A Cincinnati Public Schools teacher and ultramarathon runner has broken another world record, this time at the Big Dog's Backyard Ultra in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Harvey Lewis, 45, was the last of 36 runners left standing after four days of nearly nonstop running that started Oct.16.
He ran just over 354 miles in 85 laps, shattering the last backyard ultra world record held by John Stocker, who ran more than 337 miles at the Suffolk Backyard Ultra in the United Kingdom.
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"I wasn't thinking that was something that was gonna happen, so I was surprised," Lewis, a teacher of economics and American government at Cincinnati's School for Creative and Performing Arts, told The Enquirer.
CPS teacher breaks multiple world records
An ultramarathon is a run that covers a distance longer than 26.2 miles, the distance of a standard marathon. Lewis said he was introduced to ultramarathons in the 1990s.
Since then, he's completed runs many would consider a near superhuman feat.
Last year, Lewis broke a world record when he ran from the lowest to highest points on the contiguous United States in 33 hours and 32 minutes. And in 2018, he ran through all 14 states of the Appalachian Trail in 49 days and 14 hours, placing him in the top 10 for fastest journeys through that terrain. He averaged over 42 miles per day. People usually take five months to make such a trek.
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The most recent race required Lewis to run four-mile loop every hour on the hour, oscillating between 11 hours on a trail and 13 hours on the road, until only one runner remains.
"...You may get an opportunity to sleep for five minutes, that's it, per hour during the nighttime," Lewis said of the race. "It gets more difficult the longer you're going to survive."
Lewis fractures hand during Big Dog's Backyard Ultra in Tennessee
The race had a deeper meaning for Lewis, despite the physical exhaustion. "It has like a spiritual element to it, too," he said, "because you are pushing yourself to such extremes."
He's ran the race four times, finishing as the assist – meaning he was the second to last runner standing – in 2017 and 2020.
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But winning this year came at a cost. Lewis fractured a bone in his hand after falling down near the end of the race. Luckily, he said, it was a clean break and it should heal quickly.
Lewis preparing for Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, other ultramarathons
Lewis' next ultramarathon isn't until March. His win this week granted him entry to the enigmatic and punishing Barkley Marathons – a 100-mile trek through the woods of Tennessee's Frozen Head State Park.
But for now, Lewis is focused on preparing for the upcoming Flying Pig Marathon, which he's ran in since its inception 23 years ago.
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Part of that preparation includes taking Epsom salt baths, seeing his physical therapist and taking walks with his dog Carly, a terrier mix. Lewis also trains by running to and from work.
"But it's gonna be a challenge, because I have to recover my body to be able to still get out and run 26 miles," he said. "There's a limited amount of time to do that in."
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