Radek Brunner reflects on Quarantine Backyard Ultra, sad but satisfied for perfect run undone by one mistake
- Czech runner Radek Brunner runs for 62 hours and has more left in the tank, but misses the buzzer so the race ends with him wondering just how far he could have run
Czech runner Radek Brunner was satisfied with his epic performance in the Quarantine Backyard Ultra, but sad it ended due to a simple mistake.
The race was based on Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra in Tennessee. Runners complete a 6.7km loop every hour and keep going until just one person is left running. With lockdowns and travel restrictions in place, the race was held online via Zoom, with over 2,000 runners competing all over the world. The final two left standing were Michael Wardian, doing laps in his neighbourhood in Virginia, and Brunner on a treadmill in the Czech Republic.
Spectators watched live as Brunner stood ready for his 63rd lap, anticipating the buzzer. But time ticked by and he still stood still. The rules are clear – if you do not start the lap exactly on the hour, you are disqualified.
“My Zoom link with HQ was on my laptop. But the problem was, my laptop sound was muted because I slept between loops,” Brunner said. “And on the big screen I had no timer. It was my problem.”
He was streaming the timer on his tablet, but there was a lag.
“All other laps I started with the laptop, this lap I started with the tablet and it was bad decision,” he said.