Race until only one person is left standing – the crazy world of Backyard Ultra

Remember the Duracell bunny? It was a plush advertising character, a bunny who endlessly beat a drum because the battery hidden inside its body never got tired. In a similar category are the backyard runners who crowned their world champion this week. They run and run until only one person is left standing.

The format is simple and can be held virtually anywhere—for example, in a backyard. A 6.7-kilometer loop is laid out, which must be completed in a maximum of one hour. Easy, right? Those who are faster can take a break until the next starting gun fires on the hour. And then it goes on endlessly.

Australian Phil Gore became world champion with 114 completed yards, covering almost 764 kilometers in 114 hours. He completed the last lap in 37 minutes; he wasn't at the end of his strength, he'd simply run out of opponents. Gore had shown what he was capable of at the end of June: 798 kilometers in 119 hours.

At the beginning of October, a Backyard Ultra was also held in Germany, heavily promoted by influencer Kim Gottwald and André Schürrle, who won the 2014 FIFA World Cup with Germany. Schürrle's battery ran out after just over 75 kilometers; Gottwald ran almost 450 kilometers, was declared the winner, and then collapsed.

Gottwald spent the following days in the hospital. Before being transported, he had stated, still gasping for breath, that he had swallowed 8,000 milligrams of ibuprofen during the race – the equivalent of twenty standard tablets. According to doctors, this dose can be life-threatening. In a Duracell bunnies' drumming competition, the German would probably have been disqualified because he had a nuclear reactor in his stomach instead of a battery.

Let's assume that world record holder and world champion Phil Gore is running drug-free. After 119 hours, he's still capable of a final sprint and a smile. With his nearly 800 kilometers, the Australian exceeded the range of every electric car tested by the ADAC (German Automobile Club ), running the distance from Zurich to Rome in just under five days .

If we could all stay awake as long as Gore, incredible things would be possible: For example, we could listen to Wagner's entire "Ring of the Nibelung" eight times in a row. Or watch all episodes of the Netflix series "The Crown" twice in a row. Or play Taylor Swift's hit "Blank Space" almost 1,600 times.

If people were forced to do such things, Amnesty International would surely add it to their list of particularly perfidious torture methods. Better to run and unwind. Running 6.7 kilometers on a Sunday morning sounds quite tempting. Afterwards, you have a coffee and try to imagine that there are people who would easily add another ten, fifty, or one hundred laps. Well then, cheers!