A local runner is a new world champion in one of the toughest races in the world."It was a wild experience," said Harvey Lewis, a teacher at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts. "This race is a race with no end so it's kind of crazy but there's only one person that actually gets to finish the race and everyone else is considered 'did not finish.'"Lewis broke the world record for the Backyard Ultra at the Big Dog race this past weekend.Every hour participants run 4.167 miles. The faster they finish within the hour, the longer break they have."So if I finished my lap in 50 minutes I'd have 10 minutes to work with. I could like take a five-minute nap. I could eat four or five minutes. You have to make sure you're eating and drinking constantly," Lewis said.The race doesn't end until there's one person left.Lewis ran 85 consecutive hours."You really have to get into some special places in your mind to be able to withstand the intensity of the amount of time and distance and challenges that come across the journey," Lewis said.Practicing for the race was intense."So I would actually practice five-minute naps. Believe it or not. I would just lie down on a Yoga mat and see if I could fall asleep," Lewis said.Although sleep wasn't as easy to come by during the race, motivation was.His students wrote inspirational messages on note cards that he used to keep going."My crew chief was able to hand me at different points in the race especially when I was in dark moments and that was just incredibly powerful. And the inspiration, it goes both ways. Because I get a lot of inspiration from my students as much as I might give back," Lewis said.Lewis fell on rocks during hour 80 and broke his wrist.Now, he has a cast that he's calling "a souvenir" from the experience."Got me bandaged up and they said it would only take two or three weeks to heal and I said, wow really. That's amazing!" Lewis said.He will run the Flying Pig Marathon again this year as a "streaker," running every year since its inception.
A local runner is a new world champion in one of the toughest races in the world.
"It was a wild experience," said Harvey Lewis, a teacher at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts. "This race is a race with no end so it's kind of crazy but there's only one person that actually gets to finish the race and everyone else is considered 'did not finish.'"
Lewis broke the world record for the Backyard Ultra at the Big Dog race this past weekend.
Every hour participants run 4.167 miles. The faster they finish within the hour, the longer break they have.
"So if I finished my lap in 50 minutes I'd have 10 minutes to work with. I could like take a five-minute nap. I could eat four or five minutes. You have to make sure you're eating and drinking constantly," Lewis said.
The race doesn't end until there's one person left.
Lewis ran 85 consecutive hours.
"You really have to get into some special places in your mind to be able to withstand the intensity of the amount of time and distance and challenges that come across the journey," Lewis said.
Practicing for the race was intense.
"So I would actually practice five-minute naps. Believe it or not. I would just lie down on a Yoga mat and see if I could fall asleep," Lewis said.
Although sleep wasn't as easy to come by during the race, motivation was.
His students wrote inspirational messages on note cards that he used to keep going.
"My crew chief was able to hand me at different points in the race especially when I was in dark moments and that was just incredibly powerful. And the inspiration, it goes both ways. Because I get a lot of inspiration from my students as much as I might give back," Lewis said.
Lewis fell on rocks during hour 80 and broke his wrist.
Now, he has a cast that he's calling "a souvenir" from the experience.
"Got me bandaged up and they said it would only take two or three weeks to heal and I said, wow really. That's amazing!" Lewis said.
He will run the Flying Pig Marathon again this year as a "streaker," running every year since its inception.
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