Mark Dowdle has done it again. This past weekend, 990 brave athletes took on Big’s Backyard Ultra, the backyard ultramarathon invented by Gary “Lazarus Lake” Cantrell. The format requires runners to complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour, on the hour, and continue doing so until they can no longer finish a loop within the allotted time. Once you miss the cutoff, you’re out. This year, Big’s Backyard Ultra introduced the World Team Championship format, with every nation competing simultaneously on its own home course. Each country fields 15 runners, and every yard contributes to the team’s total.

The U.S. race takes place at the event’s original location in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Dowdle, the 29-year-old ultra-endurance athlete who also won the Last Soul Ultra and BPN’s Go One More earlier this year, was named the 2026 Big’s Backyard Ultra Team USA Champion after covering an incredible 445 miles (717 kilometers) across 107 loops.…