Reimer brings backyard ultramarathon to Manitoba

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This article was published 12/07/2024 (306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new kind of running race for the province made its debut in Blumenort this weekend, as the inaugural Old Tom Backyard Ultramarathon was hosted by Steffan and Danny Reimer.

A backyard ultramarathon features runners completing a 4.167 mile course every hour, with each circuit starting on the hour. The distance was chosen so runners complete 100 miles in 24 hours.

Winnipeg’s Justin Davey was able to win the race, completing an impressive 26 circuits over 26 hours.
Two runners, Steinbach’s Greg Penner and Winnipeg’s Hyojin Lee finished 25 laps. The winner of the race completes one circuit on their own before the race is declared over.

Steffan, an accomplished marathon and ultramarathon runner in his own right, traded in a participant’s bib for an race director’s role at the event, which was held on his family farm.

“It’s a completely different type of stress,” Reimer said after the race, laughing.

“I still don’t know which one I’d like to be more.”

The race was open to 50 runners and registration quickly filled up, showing the demand for ultramarathon events in Manitoba is growing. Reimer said longer events like the Old Tom picked up steam during the COVID-19 pandemic and have only grown since.

“The buzz was huge,” Reimer said.

“The support from the community with sponsors on board and everything was overwhelming.”

Reimer was sure to thank his neighbours for allowing the track to run through their property for a perfect track length.

“Yes it’s a test of physical (endurance), but even more than that, it’s a test of mental (endurance),” he said on the format.

“It doesn’t matter how tired you get, you’ve got to get to that starting line every hour.”

The runners who did well put together a strong performance through hot weather, with Davey noting the loops during the afternoon of the first day were tougher than the ones after 24 hours.
Reimer said he guessed Davey could have raced for 48 hours. The world record for a backyard ultramarathon is an impressive 108 laps, set by American Harvey Lewis in 2023.

“People want to push themselves, people want to find their limits, and the backyard format is the only true format where you find your limit,” Reimer said.

“There’s only one racer who actually does not find their limit. Everyone else choses to quit. You go until you choose to quit.”

Planning for the second edition of the Old Tom Backyard Ultramarathon is already underway, with Reimer noting when he started planning the race, the plan was to sustain for at least a few years.

“The goal is we want to have the best one in Canada,” he said.