The Threshold Podcast

Belgium just pushed the backyard ultra world record to 124 yards and 516.7 miles, Team USA is the new world team champion, and five days of racing produced more storylines than we could possibly fit into one episode.Garrett and Tanner begin their full recap of the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, breaking down the countries, runners and performances that defined one of the most compelling backyard races we have ever watched.Team USA finished on top with 1,120 total yards, but the road there was anything but straightforward. Australia looked nearly untouchable before losing eight runners across a brutal stretch late in the race. Belgium finished third while Ivo Steyaert and Merijn Geerts continued alone for 38 hours and ultimately stopped together at a new world record of 124 yards. Japan delivered one of the deepest and most consistent performances of the championship, and the UK announced itself as a legitimate world power.The conversation also covers:Why Belgium may have provided the blueprint for what a true backyard ultra TEAM should look like, from crew structure and shared support to Ivo and Merijn running side by side until the endAustralia’s stunning collapse from 10 runners to two, why their fourth night may have played a major role, and why this young roster could be even more dangerous in 2028Japan improving by 155 yards over 2024 and keeping all 15 runners alive through the first 50 yardsThe UK smashing its national team record, finishing fifth in the world and making a very strong case to join the sport’s top tierFrance producing two 100-yard runners despite brutal weather, a power outage and several major early disappointmentsThe major questions surrounding AIN and Biotropika after several runners came nowhere close to their previously reported performancesThen we turn to Team USA.Mark Dowdle completed 107 yards to become the U.S. national champion after surviving several moments where it looked like his race might be over. Jon Noll delivered another 100+ yard championship performance with 106. Nicholas Steele exploded from a 60-yard personal best to 94. Greg Fall reached 92. Levi Yoder, Nick Petterson, Jeff Walker and Ryan Snickles all set major personal bests.Harvey Lewis may not have reached the yardage many expected, but his leadership became one of the defining stories of the American victory. And Megan Smythe finished with 82 yards as the final woman remaining anywhere in the world.This is Part 1.In Part 2, we’ll go back through our predictions, revisit the Team USA course controversy, debate whether the U.S. should remain at Bell Buckle for future team championships, and look ahead to what Sat Champs could become by 2028.If you want backyard ultrarunning covered like its own sport, not an afterthought inside the larger ultra world, you’re in the right place.#BackyardUltra #SatChamps #Ultrarunning

The 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships are heating up, and Day 2 has already delivered major controversy, shocking exits, extreme weather, and international storylines!Four countries remain perfect with all 15 runners still standing through 38 yards. Spain's championship has been wiped out by severe flooding, France is taking major losses, and Team USA has sparked controversy after making a mid-race course change in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.In this episode of The Threshold Podcast, Garrett and Tanner break down the latest Backyard Ultra Satellite World Championships standings, Team USA's performance, major athlete eliminations, and the biggest storylines unfolding around the world.Topics covered in this episode:2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championships: Live standings, Team USA, Belgium, Australia, Japan, and the battle for the world title.Team USA Course Debate: The decision to switch from the Bell Buckle day loop to the night course early, Australia's reaction, and whether international backyard championships need standardized conditions.Vera Chekalina & Biotropika: Chekalina exits at 34 yards after running 96 earlier this year, raising more questions surrounding AIN athletes and Biotropika.Spain's Championship Canceled: Severe flooding ends Spain's race while other nations see their entire teams eliminated before 30 yards.Theo Von & Mark Dowdle: Comedian Theo Von makes an appearance in Bell Buckle and cooks spaghetti for backyard ultra star Mark Dowdle.Last Soul Ultra 2027: More invited athletes emerge for the massive Tennessee backyard ultra, with elite competitors and endurance content creators entering the conversation. Garrett and Tanner continue their push for an invitation.BPN Go One More Ultra: The 2027 lottery opens, but can BPN compete with the growing excitement surrounding Last Soul Ultra?Rappid, Kim Gottwald & Big's Backyard Ultra: Rappid sponsors the Big's livestream. Could this signal a much larger partnership between Rappid, Last Soul Ultra, and Big's?Moab 240 Canceled: Aaron Kubala reaches over 214 miles before severe weather ends the race and his pursuit of a 2026 Triple Crown sweep.Chicago Marathon 2026: Clayton Young, Charles Hicks, and the emerging Vinny Mauri storyline following another incredible marathon performance.Duff Dog Backyard Ultra: Garrett breaks down his 25-yard performance, a 10-yard personal best, and the mindset shift that helped him reach a new level.Mammoth 200: Women battle near the top of the overall standings while the race raises questions about the future of 200-mile ultramarathon livestream coverage.The 2026 Backyard Ultra Satellite World Championships are far from over. With teams battling for survival, national records on the line, and the world's best backyard ultrarunners pushing toward 200+ miles, the biggest stories may still be ahead.We'll be back later this week with more results, analysis, and breaking news as the championship unfolds.The Threshold Podcast brings you ultrarunning news, backyard ultra coverage, athlete interviews, race recaps, and the stories of those pushing beyond their limits.Follow the show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest from the world of ultrarunning.#BackyardUltra #Ultrarunning #BigsBackyardUltra #SatelliteChampionships #LastSoulUltra #TheThresholdPodcast

The wait is over.On October 17, backyard runners around the world will start the same 4.167-mile yard, and they will keep coming back every hour until national teams begin disappearing. The 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship is here.Garrett and Tanner have spent the last month talking with Team USA runners, studying the international rosters, following the qualifying races and trying to figure out what happens when 15-person teams around the world compete for every possible yard.Now it’s time to make the calls.We break down all 15 members of Team USA, from Jeff Walker and Nicholas Steel through Mark Dowdle, Jon Noll and captain Harvey Lewis. We look at what each runner has done, where there may still be untapped upside, who we trust when the race reaches the third and fourth nights, and then put an actual yard prediction next to every name.And we’re not playing it safe.Garrett predicts Team USA will score 1,228 yards. Tanner has them at 1,202. Both would break Belgium’s championship-record 1,147 yards from 2024, and both of us are picking the United States to win the world title.The conversation also covers:Why Mark Dowdle, Jon Noll and Harvey Lewis could become the backbone of Team USA late in the race, and why the version of Dowdle we see in Bell Buckle may look very different from the showman we’ve watched elsewhereOur biggest Team USA swings, including Tanner calling 102 yards for Nicholas Steel, Garrett calling 92 for Nick Petterson and 90 for Megan Smyth, and both of us wondering if we may have underestimated Harvey Lewis before the episode was even overBelgium’s terrifying depth, Ivo Steyaert, Merijn Geerts and Brecht Van Damme, and how the defending champions could produce some of the highest individual yard counts in the world and still lose the team titleThe international teams that could reshape the championship, including Japan’s extraordinary consistency, an Australian team trying to replace the yards Phil Gore would have provided, a UK roster Garrett believes could make a massive jump, and an AIN team carrying one of the strangest and most fascinating storylines of the entire eventWhether the enormous Biotropika performances translate when those runners compete under the official World Team Championship structure, and why their results could answer questions the backyard world has been arguing about for monthsOur final calls for the world’s highest individual yardage, biggest surprise, biggest underperformer, team sleeper and the bold predictions that could either make us look brilliant or give the rest of the backyard world clips to use against us for yearsThere is also something bigger happening around this race.The backyard has grown quickly enough that countries are building deeper teams, international rivalries are becoming real, live streams are putting more eyes on every yard and every decision, and runners who once existed in separate corners of the sport are suddenly competing inside the same global event.This is the event we built the last month of The Threshold Podcast around.Now there is nothing left to research.It’s time to run.If you want to know who can win the 2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, which runners could explode past their previous bests and what to watch when the yards start piling up around the world, you’re in the right place.Links2026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championshiphttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/Official 2026 World Team Championship rostershttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-team-championship-2026/Team USA World Team Championship pagehttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/big-dogs-satellite-championships-team-usa/Road to Big’shttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/road-to-bigs/Backyard Ultra World Rankingshttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/world-rankings/#BackyardUltra #TeamUSA #BigsBackyardUltra

TEAM USA BACKYARD CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR: JEFF WALKER | THE THRESHOLD PODCASTWhat does it take to go from your first backyard ultra to representing Team USA on the world’s biggest backyard ultra stage? For Jeff Walker, it’s a combination of grit, consistency, mental toughness, and learning how far you can go when you refuse to count yourself out.On this episode of The Threshold Podcast, Tanner and Garrett sit down with Jeff Walker, winner of the 2026 Queeny Backyard Ultra, where he punched his ticket to Team USA with an incredible 61-yard performance. A two-time Prairie on Fire champion and Grind on the Grid winner, Jeff has quickly established himself as one of the most competitive names in backyard ultra running.Jeff takes us through his journey from a former wrestler and high school runner to a serious contender in the ultrarunning world. We dive into his breakthrough at Queeny, the influence of Harvey Lewis on his racing philosophy, and why teamwork, pacing, and staying present can make all the difference when the hours start piling up.We also break down his preparation for the Backyard Ultra World Team Championships at Big’s Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. From 100-mile training weeks and 4 a.m. runs to elevation preparation, race-day strategy, sleep management, and the mental battle of pushing through another yard, Jeff shares what goes into preparing for ultrarunning’s ultimate endurance test.Plus, we discuss the importance of family and crew support, how experience can become an advantage as runners get older, the evolution of backyard ultras, and Jeff’s thoughts on the growing popularity of livestreamed events like Last Soul Ultra.In this episode:Jeff Walker’s journey into backyard ultras and ultramarathon runningWinning Queeny Backyard Ultra and earning a spot on Team USALearning from Harvey Lewis and embracing the power of teamworkTraining for Big’s Backyard Ultra with 100+ mile weeksMental toughness, visualization, pacing, and race-day problem-solvingThe importance of crew support, family, and believing things can changeWhy your best backyard ultra performances might still be ahead of youPrairie on Fire, Last Soul Ultra, and the future of backyard ultra racingWhether you're a backyard ultra competitor, ultrarunner, endurance athlete, or fan of the sport, this episode is packed with insight into the physical and mental demands of running one more yard.🎧 Subscribe to The Threshold Podcast for ultrarunning interviews, backyard ultra race previews, endurance training discussions, and conversations with the athletes pushing the limits of human performance.#TheThresholdPodcast #JeffWalker #BackyardUltra #BackyardUltras #TeamUSA #BigsBackyardUltra #Ultrarunning #UltraRunningPodcast #EnduranceRunning #QueenyBackyardUltra #HarveyLewis #LastSoulUltra

Charlie Lawrence just ran 100 kilometers at a clip of 5:56 per mile.Lawrence won the 2026 IAU 100K World Championship in 6:09:25, holding off world record holder Aleksandr Sorokin and helping the U.S. men capture team gold. Courtney Olsen added another world title for Team USA, winning the women’s race in 7:10:31.Garrett and Tanner break down Lawrence’s patient race, what it takes to hold that pace for more than six hours, and revisit one of our favorite questions: if a runner with Charlie’s engine seriously committed to the backyard format, just how dangerous could he be?Then we head to the Sierra Nevada, where Joe “Stringbean” McConaughy finally took down the supported John Muir Trail FKT on his third attempt. McConaughy covered the roughly 223-mile route in 2 days, 16 hours, cutting more than three hours from François D’Haene’s record that had stood since 2017.The conversation also covers:Why repeated attempts matter, what Stringbean may have learned from coming up short twice before, and the very different challenge of chasing an FKT without crew, pacers or resupplyThe Backyard Ultra World Team Championships two weeks out, Team USA’s potential, the countries we’re watching and why some of the biggest performances could come from runners getting far less attentionAn idea from a listener in the U.S. Armed Forces for a military backyard championship built around teams representing the different service branchesThe 2027 Boston Marathon’s 5:17 cutoff, which left thousands of runners who technically hit their Boston qualifying standards without guaranteed entryTigst Assefa winning the Berlin Marathon in 2:11:04 despite tearing her Achilles near 40K, one of the more ridiculous finishes we’ve seen this yearWhy Elm Creek Backyard Ultra continues to establish itself as one of the premier backyard events in the MidwestPlus, Garrett is one week away from Duff Dog Backyard Ultra. We talk through the final taper, what feels different heading into backyard number two and why having one race in the format already under his belt has completely changed his mindset.Running keeps giving us the same lesson in wildly different forms: somebody does something that seems outrageous, another runner sees it, and eventually someone decides they can go farther or do it faster.From six-minute miles for 100K to three days in the Sierra to 74 countries starting the same backyard race at the exact same moment, there has rarely been a more interesting time to find out where the limits actually are.If you like following the people pushing running farther, faster and occasionally into completely unreasonable territory, you’re in the right place.Links2026 IAU 100K World Championships resultshttps://iau-ultramarathon.org/2026-iau-and-wma-100-km-world-championships-final-results.htmlCharlie Lawrence / 100K World Championships recaphttps://www.irunfar.com/2026-iau-100k-world-championships-results-americans-courtney-olsen-charlie-lawrence-winJoe McConaughy’s John Muir Trail FKThttps://www.irunfar.com/joe-mcconaughy-stringbean-john-muir-trail-fkt-20262026 Backyard Ultra World Team Championshipshttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/Road to Big’s / World Team Championshiphttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/road-to-bigs/Boston Marathon qualifying informationhttps://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/qualify/2027 Boston Marathon cutoff announcementhttps://www.baa.org/news/record-field-of-qualifiers-accepted-into-the-131st-boston-marathon-presented-by-bank-of-america/Berlin Marathonhttps://www.bmw-berlin-marathon.com/en/Elm Creek Backyard Ultrahttps://bigsbackyardultra.com/races/elm-creek-backyard-ultra/#CharlieLawrence #BackyardUltra #Ultrarunning