Trail Mix | Big Boar’s Backyard Ultra: Will Hayward last man standing on Bowen Road after 25 hours with no finish line
- Will Hayward runs a total of 167.75km, outlasting 14 other competitors over Easter weekend
- Runners complete a 6.7km loop, starting every hour, until only one person is still going
The race that could have gone on forever finally came to an end soon before 10am on Saturday, with a single person left standing: Will Hayward.
Behind him were 167.75 kilometres of running and 14 competitors who he had outlasted.
The Big Boar’s Backyard Ultra consisted of a 6.7km loop along Bowen Road. Runners had an hour to complete the distance and then they had to start it again – on the hour, every hour – until only one person was still going.
“It was very meditative,” Hayward said of his 25-hour-long experience. “It was obviously quite a long time but it really just passed. I wasn’t really aware how long I was out there for.”
Will Hayward poses before the race
“It seems strange to say, but I didn’t get bored at all,” he said. “You just kind of dial into the moment … the act of repetitive activity where you’re doing the same path over and over again. There’s something quite satisfying about it.”