Going into our second year of organizing a race, the WausaUltra crew learned so much, and I wanted to share a little of the behind the scenes, from my perspective, what it took to prepare for and navigate all of the ups and downs of race weekend.
Planning and Preparation
Starting just days after the 2021 Backyard concluded, planning and preparation was underway. From meetings to discuss what when right, what we can improve on and even brainstorming new races, to celebrations with volunteers, thanking them for taking the time to come and help us out. My focus throughout this time comes to what can be done to help improve our tracking systems and media.
It was such a fun time with the group getting together to hand make our awards again this year. I, by far, put in the least here, but was happy to help with the little I was able to do. In addition to a monthly, then weekly planning meetings, it was always an enjoyable time to get together to also discuss everyone’s individual race and life goals and achievements throughout the year.
There were 2 main videos that I wanted to get finished after the race, a highlights look at the 2021 Backyard, and a sit-down interview with a couple of the racers and their spouses with the WausaUltra Race Directors.
- Part 1: Motivation, Weight loss, Mental Health and Lifestyle Changes
- Part 2: The Backyard Format and Race Day Stories
- Part 3: Crewing For Your Spouse, Lessons Learned and Future Plans
While I took entirely too long to complete the highlights reel, I’m quite happy with how it ended up turning out.
Finally, the last bit of preparation came down to updating our tracking website and Android App for the Backyard, and coming up with a new digital way of tracking the DoubleDown race, that would auto-calculate the winners, as last year it took us way to long to get the results to the waiting crowd of runners. While we did maintain duplicate paper copies of the results, I’m happy to say the specialized app worked out pretty flawlessly, outside of one user error (mine).
Now obviously this isn’t everything we needed to get done, or what I helped with, but it’s a good greatest hits. Moving into race weekend is a whole new ball of chores that need doing. Including getting my camper out for the first time of the year, in preparation for a hopefully little space of isolation and maybe some sleep during the chaos of the weekend.
Race Weekend: 30 Hours of Action with 20 Minutes of Sleep
I slept on site that night before the race, along with Jake and Kim. When there is so much stuff already setup, and racers showing up at first light, it’s good to be on site. Surprisingly I actually slept pretty well in the camper, as it was cold. A short sleep, but I got a good solid 5 hours, enough of a base to get me through the next couple days.
Race weekend came up fast, regardless of how well you plan, it’s always incredible how much there is to get done in the last few days. However, as it was year 2 now for us, there was an odd calm about the race directors on Friday morning.
The aid station was stocked, and base camp was built, with heat and power! The timing displays were set and the display boards prepared. The athlete swag, was awaiting their check-in and the PA system was already pumping tunes. The course was marked with the wet spots mitigated as best as could be, and the DNF bell was hung with care. The RD’s and volunteers had been busy, and now was the time to watch the racers with their support crews come build up tent city.
As start time ticks closer and closer, the anticipation builds. I thought being on the RD side of things would help to ease this tension, but it may actually make it more acute. There are even more what-if scenarios playing through your head when you’re responsible for making someone else’s race great, not just your own. But the time did finally come, and with much celebration we kicked off the WausaUltra Backyard last man standing on a cloudy chilly morning that promised rain to come, at 10am on Friday April 29th!
With the countdown completed and the runners off on the course, the crews return to their tents, the volunteers are ensuring the aid station is in perfect condition, so what are the 6 race directors doing!?! I bet no one would even believe me when I say there is never a dull moment for us.
Since I’m the one writing this thing, I’ll only speak for myself, especially since I’m not exactly certain where the other RD’s were at any given point throughout the race. So what is it that I do between loops?
Firstly, and I think most important, is trying to get to as many points on the course as possible. I know from a racers perspective, as do the rest of the RD’s, just how import and uplifting it is to see a friendly face and hear some encouraging words where you may least expect them. So I (and we) try to get to as many different locations on the course as possible through the race. Plus, when getting out for video and photography, it’s ideal to show as many different sections of the course as possible.
Secondly, is keeping up on the tracking system. We know that not everyone can make it to the race, and there are always going to be loved ones of the racers who are interested to know how they’re doing, so I make it a priority to keep our live apps and website running as accurately as possible.
After those priorities, the focus is keeping everything smoothly, and helping out wherever might be needed. Talking with the crews, helping tend the aid station, cleaning up trash and eventually, talking with the runners who’d tapped out, to see how their race experience was and what new stories they’ll now have to tell.
Early in the race I got out to a few course segments to run with the racers. Over three laps, covering the course from start to finish, having some good conversations and filming the entire trek. It was a blast falling back through the field, then bridging up from group to group. There’s a video, which still needs to be made, of just what a lap of the WausaUltra course looks like, from the racers’ perspective.
As the 12 hour mark approached (48 miles), night had fallen. And what a cold, wet and windy night it would prove to be. Our base camp setup came equipped with an upgraded heater this year, and we made great use of it. The winds continued to build throughout the night and then the rains set in. I was cold, like cold to the bone. That nagging cold that won’t let you find a bit of comfort when you’re not in the presence of an external heat source. Just sitting in the cold was miserable, and I had on multiple layers, insulated pants, boots, hat and gloves.
Then I see the runners rolling in, thin hat, thin single layer top and bottom, soaked. They all seem oblivious to the conditions, until they stop moving. The crews are on point, warm blankets and coats ready. A dry change of clothes, or at least the top layer, and they’re off again. Back to the darkness, back to the rain and wind. Through most of the night, this eerily quiet procession continues, energy levels sag for everyone. Crews are attempting to nap in between loops. The athletes seem filled with a stubborn determination to just get through the worst of this, and they do, on and on, lap after lap.
Until finally the winds do seem to subside, if ever so slightly. The relentless drizzly rain does eventually stop, for what little good it does, as everything is soaked. Most importantly, the birds start in on their morning songs. An ever so faint blue glow slowly makes it’s presence known through a heavily overcast early morning sky.
Throughout the night I was able to sneak away for a 20 minute nap between loops. Being cold to the bone, but knowing I wasn’t going to be in the camper long, I didn’t even bother with the heater, I just crawled under as many blankets as I could find, fully dressed and promptly passed out. The alarm seemed to go off as soon as I closed my eyes, but the grogginess gave away the fleetingly little blissful REM sleep I was able to get.
Morning’s light shown on far fewer racers than the day before. The night had not been kind to the field, which seems to be the usual way. Those who remained, seemed renewed by the new day, somehow refreshed, sharpened and focused again on the task at hand.
As the day begins, I’m reminded that I’m still in training myself, and will need to get away for a short time to get some miles in. So on very little sleep, with very little warning, I set off on a 50 minute quick run with last years’ second place finisher, Travis. I was actually quite surprised to see him at the race actually, as the day before he posted a run on Strava from Germany, then he showed up as dark approached in race gear, putting in some miles, off of our course, for his own training. I think he finally went home about 2 am, and was back at first light to put even more miles in! Dude’s a machine.
Our last man standing race is unique in the fact that we actually have a second race, on the same course for a whole new group of people, which kicks off when the Backyard racers have 96 miles already in. While the second lap of that race happens just after the Backyard racers hit 100. It’s remarkable to see how that number really hits home to those spectating, especially if they just did their first loop on the course, you can almost see the extrapolation, a realization that those still in the Backyard have done this 24 times already, and are still pushing onwards. Alternatively, it seems as though the Backyard runners are able to gather some strength from the cheers of the crowd assembled. From personal experience, in much shorter races, that crowd support is incredibly powerful.
Of course there’s also the logistics of hosting two races at the same time. Let’s just say it’s difficult and we’re really thankful for the volunteers who keep us running smoothly. The rest of the WausaUltra race directors handled the influx of new people to the race site beautifully. We got them all checked into the tracking system, lined up and off without any issues! A minor miracle involving 2 tracking systems and 2 clocks, all with analog backups.
The double down race went great, it was wet, raining, windy and cold, but it went great. To me it looked like we had many happy runners who just experienced the worst conditions they’ve ever run through, and were all smiles about it! The absolute highlight was when the last finisher from the 2 lap rely came into the finish line with barely 30 seconds to spare. All of the lap 2 racers were in the corral, ready to embark on their loop, and every single one of them turned to cheer on the final finisher from the first loop. A loop she didn’t think she’d make. In fact she called her husband (who was to run the second loop) from the course to apologize for not making it in time, but somehow, still found it within her to not only finish the loop, but to finish it in style, just before the cutoff!
Right around this time, we also have the Kids Race, the Sylvan Summit. With the help of Girls on the Run this year, we had over 2 dozen kiddos set off on a 1/4 mile loop and yours truly was to be their guide and pacer this year. Well, in Chad’s famous words from the previous year, “Those kids are really fast!” I certainly couldn’t keep up. Letting those quick ones go, I focused on just trying to keep a motivating pace with the littles, helping guide and encourage where I could. Some of the kids were great, focused on running this race as fast as their little legs could carry them. Others, had a harder time. There was this one little guy with tears in his eyes the entire time I saw him out there. Just looking for his parents, all I could think to say was “they’re this way, they’re at the finish line” and he kept running. He wasn’t happy about it, but he never gave up. I showed him where to go, and he went for it.
Having just created the Double Down race tracking system a couple weeks before the race on a new app for a tablet, I was a bit concerned we’d experience some sort of error that would impact the race. Somehow, it all went off absolutely smoothly. The results from the app calculated immediately and we were able to know the winners as soon as the race was completed. Unfortunately, we couldn’t post these on our big cardboard scoreboards for all to see, because the weather was turning even nastier. So to the chalet we migrated to have the Double Down awards, abandoning all but a skeleton crew of RD’s (Scott/Jake) to handle the ongoing Backyard race.
The awards ceremony went really well. The winners for each division were announced, and many racers stayed to enjoy the proceedings. WausaUltra also gives out inspiration awards, for both the Backyard and Double Down races, and I don’t think there could have been 2 more deserving people than those who were chosen for 2022. For the Backyard, LeRoy Jonas, who made an impact on every other racers’ day. He was incredibly motivating to all of those around him, embracing this race as he does life, in guiding others to achieve what they are capable of. For the Double Down, Luke Vermote, who set a PR on the course for himself, after crewing for 2 Backyard racers the day and night before, in addition to working on the course maintenance and setup, ensuring that every single runner to the event had the best possible experience. Two very incredible people that I’ve had the good fortune to meet.
While warm, dry and full of inspirational pride in the chalet, a storm was building in outside. Literally.
The Backyard was still rolling, and so were the winds and rain. Our tent city and base camp were holding on by the grips of our racers’ crew. Tents were ripping apart, as the winds continued to increase, and while normally, not an issue, as our tracking equipment is fine in wind, the rain proved to be a huge issue. The runners were out on the course, and we had bout 30 minutes to transfer all of our electronics to the aid station without losing a second on the clock! Between the use of 2 phones synced to the countdown clock, we were able to, eventually get the backup clock back in complete sync before the runners made it back in. Sadly, our primary timing clock was destroyed in the process, but thankfully, that was the only casualty of the storms on this angry April morning.
Given the time and the conditions, we were soon down to only two, Lukas and Wyatt. They pushed on, now without their tents and support they’ve grown to rely on thus far. The storms removed all of the individual support beyond the crew members themselves. Which resulted in the in most incredible inter-loop change over I’ve ever been privileged to witness. Two crews of three worked seamlessly and systematically to get these racers back on their feet and ready for another grueling 4.167 miles. Honestly it was like watching a NASCAR pit stop, everyone knew their job, and what was needed from the racer. This was some A+ level crew action!
As they set out on the next lap, we instinctively knew the end was near. It was bittersweet seeing Lukas approach what was left of the base camp about halfway through the final lap, he was done, and so we awaited Wyatt. For a Backyard event to end with a winner, one person must complete more laps than all others, so we awaited Wyatt’s return, via the finishing of the lap.
Victory came with over 4 minutes to spare. Wyatt Massey took home the victory of the WausaUltra Backyard 2022 with 30 completed laps, covering 125 miles and over 16.5k feet of elevation!
The ending comes suddenly.
After more than a day of ‘go’ time, then suddenly everything stops. What’s next? I’ve just become accustomed to living like this. An hourly tide of emotions, and suddenly it comes to a halt. We sit with Wyatt and Lukas and their crews. Discussing the race events, strategies, and how they were feeling throughout the past 30+ hours. Pretenses seem to fall away, but not completely, as outside of this shared weekend of maximum effort, and a somewhat shared experience, the race directors find themselves at a bit of a distance from the racers. The best I can tell, is that the shared experience only goes so far with those on the outside. Even though we may have been there the entire time, if you weren’t on the course, if you aren’t competing, it just isn’t the same.
Just the same, we shared. The race directors told their stories, and the racers told theirs. And that is exactly what is beautiful about events like this. So many people come together, to give absolutely everything for 20 or 30 or 40 hours, to experience something that has no substitute.
Rob Hoehn 