Geerts and Steyaert hit 124 laps for backyard world record
Their third record together, and they passed Phil Gore's old mark of 119 yards at the 500-mile point.
Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert each ran 124 laps at the 2026 Big Dog's Backyard Ultra World Team Championships, 516.7 miles, or 831.5 km, for a new backyard ultra record. iRunFar says it is the third record the Belgian duo have set together.
The old mark fell well before they stopped. Keith Dunn reported that the pair passed Phil Gore's previous all-time best of 119 yards when they completed 120 yards, which is 500 miles. They then kept going for another four hourly loops.
How the team race finished
The United States won the team title with 1,120 yards. Mark Dowdle was the last American standing with 107 yards, Dunn reported, with Jon Noll credited for the assist, the runner who pushes the winner one yard further before stopping.
What it actually means
A backyard ultra only ends when one runner cannot start the next loop, so a record needs two people willing to keep going together for days. Geerts and Steyaert have now done that three times. The team event scores a nation on the combined yards of its squad, which is why the US total of 1,120 and the Belgians' individual 124 are two different competitions running at the same time.
This closes out the week at Big's. Our earlier page had the record as it stood, and the final numbers have not moved since.
For anyone new to the format, a backyard ultra sends everyone out on the same loop on the hour, every hour, until nobody can answer the bell. There are no splits to chase and no finish line to sprint for. The only way to win is to still be upright when the other person is not, which is what makes two runners agreeing to trade loops past 500 miles such an odd and specific kind of record.
Ivo Steyaert and Merijn Geerts have completed 120 yards - 500 miles - beating Phil Gore’s previous all-time best of 119 yards.
The Belgian duo each ran 124 laps (516.7 miles / 831.5 km) at the 2026 Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra World Team Championships to set a new backyard ultra record, their third together.
Win the long run conversation
One email a day. Under three minutes. Marathon results, shoe fights and training arguments, settled.