Ward Boudrea, right, and Logan Moses, left, lead runners at the Back Cove Backyard Ultra in Portland on Saturday. The race, in its third year, has 121 runners at the start who race around the cove every hour until one runner, the champion, remains. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

More than 100 runners braved nearly 80% humidity and high-80s temperatures Saturday as they kicked off on a test of endurance at Back Cove Trail in Portland. The choose-your-own-adventure-style race had athletes running the 4.167-mile loop over and over (and over) well into the afternoon with no sign of stopping – ‘til the last one standing. 

The third annual Back Cove Backyard Ultra welcomed more runners than ever at 122. “Backyard ultras” or “last one standing” races are a type of ultramarathon where competitors repeat a distance of 4.167 miles in under an hour, in order to reach a pace of 100 miles per 24 hours. 

Each hour starts a new round of sorts, and the runners who don’t complete a loop at the hour mark – or are too tired to continue – are eliminated from the competition. As the name suggests, last-one-standing races don’t end until the last runner – the winner – stops running. Last year’s 28-hour-long event may suggest a long night ahead for competitors at Back Cove. 

The man who ran those 28 hours in 2023 and clocked in at 116.67 miles is 39-year-old Jason Geroux, known on social media as The Maine Viking. The Orrington native showed up for his second Back Cove Ultra on Saturday to defend his title but was happy to run with everyone looking to do their personal best.

Jason Geroux, of Orrington, was the champion last year, when he ran a total of 116.67 miles in 23 hours. He’s known on social media as The Maine Viking. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

 “If you can hold on to the end, that’s awesome, but everybody’s struggling together, and no matter what distance it is – if it’s your first 12-miler, man, awesome, I love it,” Geroux said. “It just fires me up to see everybody pushing themselves.”

Geroux’s training schedule includes 40 to 50 miles of running per week. But even for seasoned ultramarathon runners like Geroux, the brutal July heat posed a unique challenge. 

“Keeping my heart rate low, keeping my pace … this would be my 11th (race) over 100 (miles) if I get 100 today, so pretty good experience with keeping my heart rate low, staying hydrated for the past three days and just enduring the pain,” Geroux said. 

The runners were supported by a legion of family, friends and fans – as well as aid provided by Runaways Run Club and Steady State Health, the organizers of the event. 

Volunteers handed out water, junk food and pickle juice – a runner’s secret weapon, helping them stay hydrated and prevent cramps – after every completed lap, while others stood on the ready with ice and fresh pairs of shoes. The runners weren’t the only ones in it for the long haul; many volunteers and supporters set up tents and planned on staying through the night.

Lucy Drew, 16, right, and her mom, Megan, cheer on runners, including Megan’s husband and Lucy’s father, during the Back Cove Backyard Ultra on Saturday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer

 Co-director of the race Kelton Cullenberg, a doctor of physical therapy at Steady State, was planning on taking 20-minute naps over several hours in between supporting runners on the sidelines. 

“Some people are trying to go for the win, and they’re going to be here until tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow evening,” Cullenberg said on Saturday morning. “It’s kind of exciting because there is no formal finish until everyone’s done. We could be here until Monday or Tuesday.” 

Why do people willingly put themselves through several hours of running the same stretch over and over again? For founder and Runaways volunteer Mari Balow, the appeal of the race is its accessibility and challenge-by-choice nature. 

“It’s incredibly approachable, first of all, because the lap is only 4.167 miles, so it’s not a huge distance, it feels approachable to people,” Balow said. “The location we’re in is prime because we’re right in town.” 

The short duration of each lap also allows runners a chance to meet one another and rally each hour at the starting line. 

“A lot of times, these sorts of races will happen on trails that are sort of out in the middle of nowhere and it’s kind of a hassle, but this one is so centrally located that it’s great,” Balow said “And then you have, as a runner, the motivation of the entire group all the time because the way the format works is that you have to be on the start line, on the hour, every hour, to continue in the race, meaning everybody’s going to be there. So you get a little bit of extra motivation.” 

Kayla Kendall of Portsmouth, N.H., 30, volunteered at the race last year. This year, she was back – but this time, on the trail. 

The first-timer took a moment to cool down with a cold towel after her second 4-mile stint. 

“Obviously, the loop is not very shady, Kendall said after her second lap. “So you play the fun game where you try and find all the shady spots. But other than that, I feel great.”

There is only one official “finisher” in a backyard ultra, with the rest of the participants being labeled “DNF” for “did not finish.” As of 4 p.m. Saturday – six hours and six laps into the race – there were 80 people still left running, and 42 competitors had dropped out. But as runners tapped out, they wrote their names on a big poster board and celebrated their distance – whether it was one lap or 20.

“My goal is to just run as much as I possibly can,” Kendall said.