Polish ultrarunner Łukasz Wróbel set a staggering new backyard ultra world record on Wednesday at Legends Backyard Belgium, held in Retie, Belgium. Starting early Saturday morning, Wróbel ran for 116 consecutive hours, racking up more than 777 kilometres. Belgian runner Jan Vandekerckhove served as Wróbel’s assist, finishing 115 yards before he could no longer continue.
Wróbel and Vandekerckhoe far outlasted the other runners at the event, completing 56 laps after the rest dropped out, and averaging 43:13 per lap over the duration. The Belgian course is known to be fast and flat, and while 15 runners managed to make it to the 50-hour (yard) mark, they all began to falter shortly after that.
The uniqueness of the backyard ultra event
The backyard ultra, created by Gary Cantrell (also known as Laz Lake), requires participants to run a 6.7056 km loop every hour on the hour until only one person remains standing. It’s a race of both physical and mental endurance, as the clock doesn’t stop—if you can’t finish the loop within the hour, you’re out. Belgian runners have secured a dominant reputation in this racing style, with the former world record of 110 yards (more than 737 km), and the title of Team Backyard Ultra World Champions, held by Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen, in 2024.
8 fun facts about backyard ultras you probably didn’t know
Geerts, Steyaert and Gielen improved upon the individual backyard ultra world record distances set by Harvey Lewis, who completed 108 yards in 2023. In that race, Canadian ultrarunner Ihor Verys assisted Lewis, completing 107 loops, covering over 717 km. While Geerts, Steyaert and Gielen were not competing at the Legends Backyard Belgium event, Steyaert was spotted cheering the runners on, and Geerts and Gielen are currently within the top-10 runners at the 6-days-in-France multi-day race held in the region of Ardèche.
🇧🇪🏃🏻♂️🔂 | 🇵🇱 🏆 | NEW #BACKYARDULTRA WORLD RECORD
Łukasz Wróbel wins the 2025 Legends Backyard Belgium with 116 completed loops in 116 consecutive hours. He was ready in the corral for a 117th, but Jan Vandekerckhoe did not complete the 116th in time.
📷 Caroline Dupont via LBB pic.twitter.com/vCIepPOPOv
— Brandon (@b3108) May 1, 2025
Both Wróbel and Vandekerckhoe have now earned spots at the individual backyard world championships, Big’s Backyard Ultra, to be held in October in Bell Buckle, Tenn.
