DNF x FCF Backyard Ultra | Race Recap

Back in November of last year, I got a message from James at DNF Club on social media; a movement rooted in principles of discipline, resilience, and making trail/ultra running accessible to all. What started out as a run club with 2 members - James and Kieron - has quickly snowballed into a global community of likeminded people, united by a passion for doing hard shit.

6 months and change later, I found myself at Far Coley Farm for the inaugural DNF x FCF Backyard Ultra—finally getting my chance to have a crack at a format I'd spent years avidly spectating.

And it just so happened it fit perfectly within the race calendar for the year…

**ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF @lxd_media & @jukedronevisuals**

The Pres

The 5 hour journey from Tunny went largely without incident - being lucky enough to ride shotgun for my crew and better half Maddie.

It was carb city in the passenger seat - from 8am tupperwares of pasta, to an unholy number of hash browns at Cambridge services washed down with Highland Fuel, I dread to think of the number of calories consumed on that morning in that seat…

However, with a hot day weather-wise ahead, I was keen to get as many solids down the neck as possible as I always struggle to get the food down in the heat.

Before too long, we had made it to the beautiful Far Coley Farm - a stunning venue to play host to what was going to be an incredible event.

The event village, centred around the Athlete Barn and the start line, was already a bustle of nervous, excited energy. I was greeted by Kieron, James and the rest of the event team - who I had only previously known through social media. The site was immaculate - freshly mown lawns, tipis and local vendors created a beautiful atmosphere.

Mads and I set up camp in the Athlete Barn, with an ordered setup of clothes, nutrition and shoes to account for what was to come. With this being my first ever crewed event, we had created a spreadsheet outlining the plan of attack - aiming for a lofty 48 yards (hours) totalling 200 miles.

Once we’d ordered our affairs, it was time for the brief from the RD James Ellis, and head honcho at Far Coley Farm, Emily. The stage was set - and it was time to party…

In the Beginning | 1200-1800

The race began with 81 Athletes - plodding around the 4.167mi/6.7km loop for as long as we could manage. My strategy was simple: hold lap splits between 45-48” on a dime up to 80mi-ish and take stock. Keep it steady, tick the first stint out, and get through the first night feeling fresh.

Being my first Backyard, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of atmosphere; but it transpired to be electric from the off. All the runners were buoyed by a combination of excitement and mild nerves, spurred by the incredible crowd of crew, supporters and everyone involved in putting on the event.

The wide paths around the 2.1mi loop (to be completed twice every hour) allowed for people to run triple-quadruple abreast - which, coupled with the fact everyone was plodding along at party pace due to the nature of the event, gave for more of a social ‘Run Club’ vibe to the event.

After an initial descent down the farm track, the first climb took us up into the only covered part of the course in a little wood covering a lake. From there, we exited the woods onto the exposed peak that delivered a stunning view of Cannock Chase in the distance. Gently winding through the fields along beautifully forgiving terrain underfoot, we made it to a small cluster of barns to mark the halfway point of the loop.

The second half was just as stunning as the first - delivering more grassy paths round the exterior of fields, exquisite views across Staffordshire; before hopping back on the tarmac to bring us back to the event village.

Before the start of the second lap, the overcast conditions that had started the race gave way for sunshine - making the course all the more stunning. As the afternoon sun began to heat up, t-shirts began to leave the chat accompanied by the distinct smell of a suncream-sweat mix. With much of the course being pretty exposed, there wasn’t much hiding from the sun - so by lap 4, I was taking a 750ml soft flask with 1 scoop of BareFuel out for each hour so as to keep fluids up.

By this point, Maddie had fully embraced her job as crew - making sure I was fed, hydrated and rested according to the hour-by-hour spreadsheet I had created in race planning. I should’ve known from the off that giving her a free pass to tell me what to do was a dangerous idea…

As the final hour of the first 6-hour stint came to a conclusion, the start line had become a hub of activity - more akin to that of a festival than a run! Crew and supporters were enjoying a class evening, drinking beers and eating fresh pizza that made the prospect of tapping out very slightly appealing; with Maddie even making a point of raising her pizza in support while coming round for the second loop of the lap 5.

The Evening Shift | 1800-0000

6 laps deep, nearing the Marathon mark - and spirits were higher than ever. Many runners had already ticked over the previous-furthest distance, and were about to join The 1% Club. Although the race format was forgiving on the rest-front, the early-evening heat was easy to get caught out by. Luckily, Maddie had known the brief - hot weather = mo’ pickles, mo’ sodium.

An additional scoop of Optimum Electrolytes to the hourly stack (2 x BareFuel) meant cramps didn’t even have a sniff at any point - which I will also credit the unholy amount of gherkins for!

6 turned to 7, and 7 turned to 8 - and it was time for the 9th lap, headtorches on. Even though the late-evening light was still kicking about, the sight of 60-odd dots of light going round the course was pretty special. This aspect of the night in any ultra is something I always look forward to - whether that’s in the Scottish mountains, the Cornish Coast Path, or a farm track in Staffordshire.

The final light of day faded to dark, with little blobs of light quietly bobbing up and down the trail. The first couple of hours of the night were great fun - and energy amongst the field remained high, as is the case with most races.

Friday finished with the 11pm lap - before which I said ciao to Mads as she headed off for the night under strict instruction to not come out till at least 0500.

Moving well, plan executed to a T. Happy days.

Into the Dark | 0000-0500

As midnight grew into the early early morning, the usual novelty of night running had begun to ease off - and, having barely slept on Thursday night due to excitement, the sleep demons entered the chat (albeit quietly).

Eyes growing heavy, yet still we marched on through the wee small hours - with 40 or so of us remaining, many of which had surpassed their previous longer distance by some margin. Every lap brought with it news of another distance PB, which definitely kept spirits up across the group.

A clear, chilly night gave it an incredibly serene feel as we plodded through the farm - a stark antithesis to the apocalyptic 16 hours of darkness at the Arc earlier on this year.

Tipping over the 100k mark at 0300 saw a fair few ring the bell and tap out - a huge milestone that will have inevitably sparked a few fires in the belly for more in the future.

I was happy with where the body was at - surprisingly still taking on a few solids (not normally the case overnight) and sticking to the planned 2 scoops HF per hour. That said, the two laps from 0300-0500 felt hard psychologically with a few wobbles entering the chat; but with the knowledge that Maddie would be back in the game at the end of the 4am lap spurring us on to the morning…

Daybreak | 0500-1100

With El Capitan back in the driver’s seat, I began to feel much better as daylight broke; and got back into clockwork rhythm as the early morning sun began to rise over the farm. Having struggled with body temperature during the latter parts of the night, things started to level out as dawn progressed into the morning.

The laps ticked over, slowly but surely edging towards the 24hr mark - which would be the furthest many of the guys left over had ever run, and a monumental milestone to reach; and although many were beginning to enter the Locker with sleep deprivation amongst other ailments, spirits seemed high across the field.

By 0800, the sun had shaken off its early morning haze to return with a vengeance - with no signs of letting up from the onslaught the day before. The skeleton crew from the night shift slowly grew as people returned to the farm to support, bringing with them an awesome spectacle of a hot air balloon rising over Cannock Chase.

Spectators, crews and runners who had finished on Friday steadily streamed into the farm as the morning went on, which caused a gentle crescendo in atmosphere as the 100 mile/24 hour mark approached.

My body was feeling in top nick considering the dip in the last stages of the night; Maddie was ensuring that I was drinking and eating exactly what I had planned according to the spreadsheet, and (uncharacteristically) both the stomach and the legs were playing ball.

Closing in on a full day of running without sleep, we rallied as one and cracked on towards the 24th lap…

Hundred Up | 1100-1400

11 of us set out on the final lap to hit 100 miles from 81 starters.

I had shared conversations out on the course with every single one who had gone the distance - and it was pretty special watching some of them dig to the absolute depths to head out one last time to complete the job.

To the soundtrack of our ever-enthusiastic MC and owner of the Farm, Emily, one by one we crossed the line to an immense reception as we brought up the ton. For some, it was a well-earned ring of the bell; but for the 7 of us wanting more, it was back in the Shed for the usual drill.

Feet up. Eat. Drink. Get back out.

The race had now begun…

After the emotional peak of the 100 mile mark, the successive laps 25, 26 and 27 felt smooth sailing - adrenaline coursing through the veins thanks to the unrivalled atmosphere at the start line. With the course being 2 loops, it was beautiful to be able to lap it up twice every hour; meaning there was never much of an opportunity to get into a mental hole.

People stuck around to watch for the first few laps after the 24, not least because local legend Rob Moss was nipping at the heels of Ryan and I having never run more than 30 miles. Rob is a savage in the truest sense of the word, and the sheer depths this man pushed to in those last few hours was incredible to watch. Back in the Barn, he was surrounded by many of his nearest and dearest towards the back end - and even though his body was violently rejecting the idea of stopping, he kept heading out to go just one more lap.

Watching the footage back after the event was touching as his race came to an emotional hiatus after squeezing every last drop out and not leaving a shred on the course. A gent in every sense of the word, and a pleasure to share the trails with.

The Final | 1500-1800

2 left. Ryan and myself.

Since the latter parts of the night, Ryan and I had plodded many a lap together - sharing mutual stories of our adventures with GB Ultras among others that made the time pass very nicely indeed. We shared similar strategies in terms of pacing, which meant we had worked together a lot of the time to stick to the script we had set out.

We had chatted a few laps prior to the 24 about how long we both fancied; and he had floated the boat of midnight on Sunday as his end point (36 hours). With an ambitious race plan set at 48 hours, I had the means to go the distance - so I kept at the 46-48” laps on a dime in the hope that my body would hold out to the experience of Mr Black.

The afternoon sun kept at it - and the tiredness began to set in, meaning conversation dropped to a minimum. I think at that point, we were both perfectly happy to get our heads down and focus.

We never strayed too far apart from one another - every now and then, Ryan would pull away a few hundred yards, but more or less in the same position. He was looking particularly fresh, as he had done throughout the entire event; and I was convinced we were going to head into a second night together.

The end of the 29th loop came, and I got the orders from Mads to send a fast lap (35-38”) so I could get a relatively decent nap in the mix to stay sharp as things were to get darker. With the body feeling pretty good, I knew I had the capacity to execute this - so I went out the gates like the clappers on what was to be the final lap of the day.

The course was entirely runnable - but in the name of energy conservation, every hill had been walked up to now - so it was, in some respects, a nice breath of fresh air to get the legs and lungs pumping while maintaining a decent stride on the inclines around the course. Largely motivated by the prospect of some much needed sleep.

I wanted to give myself a decent nap, so I kept my head down and cracked on round the first loop in good time - with an idea in the back of my mind to make it up the first hill and into the woods before Ryan turned the corner to start the second loop.

Before long, I was pacing my way back up the drive for the final stretch - only to be greeted by a wall of bubbles and cheers.

30 hours later. Last Man Standing.

Done and dusted!

The Afters

An epic finish was followed by a barrage of hugs and handshakes from the DNF and FCF Teams respectively - an awesome bunch of dedicated individuals who had created such an incredible atmosphere.

A debrief from Emily followed - where I was able to showcase my notorious talent for public speaking; before getting on the beers and catching up with everyone after the climax of one of my favourite events to date.

Having run for 30 hours, and been awake the best part of 42, I was a bit over-zealous on the first pint and subsequently decided to take a ‘nap’ mid-conversation and chill out on the floor for a little while…

We gathered our bits, thanked the team and headed a stone’s throw away back to the Tipi for a well-earned sleep.

The Final Word

The inaugural DNF x FCF Backyard Ultra delivered a belter.

A beautiful, runnable route; a class atmosphere; and an incredible bunch of individuals to share the trails with.

A huge thanks to James, Kieron and the volunteers for DNF - what you boys have created is truly special, and I am eternally grateful to be part of this community.

To Emily and her team at Far Coley Farm - for such a lovely route, and unparalleled hospitality throughout the event.

And finally, to my crew - El Capitan - Mads, you have a unique talent for bossing me around; for which I will thank my lucky stars. I couldn’t have wished for a better crew, and you kept us going throughout the entire event. First outing under your wing - many more to come…

An absolute must for anyone looking to start their journey into Ultra - or for those seeking a beastly distance, the backyard format is the most accessible route in. And I reckon you’d be hard-tasked to find somewhere to rival the hospitality, beauty and community around the DNF x FCF Backyard.

I will see you next year…