On Saturday, December 29th we hosted a backyard ultra practice day. It was a cool, overcast day with the temps floating around 40ºF and a chilling wind up on the hill. Altogether there were eleven runners who toed the line for a lap and everyone completed at least two laps. While some were out just for a few miles five of us had aspired to run the full eight hours. The format of the backyard ultra does not make for the quickest group run but it does allow runners more time to socialize and hang out. Admittedly, it is fun to ring the bell too.

At the end of the day only three runners (Juston, Jason, and Gabe pictured below) made it the full time. Dennis came in with seven hours and Mary (last woman standing), Michael, and myself all made it six (though I had planned on doing more). Gabe and Dennis, who traveled down from Coshocton, had a cooler full of Wooly Pig which I believe is now the official beer of REP. Jacolenne and Chad came to cheer us on for some loops and Julie provided us with pizza and ramen noodles. We appreciate everyone who participated in some way, our area has a great trail running community!

Want to know more about our backyard ultra day? Check out the video Jason has created about our REP Backyard Ultra practice.

Additional note: Gabe set the Strava course record on the loop. On his last lap. Averaging 7:35 minute miles on some muddy trails. Jason and Juston dubbed him the winner for the day.

 

Hello everybody,

On Saturday, December 29th starting at 8am we will be doing a backyard ultra practice day. What is a backyard ultra? We run a 4.16mi loop every hour and start a new loop at the top of each hour. The loop consists of pavement, gravel, unmodified farm roads, single track, and some new trail that I won’t acknowledge as single track yet. There will be about 450′ of elevation per loop and, ideally, we will be doing this for eight hours. Oh, and expect a lot of mud if the weather forecast doesn’t change.

So, why bother doing this? Mostly because I signed up for a backyard ultra in March and really, really need to get some miles in. Also, I want to get a feel for the format because I find it an interesting idea. The actual backyard races go until there is only one runner left, Big’s Backyard Ultra (the original and coolest and it is named after a dog) has had runners go over 200 miles each of the last two years. Eight hours of running sounds easy when compared to two and a half days of running, doesn’t it?

Since we are starting at the top of each hour runners are welcome to join us for a lap or two or eight.  Just make sure you are there on time. The backyard ultra waits for no one.

The Flying Pug Trail Run is less than a week away. Please note that there will only be 5 day-of registrations allowed because of the timing program that we use. If we have too many day-of registrations we will not be able to update the system before the start of the race.

Race Location:
4695 Rucker Road, Mount Perry, OH 43760

-Spectators will be able to see runners start, cross through miles 4.5, 6.2, 10.7, and then finish all from the same location.

Race Day Schedule:
8:00am Packet pickup and day-of registration opens (located in the large white farmhouse)
8:50am Packet pickup and day-of registration closes
9:00am Race Starts
-Awards will be given as runners finish
1:00pm Course closes
2:00pm REP closes

REP Information
-There will be portajohns available near the course start / finish. 10k and 20k runners will pass by the start /finish around 4.5 miles into the 10k loop and a self-serve water station will be available 2.5 miles into the 10k loop.

-A full aid station is available at the start / finish.

-There is a location to hose off but no showers are available.

-There is a changing room in the farmhouse.

-Parking is located close to the start / finish.

-The 10k course map can be viewed here (reminder that the 20k is two loops)
https://www.strava.com/segments/15066170/embed

Trail Information

-The 5k and 10k runners will have two road crossings while the 20k has four road crossings. All of the road crossings go straight across a rural gravel road that has very little traffic, however, the drivers do have the right-of-way so be sure the road is clear before crossing.

-The trails are a mix of single track, double track, and unmodified farm roads. Some sections have a steep camber (sideways slope) to them which makes running tough.

-The first trail bottleneck is around one mile into the course and with our small races runners never really get backed up anywhere.

-There are water stations or aid stations every 2-3 miles regardless of the distance you are running.

-Sections of the trails contain roots, rocks, and other natural hazards so it is advised to keep your eyes on the trail at all times.

In 2019 Rucker Endurance Park will be offering a single running race on Saturday, September 28th. The 2019 race will be Ray’s Trail Race which is our 50k / 10mi race and it will be held along with the Rucktoberfest relay race with the races always being held on the last Saturday in September. If you have ever hosted a race you know how much time and stress is involved in trying to put together a good event and REP is basically a hobby for us (Lucy and I have real jobs). We will still host group runs from April-October and will continue to upkeep, improve, and add more trails.