Well bbs, the circus tent is down and Andre’s hat has been retired until next October — we’re officially in the off season and it’s time for our race recap post.
When the bbbu crew met for the first time in 2023, we had big ideas for a cool race weekend that would bring Sudbury a taste of crazy dirtbag endurance running. Never in our wildest dreams did we expect it to take off the way it has and become the coolest running weekend of the season, putting Sudbury on the map as Canada’s biggest backyard race. The generosity of our partners and sponsors, family, friends and volunteers, our warm and inviting community, and the runners who brought so much stoke have made this race into a top shelf event that we are so incredibly proud of.
The heartwarming displays of sportsmanship, compassion, and care you all had for your fellow racers and their crews at camp; the way racers stuck around after finishing literally hundreds of kilometers to tap in and crew for the final couple of runners, literally hand feeding them and touching their salty sweaty bodies; seasoned ultrarunners sharing advice with runners hitting their first ultras (puke and rally!!); the runners, crew, volunteers, friends and fam who came back on day 2 to cheer on the absolute units who kept going back for lap after lap — bbs are so special and we see you, this race is for you.

A massive thank you to the runners, volunteers, and friends who came back to help with teardown and cleanup, you have no idea how much the bbbu crew appreciates your work.
Thanks to Kivi Park and Kerry Lamarche for sharing your trails with our runners, we love it there all year long and it’s a privilege to be able to spend all day and all night there. And thanks for the loaner atvs, we would all be dead if we had to mark and unmark the course by foot.
Thanks to Sara McIlraith for her superior course mapping and marking, and for sharing her many years of race knowledge with a bunch of weirdos with big ideas.
A metric ton of gratitude to Dave Crockett, whose camp expertise, generosity of time and physical labour, and woodworking skills have taken the bbbu to the next level. We will never forget what you’ve shared with us and our runners, bb, please come back to visit your bb fam next October ??
Special thanks to Andre’s (way) better half Megan who was there for almost the whole weekend and kept our timing and results spreadsheet on track. We insist that you come back every year and keep us in line.

And a huge thank you to the Chief BB, Andre, for coming up with the idea to bring this to Sudbury and for working tirelessly day after day to make it the best fucking backyard in the north. He’s not on socials but if you’re inclined to share a word with him, you can reach him at bbbackyardultra@gmail.com.
Over and out with a note from champ champ Mike Rouleau: All day, that “personal best” bell rang again and again. With each ring, someone’s life changed. Their limits; both mental and physical shattered and were replaced with curiosity and possibility. And those moments didn’t just belong to the runners. They rippled out to families, friends, and even strangers who watched in awe, inspired to chase their own “bell” one day. (Lisa Zych)

[From the non-IG, cowboy-hat-wearing, boomer: Lisa won't give herself credit on this post, and I will not get an Instagram account just to gush over her. But I want the BBs to know that this event is only cool, because of her. Lisa is the vibe; she deserve as much credit as anyone else. And in my case, even more. PMA all the way!] (Andre Dumais)