Two Belgians have broken the world record at the Backyard Ultra World Championships, a running event in which participants must complete a 6.706-kilometre lap every hour. At time of writing, they are the only two still running.
The Backyard Ultra World Championships is a competition for national teams, with each of the 67 participating countries having a course of the same distance, whether flat or not. Participants are given an hour to complete each lap and can take a short break in between.
The fifteen Belgian participants set off on Saturday. By Thursday afternoon, only two participants remained worldwide: the Belgians Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert. Shortly after midday on Thursday, the two men in their fifties broke the world record by both running 120 laps (approximately 800 kilometres). The previous world record stood at 119 laps. They have since completed 122 laps and show no signs of slowing down.
In Belgium, the race takes place at Domein Beverdonk in Retie. Each completed lap earns one point for the national team. The combined performances of all athletes ultimately determine which country can call itself world champion.
The fifteen Americans ran a total of 1,120 laps, whilst Australia managed 1,069. The Belgians are currently in third place with 1,054 laps. Geerts and Steyaert therefore still have some work to do if they are to secure silver or possibly gold in the team competition.
