NatNews

Some people can actually run for days.

The backyard ultra is a form of ultramarathon race in which participants must consecutively run the distance of 6,706 meters (4.167 miles, a loop referred to as a “yard”) in less than one hour. Any time left over is a competitor’s to eat, sleep, fix his or her feet, etc., and anyone not back in the corral when the next hour begins is out of the race. A definitive limit does not exist—the last runner standing wins.

For the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships held last month, 67 nations across the world participated, each team running its own backyard ultra on its own course (the U.S. team was in Tennessee) but beginning at the exact same time. Each runner’s completed yards count toward the combined team total, and the nation with the highest combined total wins.

This year, the U.S. took gold, completing a combined 1,120 yards, 51 ahead of second-place Australia (1,069) and 62 ahead of third-place Belgium (1,058). One of the members of the U.S. team was Dallas resident Megan Smyth, who said she ran her first backyard ultra in November 2023. 

“I had followed Big’s Backyard with interest since around 2019 and seen women I admired, like Courtney Dauwalter and Maggie Guterl, competing and even winning,” she said. “So after having completed several 100-mile races, I thought it might be fun to try out the format and see if I enjoyed it.”

During that initial race, which was the Summit Backyard Ultra in Marble Falls, Texas, Smyth said she made it 39 hours and a total of 162.5 miles.

“That seemed pretty far at the time,” she said with a laugh.

Smyth acknowledged that she was both excited and nervous going into the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships. By that point, she had completed four backyard ultras and built her personal record (PR) up to 77 hours (320.8 miles), with the specific goal of making it onto the U.S. team.

“On the one hand, it felt like a dream come true, and I knew logically that I’d earned it,” she said. “But I also still had a bit of imposter syndrome, mostly because of the hillier and more technical nature of the trail course there. I was worried that I wouldn’t be prepared enough for that and that it would force me to bow out early and let the team down—which luckily didn’t end up being the case.”

The Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships was a bit different than other ultras because, as the name implies, Smyth was competing not only as an individual but also as part of a team on a global scale, and she said she loved the idea of doing so. 

“One of my favorite things about backyards has always been the camaraderie, and I was hoping it would be dialed up a notch when running as a true team, and it definitely was,” Smyth said. “Everyone was so supportive of each other and fighting to keep teammates in every yard. There was a huge emphasis on getting points for the team and trying to get the USA the win. It was a great feeling running for something bigger than just myself—knowing that every yard was helping the team, too.”

Over the course of 82 hours (three days and 10 hours) Smyth ran a total of 341.6 miles. As one might imagine, a person needs to employ certain tactics to overcome any negative thoughts or mental and physical fatigue during a race of such a duration.

“Mentally, I think the best thing I do is to focus only on the yard/hour I’m on,” Smyth said. “I try not to think too far ahead and don’t worry if one yard is a little slower or a little more painful. As long as I’m able to finish that yard, I don’t give myself the option of not going back out. It’s just automatically what is going to happen.”

But as Smyth also noted, it’s necessary to be able to pivot at times, as well.

“There are things you have to do to problem solve if things get off—ice bandanas to cool down, adjusting nutrition if things aren’t going down well, etc.," she said. "And there are strategies that help—talking to people, most of all. It makes things more enjoyable, and the hours go by so much faster. I like to listen to music, too, and sometimes even sing out loud to keep myself awake (sorry, team).”

Of a rather significant note, Smyth was the last-standing woman in the entire world in the Big’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships.

“To be honest, being the last woman standing wasn’t really on my radar until one of my teammates started looking at results and talking about the fact that there were only five women left and then eventually only two,” she said. “I asked him if the other one was Sarah Perry, the women’s world record holder, and it was, and I thought it was so cool to even be in the same conversation with her. She’s amazing.”

Smyth said she was surprised when she finished her PR lap and was told that Perry had dropped and that Smyth was the last woman.

“It was unexpected and cool, but at the same time, I kind of wasn’t sure how excited to be since there’s not really any gender differentiation in the backyard,” she said. “At that point, I was most concerned with getting back out on the next yard and continuing to help the team. I think after the race was over, it hit me more what a neat accomplishment it was.”

In her humble nature, though, Smyth said what was even a more meaningful feat was being part of the U.S. team in a come-from-behind effort that notched the gold.

“We did it by pushing each other, helping each other, and truly working as a team, and I loved that so much,” she said. “It’s probably my favorite running accomplishment of my adult life (so far). I’ll never forget it.”

In his 19 seasons in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal shattered more backboards (two) than three-pointers he made (one).

While many people might not officially rank their friends like they did or would have back in the MySpace days, certain individuals do tend to be higher on one’s friendship totem pole than others.

Different friendships hold different weights, and not all friends are meant to be close. Dallas resident Drew Mbiam said he views the concept of association as a spectrum.

“You can be anything from a frenemy to a friend to a best friend, etc.,” he said. “The rank of ‘friend’ has a built-in hierarchy. The closest would be Tier 1, and from there, you can go as far out as you want.”

Mbiam noted that those who fall under the Tier 1 classification are one’s ride-or-die friends.

“No matter what happens, they’ll be in your corner, even when you’re in the wrong,” he said. “But if you’re in the wrong, y’all will most likely fight about it later.”

Dallas-area resident Arinda Cale said she believes that an individual becomes closer to some people because they have shared experiences or similar outlooks on life. She added that Tier 1 friends are those who know one’s story.

“They know what you get excited about, what hurts your feelings, where you come from, how you were raised, and why you are the way you are,” she said. “They’ve watched you grow and change and evolve, and they have stood by your side through the entire journey.”

Tier 1 friendships are a person’s lasting relationships—people who make him or her feel emotionally safe and deeply known and who offer mutual investment into the friendship. Cale acknowledged that Tier 1 friends are highly important and bring value to a person’s life.

“They have walked your path with you,” she said. “They know who you are and love and support you. They are also the friends who can be really honest with you and tell you when you are off course or acting like a fool.”

For Mbiam, Tier 1 friends are to be appreciated because they allow a person to be oneself and not oneself at the same time.

“Want to say something taboo? Tell your Tier 1 friend,” he said. “Want to say something mean and not so politically correct? You say it to your Tier 1 friend. Is your Tier 1 friend roasting you, and the only counter you have is saying something so mean that a Tier 2 or lower-tier friend would be permanently upset with you? That’s fine—Tier 1 friendship is no holds barred. Anything that’s on your mind, you can get it off your chest with your Tier 1 friends.”

Exposing one’s emotions without fully knowing what someone’s response will be can create fears and anxiety within a person, but taking such a risk helps create meaningful connections. With Tier 1 friends, Mbiam acknowledged, an individual feels completely comfortable being open, honest, and vulnerable, regardless of what ensues.

“All of those vulnerabilities you were worried about, prepare for Tier 1 friends to point those out while offering constructive pointed criticism,” he said.

In her book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, Brené Brown points out that vulnerability helps foster authenticity, belongingness, and love and the ability to grow deeper relationships with the people in our lives. Cale said that sense of vulnerability and being able to be 100 percent herself with her Tier 1 friends is what makes them Tier 1.

“I don’t have to choose my words, hide my feelings, or act like I’m OK when I’m not,” she said. “I get to show up when I’m in the mess and know I’m going to be loved through it all.”

Certainly not everyone can be a Tier 1 friend, and it’s likely that a person’s list of Tier 1 friends is shorter than lower-tier friends and acquaintances. For Cale, Tier 1 friends are few and far between.

“It takes time to develop that kind of friendship,” she said. “It takes showing up over time, holding confidence, and building trust. Brené Brown said it best. ‘Our stories are not meant for everyone. Hearing them is a privilege, and we should always ask ourselves this before we share: Who has earned the right to hear my story?’”

Like Cale, Mbiam noted that only a handful of people in his life make it to the level of Tier 1 friend.

“One of the cornerstones of Tier 1 friendship is checking in with them regularly and having a genuinely weird chemistry that just works and allows you to experience the full spectrum of emotions,” he said. “You can’t be doing that with everyone.”

WEEKLY PHOTO OP

The low quality of the iPhone 12 camera doesn’t accurately convey how thrilled we are for our sub-2:40 marathoner Fonz

Monday, November 9: Liminal Space listening sesh at wherever you are; Mavs vs. Pacers at the American Airlines Center
Tuesday, November 10: Jonas Brothers at the American Airlines Center
Wednesday, November 11: Katseye at the American Airlines Center; Silent Reading Night + Health Talk at Wild Detectives
Thursday, November 12: Stars vs. Jets at the American Airlines Center
Friday, November 13: NatNews Sole Investor Day; Straight Tequila Night (‘90s country tribute) at Legacy Hall; Late Night at the Museum at the Dallas Museum of Art
Saturday, November 14: WRRC Saturday run from Taco Joint; Stars vs. Sabres at the American Airlines Center; Candlelight — ‘90s Unplugged at Frontiers of Flight Museum (also on Sunday)
Sunday, November 15: Stars vs. Panthers at the American Airlines Center; Cowboys vs. 49ers at AT&T Stadium; SMU Volleyball vs. Notre Dame at Moody Coliseum