Aberdeenshire ultra distance runner Mike Raffan was the top Scottish performer in the first of a series of four ‘Backyard Last One Standing’ races being held throughout the UK this year.
The concept is novel. All runners start together at noon on a specified day and they have one hour to complete a 4.2 mile loop.
So, the loop must be completed before 1pm when they all start again. Any runner who hasn’t finished inside the time limit at the end of each lap, and isn’t ready to start again, is disqualified.
This happens every hour until there is only one runner left at the start line – the last one standing.
But he or she isn’t quite finished as they must complete a final solo loop inside the time limit to be crowned the winner.
For most people the primary target is to keep going for 24 laps by which time they will have run 100 miles.
But for others the race continues well beyond that point. The winner of the most recent event, held at Castle Ward, County Down, was Ireland’s Keith Russell who completed an impressive 37 loops, covering 154 miles.
The longest distance recorded by a competitor in a backyard ultra event is an astonishing 85 laps or 354.1695 miles by Harvey Lewis at the Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tennessee (USA) in October 2021. The best by a woman is 68 laps by Courtney Dauwalter at Big’s Backyard Ultra in October 2020.
Well done to all the teams- see you in April! There are still a few individual places left for the next fixture if you fancy it: https://t.co/S4OcgwXixz #lastonestanding #lastteamstanding #4nations @atlasrunning @Atlasrunning1 pic.twitter.com/rMcZYELdad
— Greener Miles Running (@GreenerMiles) February 15, 2022
Collieston-based Raffan was ninth best in County Down with 26 laps while his team-mate Dave More, from Metro Aberdeen, hit 15 laps.Another Aberdeen runner, Alan Cormack, stopped after 14 laps.
The trio helped a 10-strong squad of Scottish runners finish third behind Ireland and England in the team competition.
Raffan said: “My strategy is always to try to run each lap at a consistent pace of 40mins. But it’s up to each individual to find what works best for them.
“I could probably have kept going but there was no point as, by that stage, it wouldn’t have improved our position in the team competition.
“The conditions were quite tough as a lot of the trail was very muddy and in some parts it was like running through a river.
“So, it was better to save myself for the next race and I seem to have recovered well. I had a massage three days afterwards and the guy doing it said that if I hadn’t told him I’d just run more than 100 miles he would never have been able to tell from my legs. That’s a good sign.”
The series continues with the English round in Northumberland on April 16. The Welsh race is at Rhiw on June 3 and the Scottish one is at Blair Atholl on July 23.
Raffan explored the idea of hosting the Scottish race in his own backyard but that never came off.
He said: “I tried to get a suitable route in the Forvie area, but I couldn’t find a good four mile route with a suitable start and finish area.”
Now he’s getting ready for the next one when he hopes the Scottish contingent can edge up the rankings a little bit more.
He said: “The format for the team competition is that up to 13 runners take part, and 10 count, two of whom must be women. The team with the highest cumulative mileage wins.”
Ross claims top spot in Fetteresso
Fife AC’s Ross Christie took advantage of the absence of Banchory’s Great Britain mountain running international Robbie Simpson to secure a clearcut win in the Fetteresso Forest marathon.
The course had to be altered from previous years because of the damage caused by recent storms, while conditions underfoot were made trickier than usual by the heavy snowfall a few days before the race.
Under the circumstances Simpson opted not to run and that left it open for others to come into contention for the top prize.
And it was Christie who seized the opportunity, ploughing through the slush and snow in 3hr 25min 30secs to finish well clear of his rivals.
Metro Aberdeen’s Paul Knight, who has twice finished fourth in previous years, took second position in 3:41:05 while Oldmeldrum’s Jonathan Cordiner was third in 3:47:01.
Knight also won the over-40 age group prize while his Metro clubmate Richard Horne was first over-50 in 3:55:44. The over-60’s award went to Phil Kammer (Deveron Harriers) in 5:23:26.
Erin McFadden (Stonehaven Running Club) led the women’s field home in 3:49:32. Jeni Rees-Jenkins (Insch Trail Running Club), who was competing in her 100th race of marathon distance or longer, finished second in 4:05:32 and lifted the over-40’s prize. She maintained her fine record in this race which she won in 2019, and finished third in 2018 and fifth in 2020.
Chiara Franzosi (Carnethy) was third in 4:17:53 while Louise Kelly (Stonehaven Running Club) was first over-50 in 4:50:52.
Race organiser Chris Cowley deserves praise for having overcome many adversities to get the race off the ground despite the challenges posed by storm damage and snowfalls.
He paid tribute to the volunteers who made it all possible
He said: “Getting the race on this year was a little more complex than in previous years, but we got there.
“I’m sure the happy faces at the end were fully reflective of how the runners felt the whole way round. Maybe. The race team, who were all volunteers, are second to none.
“The amount of people offering to help out is great, and the standard of their help is unrivalled. It is these people that make this race a success, and for them I am grateful beyond measure.”