"You run 4.1667 miles or 6.7 kilometres every hour. Then, with the time remaining, you sit down, rest, eat up, and then do it all again at the top of the next hour. It's a last-man-standing type of event. The world record has gone over 100 hours, so 4 1/2 days and 450 miles.”
This is how Lee Siemens described the Backyard Ultra, a race created by Gary Cantrell, also known as Lazarus Lake.
A race of this format — in all its intensity and glory — will happen at Old Tom Backyard on July 5th, a course set on the scenic land of a farm near Blumenort, Man.
Siemens is not only competing in the event for himself. He’s taking to the course to support a local organization about which he is passionate.
A second chance
For Siemens, who lives in Altona, the Backyard Ultra will not be his first foray into events at Old Tom Backyard.
“I participated in the inaugural running of the Old Tom,” he said.
“It didn't go so great for me, I kind of bombed after the first three loops, so it shouldn't be too hard to set a new personal best this year."
Siemens’ participation in races at the venue comes against a background of extensive running experience. He has been running since 2013 — his first marathon was in Churchill, “of all places,” and as a long-distance runner, he has completed a few 50-kilometre races and a 100-kilometre race.
‘You don’t know how long it will go’
For Siemens, the Backyard Ultra presents a unique challenge as a race with no set finish line.
“You don’t know how long it will go,” he said. “There's a lot of doubt, a lot of questions, eating becomes difficult, and in the words of my nutritionist, if you don’t eat, you don’t run, so hallucinations [occur] when your sugars get low.”
Finding inspiration through fundraising
Although Siemens has a passion for the challenge of running long distances for his own sake, after last year’s Old Tom Backyard race, he was inspired to tackle this year’s race in support of a special cause.
“Last year, after my three-loop adventure, a buddy of mine just looked at me and asked if there was a different purpose to my running other than getting a trophy,” he said. “He encouraged me to look at the raising support for a charity and to see if that would also benefit me as a runner ... to have more reason to go further.”
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As a result, Siemens reached out to Linda Marek, executive director of Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care Centre, and decided to collect funds for the organization through his participation in the ultramarathon.
Marek said it was “amazing” to be chosen for the support.
“[Siemens] has a passion for running, and he wants to put that towards a good cause. We're grateful that he chose us,” she said.
'He's been great to work with.'
Marek added that the agency appreciates that Siemens is highly committed and cares about the work that the pregnancy centre does.
“His values align with our values, and so we're just grateful,” she said. “This could be a day, it could be a couple of days — who knows what this could actually mean as a level of commitment. When someone picks your organization to be a part of something significant, it really means a lot.”
Where will the funds go?
Marek said that supporters have already donated on Siemens’ behalf, and the organization is still open to receiving further support.
According to the executive director, the funds will go toward the “services that [the centre] offers across the region,” including supporting individuals who are exploring their options, people who experience grief after loss, or those who need help with baby items due to financial constraints.
As for why Siemens decided to support the pregnancy centre, his faith is a factor.
“I'm a Bible-believing man and Genesis talks about God making man and woman in his image and Psalm 139 talks about being fearful and wonderfully made,” he said. “It's been on my heart for a number of years to be able to support the efforts of care centres.”
‘My goal is to win’
In the end, Siemens is ready to give the Backyard Ultra everything he has.
“I think like a lot of the other 74 runners, my goal is to win,” he said. “That might sound a little cheeky, ... but essentially, I'm just preparing mentally and physically with nutrition to be running [for] well over a day.”
Donations to the Pembina Valley Pregnancy Care Centre in honour of Siemens' undertaking can be made online here.
- With files from Jayme Giesbrecht -