by Shane Sody
How long can you keep running, at a slow pace? For a moderately fit person, running 6.7 kilometres in one hour would not be difficult. It's not much faster than walking pace.
After a little rest, some might be willing to do it again, in a second hour.
But how many times could you repeat that effort, hour after hour?
Dozens of people tried to answer that question, last weekend, in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16 of your Adelaide Park Lands).
At the start, midday Friday 17 May. Pic: Sebastian Silva Lopez
It was called the "No Time to Die Frontyard Ultra" and it attracted a hardcore group of ultra distance runners, going around and around the Park, starting a new lap on the hour, every hour, each time attempting to complete one more loop of 6.71 kilometres. The event continued until each competitor either retired, or was timed out (i.e. couldn’t finish a lap within an hour).
The race went for just ‘one more lap’ longer than the second-last runner could manage. This year, it took 59 hours (from midday Friday until 11pm Sunday midnight), before a winner could be crowned.
Event director Shaun Kaesler says it was "an honour to witness ... so many incredible performances at the one event."
"From 9 year olds running 5 laps, to a massive 25 runners completing 24 hours. From individual runners having 15 supporters there to cheer them on, share some pizzas and crack open a few bottles of champagne, to seeing a new State record, a new course record and a new Ultra Series record!”
When ABC-TV news covered the event on the evening of Sunday 19 May, there were still two runners remaining, battling it out to see who had the most endurance.
In the end, Johan Botha completed 59 laps of the course (59 hours) totalling more than 395 kilometres, just one more lap than the runner-up Joel Sexton.
Just before midnight on Sunday 19 May, after 59 circuits in 59 hours. The winner, Johan Botha (left) with runner-up Joel Sexton (right)
The women's winner was Margie Hadley (left) with 30 laps of the course (30 hours!) totalling 201 kilometres. Runner-up Yuko Sato (left) completed 28 laps (28 hours).
Shaun Kaesler tells us that:
"the beauty of this "backyard ultra" format, is that everyone is truly racing against themselves to set new goals, test their tenacity and see just exactly how far they are capable of pushing.
"It's hard to single out the best achievements when so many incredible results unfolded [but] ... some highlights were the 3 young fellas that all set massive pb's [personal bests] with Noah Hooper at 9 years old (5 laps/5 hours), Austin Botha at 13 years old (13 laps/13 hours) and Ollie Kacprzak at 15 years old (27 laps/27 hours) all getting permission beforehand from their folks to run, and then blowing our minds with what they achieved."
Read the event newsletter, with full results, here.
Events of this type are called "backyard ultra" runs but this one is badged as a "FrontYard" because it features Adelaide's world-unique virtual “front yard” right on the city’s doorstep, your Open Green Public Park Lands.
Shaun Kaesler says the course is ideal for ultra runners:
“It's a combination of surfaces including gravel, asphalt, concrete, grass, trail and boardwalk means for a great variety to make the laps just fly by! 6.71k an hour, on the hour, every hour until the last one standing!”
Entries are open already for the 2025 event which will be held again, next year, in Victoria Park / Pakapakanthi (Park 16) starting on Friday 16 May 2025.
