The 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships are 40 days away, and Team USA’s 15-runner roster is officially taking shape. Garrett and Tanner break down Harvey Lewis, Jon Noll, Mark Dowdle, Megan Eckert, Nick Steel and the rest of the American team, where its depth stacks up, and why several runners may need massive PRs if the U.S. wants to contend with the strongest teams in the world.

Phil Gore also pushed the limits of the backyard format with Project 168, completing 152 consecutive yards and 633.75 miles (1,019.92 km) over six days and eight hours. We talk about what the attempt proved, the debate around solo continuation outside a traditional backyard race, and why Gore’s performance gives the rest of the sport a completely different number to chase.

We also discuss:

Jeff Browning suffering a heart attack during TDS at UTMB Mont-Blanc, the emergency response that likely saved his life, and the enormous response from the ultrarunning community as he begins his recovery

The inaugural SISU Backyard Ultra at Lake Rebecca, where 55 runners started, Mark Rosen won with 28 yards, Allie Vale assisted with 27, six runners reached 100 miles, and Garrett and Tanner got their first shot at live race commentary

Ben Dhiman winning UTMB in 18:16:29, Caleb Olson nearly chasing down second place, Rachel Entrekin finishing second, and Blandine L’Hirondel becoming the first woman to break 22 hours at UTMB

Cristian Minoggio and Yngvild Kaspersen winning CCC, Hans Troyer hanging onto a podium finish after another aggressive start, Jennifer Lichter finishing fourth, and what we learned from our UTMB, CCC and OCC predictions

Plus, Taper Talks:

With the Superior 100 only days away, Tanner and Garrett talk about the mental side of tapering. The work is already done, but that doesn’t stop runners from second-guessing their training, noticing every little ache and wondering whether they did enough. We talk about keeping some intensity, protecting recovery, dialing in sleep and trusting the training once the hay is in the barn.

If you follow the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships, the athletes pushing the limits of the format, or the biggest stories happening across ultrarunning right now, you’re in the right place.

Links

2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-team-championship-2026/

Team USA Satellite Championship — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/big-dogs-satellite-championships-team-usa/

Project 168 / Phil Gore — https://philgore.com.au/

SISU Backyard Ultra / The SISU Project — https://www.sisuprojectmn.com/

SISU Backyard Ultra Athlete Guide — https://www.sisuprojectmn.com/new-page

Support Jeff Browning and his family — https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-jeff-and-the-browning-family

UTMB Mont-Blanc — https://montblanc.utmb.world/

UTMB — https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/utmb

CCC — https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/CCC

OCC — https://montblanc.utmb.world/races/OCC

The Superior 100 returns September 11, sending runners point-to-point across Minnesota’s North Shore on the Superior Hiking Trail from Gooseberry Falls to Lutsen. Eight-time finisher Aaron Hansen joins Tanner and Garrett before his ninth attempt to break down what makes Superior one of the defining 100-mile races in the Midwest, and what it takes to finish the, sometimes grueling, race.

We talk through the course section by section, from the opening miles out of Gooseberry through Split Rock, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Tettegouche and County Road 6; into the night through Finland, Sonju Lake and Crosby-Manitou; and through the final push over Carlton Peak, Moose Mountain and Mystery Mountain before the Poplar River and the finish at Lutsen.

We also discuss:

Why the first 20 miles can wreck a runner’s race, and how historical splits can tell you when you’re moving too fast

Training for Superior’s roughly 17,000 feet of climbing when you don’t live in the mountains, including why Aaron puts so much emphasis on downhill strength and consistent mileage

Where the course gives runners chances to move, where it punishes them, and why Crosby-Manitou can completely change the race

Crewing and pacing Superior, when Aaron likes a pacer behind him, what a good pacer actually does, and why the runner still has to “own your own race”

Problem-solving after 50, 70 or 90 miles: fueling problems, trail math, sleep deprivation, bad stretches and deciding which problems actually need to be fixed

The 2026 field, Neal Collick’s 18:56:02 course record, defending champion Jacob Wortman, Tyler Morey and Tyler Kobliska making their 100-mile debuts, Andrew Warg, Shannon Hogan — and Jessie Diggins taking on Superior

Plus, backyards:

Aaron gives his take on the growth of backyard ultras, why the format works for runners at completely different ability levels, what went wrong for him at Elm Creek this year, and whether we’ll see him back for a fifth straight appearance.

If you’re running Superior, pacing or crewing someone on the North Shore, or just want to understand why runners keep coming back to this trail year after year, you’re in the right place.

Links

Superior Fall Trail Race — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/

2026 Superior 100 participant guide — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/100-mile-info/

Superior course maps, aid station chart & crew directions — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/maps-and-data/

Superior 100 GPS / GPX files — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/gps-gpx-files/

Superior crew & pacer information — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/crew-pacer-family-member-spectators-information/

Superior 100 results & historical finishes — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/100-mile-results/

Kevin Langton’s detailed Superior 100 course description — https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com/superior-100-detailed-course-description-written-by-kevin-langton/

Rocksteady Running — https://www.rocksteadyrunning.com/

#Superior100 #SuperiorHikingTrail #Ultrarunning

Mark Dowdle won Last Soul Ultra 2026 with 94 yards — 391.7 miles (630.4 km) — after nearly four days of backyard racing in Germany. Ayyoub “Ello” El Osrouti reached 93 yards, and Garrett and Tanner break down the finish, the bizarre Loop 87 battle, Dowdle’s gamesmanship, and a livestream that may have raised the bar for how backyard ultras are covered.

Nick Steel followed with a win at Tartarus Backyard Ultra, completing 53 yards and securing the final U.S. Silver Ticket for the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships. With the at-large qualifying window now closed, we go through Team USA, the difference between the Silver Ticket and at-large qualifiers, who could actually push toward 80, 90 or 100+ yards, and what the final qualifying races in Australia revealed about the international field.

At the Leadville Trail 100, Adrian Macdonald won for the third time in 15:47:23 on a wildfire-modified 99.7-mile course with 13,357 feet of climbing. McKendree Hickory won her Leadville debut in 19:39:12 after erasing a late deficit and taking the lead around mile 84.

We also discuss:

Caroline Maria Bolte setting a German women’s backyard record with 52 yards in her first backyard ultra, plus Andrew Glaze finding out firsthand how different the format is after 20 yards

Sam Christie and Jayden McCormack stopping together at 68 yards at the Clint Eastwood Backyard Ultra, Yuko Sato reaching 65, and the calculated qualifying strategy from several Japanese runners

Aaron Kubala winning the Bigfoot 200 in 47:21:11 despite a three-hour pacer penalty — putting him two-for-two heading into Moab in his attempt at the Triple Crown of 200s

Run Bum announcing a last-man and last-woman-standing backyard race with a starting $15,000 prize purse — and how much money it would actually take to attract the best backyard runners in the world

“Strava doping,” manipulated GPX files and why fake activities become a much bigger issue when Strava data is being used as evidence for Fastest Known Times

Plus, Project 168:

At the time we recorded, Phil Gore was 26 hours into Project 168 and starting loop 28 of his attempt to run 4.167 miles (6.71 km) every hour for seven consecutive days. We check in on the early stages, the livestream, runners joining Phil on course and the Telethon fundraiser behind the 700-mile (1,127 km) attempt.

If you follow backyard ultras, 100-milers, 200-milers or the athletes changing what endurance racing looks like in real time, you’re in the right place.

Links:

Last Soul Ultra — https://www.lastsoulultra.com/

Last Soul Ultra 2026 results — https://ultramarathondatabase.com/races/last-soul-ultra/2026

2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-team-championship-2026/

Team USA Satellite Championships — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/big-dogs-satellite-championships-team-usa/

Tartarus Backyard Ultra — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/tartarus-backyard-ultra/

Clint Eastwood Backyard Ultra — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/the-clint-eastwood-last-one-standing/

Leadville Trail 100 Run — https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com/run/leadvilletrail100run/

Bigfoot 200 — https://www.destinationtrailrun.com/bigfoot

Triple Crown of 200s — https://www.destinationtrailrun.com/triple-crown

Project 168 / Phil Gore — https://www.philgore.com.au/

#LastSoulUltra #BackyardUltra #Ultrarunning

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UTMB 2026 brings the trail-running world to Chamonix for 108 miles (174 km) and roughly 32,500 feet (9,900 m) of climbing through France, Italy and Switzerland. Garrett and Tanner break down UTMB, CCC and OCC, the biggest names in every field, and make full podium picks, winning-time predictions, dark-horse calls and DNFs before race week begins.

UPDATE — Episode recorded Tuesday, August 18. Since recording, Kilian Jornet has withdrawn from UTMB because of his ongoing knee injury, and Jim Walmsley is also out. You’ll hear discussion on both runners and predictions based on the field as it stood when recorded.

We also discuss:

How Running Stones, the UTMB Index and the lottery determine who gets to the starting line in Chamonix

Courtney Dauwalter vs. defending champion Ruth Croft, with Rachel Entrekin and Riley Brady trying to break into the UTMB women’s podium

Vincent Bouillard attempting the Western States–UTMB double and Caleb Olson going all-in on Mont-Blanc after skipping his Western States title defense

Why Garrett predicted a Kilian DNF and neither host had Jim Walmsley in the top five before the late withdrawals

Jennifer Lichter entering the 62-mile (100 km) CCC after winning Western States, plus a men’s field with 18 of the top 19 entrants carrying a UTMB Index above 900

Tove Alexandersson at OCC and Francesco Puppi vs. Rémi Bonnet over roughly 37 miles (60 km) and 11,500 feet (3,500 m) of climbing

Plus, Project 168:

Phil Gore begins Project 168 on August 23: one 4.167-mile (6.71 km) lap every hour for 168 consecutive hours. If he completes the full seven days, he’ll cover 700 miles (1,127 km) while raising money for Telethon. We talk about joining Phil for a virtual lap and our group order for the official Project 168 shirt.

If you want the names, numbers and picks to know before UTMB, CCC and OCC , you’re in the right place.

Links

Watch and track UTMB live — https://live.utmb.world/

HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc — https://montblanc.utmb.world/

UTMB Index, Running Stones and qualification — https://utmb.world/

Phil Gore / Project 168 — https://philgore.com.au/

Rafael Hidalgo YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@rafaelhidalgo

#UTMB2026 #UTMBMontBlanc #TrailRunning

The inaugural SISU Backyard Ultra starts September 5 at 9 a.m. at Lake Rebecca Park in Rockford, Minnesota, on a 4.167-mile hourly loop. Co-race directors Ryan and Steve Koivisto join Garrett and Tanner to explain how the race went from a text sent while mowing the lawn to a permitted backyard event, and what runners can expect on race weekend.

We also discuss:

How Sydney Backyard Ultra helped spark the idea for a new Minnesota backyard race

The Lake Rebecca course, including the paved climb, trail sections, and debate over reversing direction every six hours

Why the backyard format works for someone chasing four yards just as well as someone chasing 40

Pancakes, quesadillas, grilled cheese, live timing plans, and a sauna at the start/finish

The larger Sisu Project mission to “create moments that demand growth”

Plus, race predictions:

Ryan and Steve predict 51 runners on the starting line, 10 reaching 24 hours, a winning total of 37 yards, and at least one runner doubling their previous backyard PR.

If you’re looking for another Minnesota endurance event or want to see what goes into building a new race from year one, you’re in the right place.

Links

Sisu Backyard Ultra registration — https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=140416

Sisu Project MN — https://www.sisuprojectmn.com/

Sisu Backyard Ultra Athlete Guide — https://www.sisuprojectmn.com/new-page

Sisu Project MN Strava Club — https://www.strava.com/clubs/sisuprojectmn

Sisu Backyard Ultra course on Strava — https://www.strava.com/routes/3504592220097932820

Sisu Backyard Ultra on Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/sisubackyardultra

Official Backyard Ultra race listing — https://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/sisu-backyard-ultra-at-lake-rebecca/

#SisuBackyardUltra #BackyardUltra #MinnesotaRunning

Phil Gore holds the Backyard Ultra World Record at 119 laps and is the reigning Big's Backyard Ultra World Champion, having taken the title with 114. This week on The Threshold Podcast, Tanner and Garrett sit down with him three weeks before the biggest feat he's ever attempted: Project 168 — a solo, seven-day, 700-mile run.

We also discuss:

How a back-of-the-pack high school cross country runner turned a 2015 commitment to run 5K every day into a marathon, then his first ultra in 2019, then a 39-yard assist finish at his first backyard ultra in 2020 that hooked him for good

The evolution of his race plan, from a notebook with no strategy to a dialed three-fast-one-slow lap rotation, a nutritionist calculating every calorie and sodium gram, and a mindset coach and hypnotist who joined the crew almost by accident and never left

What it actually felt like inside his head during the roughest overnight stretch of his Big's Backyard Ultra win, including a patch where he genuinely couldn't remember what country he was in

The full shape of Project 168: why seven days and not six, the lake-loop course fifteen minutes from his house, his eight-person crew running on color-coded wristband roles, and the one thing he says could actually stop him

Why he's framing this as his own four-minute-mile moment: not an official record, but a number he wants the rest of the sport to start chasing

Plus, how you can actually be part of it:

Booking a lap to run alongside Phil in person if you're near Perth, or a "virtual lap" from wherever you are in the world

Where every dollar of the fundraiser goes — Telethon, supporting sick and disadvantaged kids in Western Australia

If you've been wondering what's actually possible with hard work, consistency, and the right mindset... you're in the right place.

Links:

Project 168 — live stream, donate, book a lap, virtual laps: https://philgore.com.au

Donate directly to Telethon via Project 168: https://project-168.raiselysite.com/

Project 168 tee ($10 from every shirt goes to Telethon): https://occlothingco.com.au/shop/project-168

Phil Gore on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phil.gore.ultrarunner/

Background — Phil's world record at Dead Cow Gully (ABC News): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-26/phil-gore-backyard-ultra-world-record-at-dead-cow-gully/105461266

Background — Phil's Big's Backyard Ultra World Championship win (ABC News): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-10-23/phil-gore-wins-backyard-ultra-world-championship/105757780

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Max Jolliffe just became the first man in history to break 21 hours at Badwater 135, running 20:53:41 in a photo finish up the final climb to Whitney Portal. This week on The Threshold Podcast, Garrett and Tanner break down a historic weekend in Death Valley, where Carmen Maria Perez also set a new women's course record at 21:05:32 — finishing second overall, ahead of every runner except Jolliffe himself.

We also discuss:

• Minnesota Voyageur 50's deep field on a brand-new start/finish venue, including 57-year-old John Bauer finishing 4th overall in 8:02
• Nick Petterson's course-record 63-yard win at Ode to Laz, and where Team USA's backyard roster stands with the qualifying window closing in two weeks
• Josh Kerr breaking Hicham El Guerrouj's 27-year-old mile world record at 3:42.66, then backing it up with Commonwealth Games gold five days later
• The Michael McKnight/Sage Canaday doping controversy shaking up the ultrarunning community

Plus, we shift gears to the backyard ultra world:

• 99 Laps, the new 100-runner elimination race out of Germany where the last-place finisher gets cut every 15 minutes
• Phil Gore's Project 168 — a solo, seven-day attempt to run a backyard ultra loop every hour for 700 miles straight
• Garrett's next backyard ultra this October, and why he's already back in the format after Elm Creek
• Why sitting in a hot car after a summer run might be the free heat training you're missing

If you've been chasing a new PR, curious about your first backyard ultra, or trying to figure out how to actually use this summer heat to your advantage, you're in the right place.

Links:

• Badwater 135: http://www.badwater.com
• Minnesota Voyageur 50: https://www.voyageur50.com
• Ode to Laz Backyard Ultra: https://odetolaz.com
• Josh Kerr's world record (World Athletics): https://worldathletics.org/competitions/diamond-league/news/london-athletics-meet-2026-josh-kerr-world-mile-record
• Big's Backyard Ultra World Team Championship: https://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-team-championship-2026/
• 99 Laps: https://99laps.com
• Phil Gore's Project 168: https://philgore.com.au
• Running Magazine on the McKnight/BPC-157 story: https://runningmagazine.ca/trail-running/pro-ultrarunner-opens-up-about-taking-banned-peptide-bpc-157/

Ludovic Pommeret just became a three-time Hardrock 100 champion at age 50, breaking his own course record by 22 minutes with a 21:11:36 finish. This week on The Threshold Podcast, Garrett and Tanner break down a historic weekend at Hardrock, where Courtney Dauwalter also set a new clockwise course record at 26:03:10 for her fourth win, and Tara Dower completed a brutal Western States-Hardrock double, finishing third just 13 days after taking sixth at States. With 147 runners taking on 33,000 feet of climbing through the San Juan Mountains, this year's edition delivered one of the most dominant performances the race has seen.

We also discuss:

• Tom Evans' DNF at mile 58 due to altitude sickness, after leading the chase pack through the early miles
• Jimmy Elam and David Ayala rounding out the men's podium in 23:48 and 24:28
• The Willow Fire forcing Life Time to cancel Leadville's Silver Rush events, and what it means for the Leadville 100 in August

Plus, we shift gears to the backyard ultra world:

• Lazarus Lake voiding the men's and women's world records set at Russia's Biotropika Backyard Ultra, after video showed non-competitors accompanying runners on course
• What the voided results mean for Dmitry Klimov, Dmitry Sheremet, and Ivan Zaborsky, who all ran further than the previous 119-loop world record
• Our full 10-point breakdown on how to run your first backyard ultra, covering training, race strategy, nutrition, crew, gear, and the mental side of a race with no finish line

From record-breaking runs in the San Juans to a voided world record in Russia, this episode covers a wild stretch for ultrarunning, plus everything you need to run your first backyard ultra this season.

Links:

• iRunFar's 2026 Hardrock 100 Results: https://www.irunfar.com/2026-hardrock-100-results
• Hardrock 100: https://hardrock100.com
• Colorado Sun on Colorado's fire-affected races: https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/09/colorado-fires-race-events/
• Leadville Race Series: https://www.leadvilleraceseries.com
• Marathon Handbook on the voided Biotropika records: https://marathonhandbook.com/backyard-ultra-records-voided/
• Big's Backyard Ultra: https://bigsbackyardultra.com

Hardrock 100 is six days from its scheduled start in Silverton, and for the first time in years, it may not happen at all.

This week on The Threshold Podcast, Garrett and Tanner break down the Gold Mountain Fire's threat to the race, the same fire that already forced the Ouray 100 to cancel less than two weeks before its own start. If Hardrock goes down too, it's only the fourth cancellation in the race's 34-year history. Is proactive cancellation the responsible call?

We also discuss:

• Boston Marathon cutting its qualifying times by five minutes across the board
• The new downhill penalty coming to 2027 qualifying, adding up to 10 minutes back onto times run on steep net-downhill courses
• Results from the Afton Trail Run 50K and 25K, including Nick Marshall's seventh-fastest 50K in the race's history

Plus, we shift gears into training and mindset:

• A Bangor University study showing runners who added a 40-minute hot bath after workouts ran about 5% faster in a 5K time trial in hot conditions
• Kara and Nate's backyard ultra documentary, "The Race That Finally Broke Me," and a moment from race director Tim Walsh that stuck with us
• Garrett's new running streak, one mile minimum every single day for a year, inspired by John Naslund completing all 50 Grandma's Marathons this June
• An early look at Tanner's plan for Superior 100 in September, including where Garrett steps in to pace him

From wildfire watches to backyard ultra breakthroughs, this episode covers a little bit of everything happening in the sport right now.

Links:

• Hardrock 100: https://hardrock100.com
• iRunFar's 2026 Hardrock Preview: https://www.irunfar.com/2026-hardrock-100-preview
• Colorado Sun on the Ouray 100 cancellation: https://coloradosun.com/2026/07/05/colorado-fires-aspen-acres-willow-gold-mountain-ouray-100/
• Boston Marathon qualifying standards: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify/
• The heat acclimation study (Zurawlew et al., 2016): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26661992/
• Kara and Nate — "The Race That Finally Broke Me": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgKmIVEytNI
• Afton Trail Run: https://www.aftontrailrun.com
• Superior 100: https://www.superiorfalltrailrace.com
• John Naslund's 50th Grandma's Marathon (MPR News): https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/06/17/with-50-years-of-grandmas-marathon-only-one-man-will-have-ran-them-all

Western States 2026 may go down as one of the most historic editions in race history.

This week on The Threshold Podcast, Tanner and Garrett break down a record-shattering day at the Western States 100, highlighted by Vincent Bouillard's stunning 13:46:15 victory. Bouillard not only smashed Jim Walmsley's course record by more than 23 minutes, but became the first athlete ever to break the 14-hour barrier at Western States. With Francesco Puppi, Ryan Montgomery, and Thomas Cardin all running under the previous course record, was this truly "The Year of the Euros?"

On the women's side, Jennifer Lichter continued her incredible rise by setting a new course record of 15:28:05, while Riley Brady and Marianna Hogan rounded out an impressive podium.

We also discuss:

• The massive performances from 100-mile debutants Francesco Puppi and Thomas Cardin
• Whether Zach Miller silenced burnout concerns
• Major DNFs from Jim Walmsley, Kilian Jornet, Hans Troyer, Abby Hall, and Yngvild Kaspersen
• Is Walmsley's DNF the beginning of a changing of the guard in men's ultrarunning?
• How unexpectedly cool weather impacted race strategies and performances
• Our pre-race predictions vs. what actually happened

Plus, we shift gears to the backyard ultra world:

• Harvey Lewis captures the Mid-State Mile Backyard Ultra with an incredible 147 yards as backyard livestream production continues to elevate the sport
• We discuss why professional race coverage matters and what races deserve the spotlight next
• The Biotropika Backyard Ultra in Russia delivers arguably the most controversial and historic backyard ultra ever, with both the men's and women's world records falling—and questions surrounding race procedures igniting debate across the global backyard community

From course records to controversy, this episode covers one of the wildest weekends ultrarunning has seen in years.