Michael
Rouleau has no issue with pushing his body to the limit.
Where exactly that limit sits remains
to be seen.
Rouleau is among the large group of Sudbury
residents who has been smitten by the lure of long-distance
running. He is also among a much smaller group who is
drawn to a very particular niche within the spectrum of
distance running.
“The backyard ultra format really,
really interests me,” explained the 31 year-old
who grew up playing hockey – but was never a runner.
“I really like the mental aspect of it. There’s
obviously a huge physical component to it, but the mental
is different than other races.”
The brainchild of American endurance race
designer Gary Cantrell, the backyard ultra was launched
some 15 years ago based on a relatively simple context:
in order for runners to cover a 100-mile stretch in a
period of 24 hours, they needed to average 4.167 miles
(6.71 kms) an hour.
Adding an interesting twist to the various
endurance races that existed at the time, the backyard
ultra format dictates that runners cover ONLY that 6.71
kilometre loop in the course of one hour, but then reconvene
on the start line, again, at the start of the next hour,
and do it all over again and again, until there is one
last man or woman standing.
The race format also dictates that in
order to win a race, a participant must complete one more
loop than the second last person (the “assist”)
– but then must call it quits. Runners are not allowed
to proceed any further than the one singular lap by which
they claim victory.
With that all as clear as mud, let’s
throw in the wild notion that in capturing the recent
Persistence Backyard Ultra in London (ON), Rouleau would
complete this pre-determined circuit for 43 consecutive
hours, compiling a grand total 288.53 kms in a span of
slightly less than two days.
There is clearly plenty to unravel in
this challenge.
“Distance events are all challenging
and different in their own way, but it’s the resilience
aspect of the backyard that appeals to me,” said
Rouleau. “How far can I go? And the problem solving
aspect – it’s one big puzzle. Nutrition, support
crew set-up, hydration, everything.”
And to think this all started from a combination
of two seemingly independent occurrences: 1) the urge
to head out for a short run to relieve some Covid-related
stress and 2) the happen-chance stumbling across a You
Tube video that featured runners completing a 160km race
– something Rouleau assumed at the time was more
or less “fake news”.
As he made the progression that so many
have, from lap around the block to 5km, 10km, half marathons,
marathons and such, Rouleau found himself introduced to
the inaugural BB Backyard Ultra at Kivi Park last October.
Twenty-five hours later, the member of the Greater Sudbury
Police Services department had won his first race –
and was hooked.
The calendar year of 2025 was not at all
about adding hardware to the trophy-case.
“I was not that interested in winning,
this year; I was interested in finding my limit,”
said Rouleau. “In order to find your limit, you
need to be in a race with someone who can run further
than you.”
For the northern Ontario gentleman, those
“someones” turned out to be Harvey Lewis (former
world record holder – 108 hours) and Scott Snell
(2024 Big’s Backyard Ultra champion – 88 hours),
folks who were competing in Ohio (March) and Washington
D.C. (May) respectively.
“I learned so much from those two
experiences,” said Rouleau, bumping his race totals
up to the 30-31 hour range – but still well off
what he just accomplished in London, a performance that
currently qualifies him to represent the country at the
Backyard Ultra World Team Championships in 2026 (though
the qualifying period runs through until next August).
“If it’s a point to point
race and I am running against someone like that (Lewis
or Snell), I will see them for the first two minutes of
the race and never see them again,” explained Rouleau.
“In the backyard format, whether you are relatively
new to this or the best in the world, you are all kind
of running a similar pace.”
“In the middle of the night (in
Ohio), when there were maybe only ten of us left, I got
to spend two to three hours running with Harvey Lewis,
alone, and picking his brain. It was an amazing, amazing
experience.”
Rouleau had assumed that for those who
had more than doubled his totals, the introduction of
muscle soreness and sleep deprivation clearly did not
happen until long after he was falling victim to these
hindrances to his run. What he discovered what exactly
the opposite.
“Guys like that feel the pain at
basically the same time I do; they have just learned to
manage it,” he said. “If you are willing to
hang on long enough, the pain doesn’t get any worse.
You just have to be winning to tolerate the pain and keep
putting one foot in front of the other.”
(Rouleau obviously distinguishes between
pain and injury – but that whole discussion is the
topic of a completely separate column)
As much as this seems like the ultimate
personal challenge, Rouleau is quick to acknowledge a
couple of team aspects to the undertaking. As he alluded
to earlier, the “assist” runner is key –
though not one enters a race hoping to take on the mantle.
“If you want to go far, you need
other people to also go far,” he said. And given
the on-going temptation to call it quits, the support
staff performs far more than just logistically necessary
tasks.
“I need someone who holds me to
the game plan – and I have a pretty detailed plan.”
A friend and his brother would provide
the support in London, while his parents were on hand
for the entirety of his 30-hour race in Washington. When
Michael Rouleau looks to defend his title in Sudbury on
October 4th, he will have more options at his disposal.
Expect him to select whoever is likely
to push him to his limit – wherever that may be.
According to BB Backyard Ultra race organizer
Andre Dumais, there are about 12 openings or so remaining
to fill the maximum 200-runner field for the upcoming
event. For more information, Dumais can be reached at
andred@vianet.ca
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