Backyard-ultra coach and One More Hour Podcast host Jaci Wilson joins Golden Hour Adventures hosts Justin and Robbie to explain the race format, training and pacing, and the debates sparked by the recent world championship. She also discusses barriers women face entering these unpredictable events, championship qualification, and why backyard ultras deserve to be understood on their own terms.

Jaci describes the format: cover 4.167 miles within each 60-minute hour; runners continue until one remains, and the final runner must complete one more loop than the last opponent. Backyard-specific training goes beyond mileage: practice repeated short loops, race simulations, nutrition, foot care, mindset, and problem-solving when plans fail. Pacing is about energy conservation. Wilson typically targets 50-57-minute loops, often around 55 minutes, adapting to the course and athlete. A run-walk strategy can prevent early overexertion and stiffness; using nearly the full hour can preserve energy and reduce idle time at camp. The world championship discussion covers course fairness, differing terrain and weather, team versus individual years, qualification pathways, and the 75-runner limit at Big's individual championship. Wilson argues that the sport's uncertainty can make participation harder for women, especially when family obligations and scheduling responsibilities weigh on athletes. The hosts discuss whether backyard-ultra performances receive enough recognition compared with traditional trail ultras and how newcomers often misunderstand the format. Wilson says heat, lack of shade, and limited time for foot care were key constraints in her recent 100-mile-plus race, though she did not feel she had reached her limit.

Takeaways

It's not just about mileage, it's not just about the running that you do in training. You have to know how to problem solve on the fly. It's all about conserving energy. I target fifty-five minutes. Walking is your best friend in ultras in the backyard. Focus on what you want to like in twenty-four hours, not just two hours from now. If they are getting stiff by sitting down for a few minutes in between yards, run one where you aren't sitting down. I don't think people take it as seriously and they don't take the time to actually understand what the format is. I don't think I've found my limit yet. I think we need more females speaking more about the backyard ultra.

Lanny Ultra joins Robbie and Justin to walk through how he found his way into ultra running, what it takes to keep training honest while raising a family, and how race strategy is as much a mental discipline as a physical one. The conversation wanders the trails — literally — through cactus encounters and snake scares, a race cancellation that forced a hard safety call, and the community Lanny has built through Run Dad Run. The three close by looking at where ultra running is heading and what the next wave of the sport might look like.

• Lanny Ultra's journey into ultra running
• Balancing family life and training
• Wild trail stories: cacti and snakes
• Race cancellations and safety decisions
• Community building through Run Dad Run
• Insights into race strategies and mental toughness
• The evolution of ultra running and future trends

Community Building How Run Dad Run turned a shared identity — runners who are also parents — into a durable, supportive community, and why that kind of belonging keeps people in the sport longer than any training plan does.

Race Strategy Mentality Approaching a race as a series of decisions rather than a single effort: pacing, problem-solving on the move, and the mental toughness required when the day stops going to plan.

"You like y you didn't fall into a cactus. You dove into that thing."

"I got a freaking thorn in my neck. It'd been there for three hours."

"You gotta do back to backs."

ultra running · trail stories · race strategies · community · family · endurance sports