Backyard Ultra Chur 2026

Saturday, August 29, 2026

My very first Backyard Ultra. One hundred participants. A 6.7 km lap every hour, until only one participant remains. If you aren't ready in time to start the lap, you're out!

Preparation I did two backyard simulations of 6-7 laps. During these training sessions, I tested the break routines and tried out what pace would feel comfortable. I also went for a run a few times immediately after my night shift to get used to running with sleep deprivation.

At a Backyard, it’s not about running a lap as fast as possible, but about distributing your energy as effectively as possible. The plan was to walk at the beginning of every lap, walk halfway through, and again at the end. I aimed for laps of about 48 minutes.

From 9 o'clock onwards, you were allowed to pitch your tent on the grounds. My housemate Stephan and I shared a tent. We were ready by 8:30 and, after a somewhat chaotic start, managed to secure a spot right near the start/finish. Meanwhile, Uwe, my boyfriend, also came to help lug things back and forth. The whole atmosphere felt a bit like an open-air festival! Inside the tent, we had two comfortable deck chairs, a table, lots of food and drinks, spare clothes, shoes, a Blackroll massage gun, a photo of Jasmin Paris, and everything we thought we would need.

Meanwhile, my parents also arrived; they were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary today and had driven all the way from the Netherlands to be there. We were ready!

Race The race started at at 12:00. As expected, most took off running immediately, but Steef and I stuck to our plan. It was crowded on the narrow path and sometimes difficult to maintain your own rhythm, but it was doable. We finished the first lap in 47:48. On to the next laps! From lap 3 onwards, my knee started to ache slightly and my legs didn't feel ready to cover a lot of kilometers. I tried to keep telling myself that it would pass and that my body was still warming up, but for a moment I was afraid of a very early DNF. From lap 7 onwards things improved, and as the laps went by, I only started to feel better. Thankfully!

After a few laps, I noticed that I had very stable lap times. I made a game of trying to maintain this. In the first 15 laps, the difference between my fastest and slowest lap was only 18 seconds!! After this, I noticed that I was running slightly faster and I let go of the lap times.

During every round, I took a 250 ml soft flask of Tailwind and a fruit squeeze or smoothie with me. Always halfway through the round, before the bridge, I would start walking, and on the bridge, I would have my fruit squeeze. During the break, I always ate whatever I felt like at that moment. In the beginning, it was stroopwafels and Snelle Jelle with vegan Nutella, but eventually, mostly banana and instant noodles. I also always drank 250 ml of cola, iced tea, or broth during the break.

I ran most laps with Steef, sometimes each at our own pace. It was nice to have a buddy. Our motto was: everything is perfect as it is. Hot? Perfect as it is. Busy? Perfect as it is.

I got through the first night well. Twice I lay down for a bit with a sleep mask on, but I couldn't sleep. I often stay up all night during night shifts, so I am used to one night without sleep.

Steef stopped at lap 15. 100km and pain everywhere was enough for him for today. He slept for 45 minutes and then joined the support team!

After that, I ran part of every lap together with Mauro. He had joined us for a lap during the night because he had forgotten his headlamp, and after Steef stopped, we automatically became running buddies. So special, 18 years old and determined to complete the 24 laps!

The support and help from everyone was unprecedented! Uwe kept looking after me. I told him what I needed and he made sure it was ready: a set of clean clothes, different shoes, sunscreen, a toothbrush. What a sweetheart! My parents were at the campsite, where we walked past twice an hour. Yet, they could be found at the start/finish almost every hour, providing me with refreshments, broth, and encouragement. They went to sleep the first night, and then I would occasionally see my father's or mother's head sticking out of the camper as I walked past, and at 4 o'clock they were suddenly back at the start/finish cheering me on.

Good friends Trynke and Mercedes came on the first night and were present at almost every lap after that: always cheerful and always full of good energy! In addition, a whole lot of friends and colleagues stopped by; some stayed for hours and some even came back 3 or 4 times. An acquaintance from the Trailtreff even stood along the route twice an hour for two days straight—bizarre! And there was a woman who was following the backyard online the entire weekend and came by on Sunday to watch it live and bring cupcakes. So sweet! The online support was also tremendous: I really felt supported on all sides and all the support gave so much energy!

Sunday was warm, especially on the asphalt. Otherwise, I stuck to my usual rhythm. Start, walk, run, walk, eat, drink, run, walk, finish, sit, eat, drink, and again.

At lap 20, I was the last woman standing! You noticed every time that there were fewer and fewer participants at the start, but I wasn't really focused on that. I just tried to think one lap ahead to myself each time. At lap 24, 7 participants finished! 5 continued. During lap 25, I asked them all how they were doing, and 3 wanted to stop. So, only 2 of us would continue! Me and the Australian, Jeffrey. I knew he had a Backyard PB of 30 laps and really wanted to break it. So, we would keep going for a while longer…

By lap 27, I was further than I have ever run!! My furthest distance ever was 177 km at the SwissPeaks in 2023. It was awesome to break that record, but after that, I had a huge motivational slump. Physically, I actually still felt good, but mentally I was done. I really didn't feel like running the same laps anymore, but not feeling like it isn't a reason to stop, right? So I kept going anyway. Fortunately, I also know that every slump is temporary. And that was true! I found some motivation again. Just one more lap and I'll be at 200 km, just one more lap and he'll reach his PR and maybe he'll stop, just one more lap… Running a backyard run is truly a mental game, and that's what makes it so fun.

In the evening, it fortunately cooled down a bit again, but my appetite also diminished. Still, I tried to continue lap after lap at the same rhythm.

At 8:00 PM, during lap 33, we had to run with a headlamp again. I know that sleep deprivation and a headlamp can cause you to see things that aren't there, and that was happening again after a few laps. A few times I saw trash lying everywhere on the ground, and when I stopped, it turned out to be just leaves. I didn't feel very comfortable in the dark anymore, and I kept thinking I was going the wrong way, even though I should have known the loop by now. Still, I kept going because I was very close to the women's record ever run on Swiss soil! By lap 36, I had equaled the record. To break the record, I had to do one more lap, and then I would also have 250+ km. Before the lap started, I cautiously told Uwe and Trynke that it would be a good moment to stop. They said: "Tes, take it lap by lap."

During lap 37, I could hardly imagine running any further, and after lap 37, 251 km, and the record, I said that was enough. Uwe was behind me no matter what; he also saw immediately that I hadn't had a sip in the last lap, but Trynke still tried to persuade me: she thought I hadn't reached my physical limit yet, and perhaps she was right. Just one more lap after all!?

I started lap 38 and was having a huge debate in my head. One more lap? No, stop it. Or maybe? No, stop it. Could I be satisfied with 251 km, a record, and a DNF? Yes, absolutely. Or should I try to go for the win after all? But how many laps would that be? I actually just really didn't want to run any further, and I didn't know to what extent it would be responsible to continue with these thoughts. After 100m, I decided to turn around and walked back to the start, where Uwe, my parents, Trynke, Mercedes, Ramon, and two other men from the organization greeted me with cheers. A very happy Did Not Finish.

50 minutes later, Jeffrey crossed the finish line. The Last Man Standing! The two of us ran 12 laps. He ran incredibly strongly. He told me he would have loved to keep running until sunrise. When I heard that, I was really glad I didn't go any further. For a first Backyard, it was just right this way.

What an experience! It is very different from running an ultra in the mountains. The support was truly amazing. And especially mentally, it is a real mindfuck, but that is also what makes it so fun and it already leaves me wanting more.

I want to thank all the supporters, the crew, and the organization for all the encouragement and help. Without them, I would be nowhere!

37 laps 251 kilometers Women's record on Swiss soil Last woman standing Assist DNF

Difference between fastest and slowest lap: 2 minutes 39 seconds