surpass the Australians in three Yards. Team Japan still in it with three runners. Belgium three. France two. And the UK three.

Team Poland is out. Bravo to them.

Megan Smyth is out. US Team drops to 7 runners.

Yard 83. Megan Smyth, USA, is 12 Yards away from the Women's WR. 🏅 The AIN Team is out as well as Canada. Six countries remain. USA now three Yards back of Australia.

Then there were six.

It was around this time, three years ago, that I found myself--in the woods of Bell Buckle, Tennessee--charged with a mission. The Japanese Backyard Champion was down on course, was incoherent, and somebody had to go get him.

After 81 Yards, Greg Fall rings the PR Bell in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Asked for his thoughts, he says, "the beginning. We are just getting started." Yard 82 is underway as Team USA gets ever so close to catching Australia.

"Hirata-san was standing under the arch when I got to him. Behind his thick, black-rimmed glasses, his eyes were pressed tight with emotion. A smattering of applause broke out. He turned, composed himself, and bowed in all directions.'" 👇 www.amazon.com/dp/B0DV4NBP4...

Yard 80. TEAM USA has narrowed the deficit to 36 Yards. On top of that, Australia has dropped to 2 runners. USA still has 8. They can catch the lead in 6 Yards now.

Brady out for Australia, which drops them to 3. USA can take lead in 10 Yards.

Team USA has a chance. Australia has lost several runners, now down to 4. USA still has 8. If they can hold, they would take first place in 12 Yards. IF. Sarah Perry is out for the UK. Yard 78 underway.

Team USA is now up two runners as Australia moves into the small hours of the morning.

The next six hours could be crucial, says Laz. He believes Team USA, who has moved from 4th to 2nd, may catch Australia.

Yard 73. The three-day mark has been passed. Now, over 300 miles by each runner. Team USA has moved into second place and is a strong position to hold it.

Sonia Poutrel has broken the French Backyard women's record with 64 Yards. She's yet to run a Yard over 50 minutes. 🇫🇷 She was the 15th seed!!

Yard 64 underway. Where things stand. Team USA is holding at 10 runners for the time being. Rain has stopped in Japan. For the time being. Australia is running away with it. For the time being.

Yard 62. The situation has changed, again. Belgium and Japan have both dropped to 8 runners. The USA is holding with 10 and may have the chance to fight for second. Australia is pulling away. Their team is nearly intact, only dropping one runner (one of their best) early on.

Then there were 18. Denmark 🇩🇰 out after 60 Yards.

Yard 61 underway. A downpour in Japan, and the team drops to 8 runners.

Belgium now down to 11 runners.

Yard 59 has begun. So far, 129,516 miles run in total. Australia in cruise control as Belgium is on the verge of losing another runner. Australia has 14 of their 15 still on course.

Yard 58 and Hendrik Boury is running late. His strides are quite short an labored. Boury generally looks impeccable right until the point he drops. Germany 🇩🇪 has only four runners left, including Boury. They can't afford to lose him.

Yard 58 begins and Australia has now taken the lead. 19 countries still in the game.

Yard 57. Australia should take the lead after this Yard. They still have 14 runners while Japan has dropped to 10.

Yard 57 underway. Team USA has opted again to go to the night course early. A couple of runners looking not so good. Scott Snell just missed getting in the corral by a few seconds. USA now down to 10 runners.

Italy 🇮🇹 is out, won by Vittorio Silva with 55 Yards. 19 countries remain.

Yard 55 Stats. Shout-out to Naresh Kumar for all his hard work on the website.