Verwey leads Namibia in gruelling Backyard Ultra championship
A total of 67 nations, including Namibia, each entered its fittest runners and walkers for the Backyard Ultra World Team Championship, at an event hosted separately in each country, but with a simultaneous start.
The Backyard Ultra is still a relatively unfamiliar endurance sport that has gained attention in recent years, testing not only how far athletes can run, but also how they manage fatigue, pain, sleep deprivation, nutrition and mental exhaustion.
Unlike in traditional road running events, which would have a fixed finishing distance, a Backyard Ultra requires runners (or walkers) to complete the same 6.706 kilometre loop every hour, on the hour, until only one competitor remains capable of completing another lap within the one-hour time limit.
At the world championship, each country entered a team of 15 qualified competitors, with each loop counting as one point for the country.
Namibia hosted its Backyard Ultra World Team Championship event at Eagles Beergarden on Windhoek’s eastern outskirts last Saturday, with a route around the Avis Dam. It was a new venue for the event, which was previously hosted at Swakopmund.
Tobias Verwey held on the longest of the Namibian contingent, completing 23 loops, covering approximately 154.24 km.
Verwey said the organisers had picked the flattest available course venue under challenging circumstances, in Windhoek’s notoriously hilly terrain. Two routes were on offer, with the “day loop” containing 74 elevation metres, and the “night loop” 60 metres.
“At the end of my 23 laps, my elevation gain came to a total of about 1,540 metres. We were lucky to have had cloudy weather and rain on Saturday afternoon to cool things down. Conditions at the coast are definitely more favourable for such endurance events.”
The overall world championship was still underway late yesterday afternoon, with eight runners from four nations (the USA, Japan, Belgium and France) still competing for the world title after almost 98 non-stop hours and an unthinkable 656 km behind them.
Team Namibia finished 56th out of 67 countries. The team covered a combined 1,837.44 km, with a cumulative elevation gain of 18,675 metres.
In a media interview, Verwey explained that he nearly withdrew much earlier.
“I had a very difficult time after the 14th loop, having struggled to finish within the hour. I made the cut-off with just 25 seconds left on the clock, and then had to immediately go again.
“It was my wife that told me to get back out there,” he added.
Despite finishing as Namibia’s leading performer, Verwey emphasised that the team spirit was one of the most memorable aspects of the event.
“The greatest part of it was the team. We laughed and talked all the way till the end,” he said.
“It was an honour and privilege to run with them… everyone there was just like machines,” he concluded.
Team Namibia’s 15 athletes were Tobias Verwey, Donatus Aihuki, Buks Gous, Danielle Zimny, Marietjie Steinbach, Naudé Dreyer, Richard Reid, Danie Opperman, Erich Goeieman, Ivan Heigan, Jana van Dyk, Willem Silver, Elze Eigelaar, Karl Birkenstock and Ethan Snyders.
The team included several new faces, such as former national team cricketer Karl Birkenstock, while some familiar competitors were absent. André Ross, Namibia’s previous record-holder at the Team World Championship, had relocated from Swakopmund to Noordoewer for work, and was unable to attend after completing 26 loops (174.36 km) at the previous year’s event. Martin Kalwenya, another strong contender who has shown himself capable of 20-plus performances, was also absent.
Verwey’s 23 loops placed him first among the Namibian athletes. Donatus Aihuki and Buks Gous followed with 22 loops each, covering 147.53 km apiece. Danielle Zimny and Marietjie Steinbach each completed 21 loops (140.83 km).
Naude Dreyer, Richard Reid and Danie Opperman each completed 20 loops (134.12 km). Erich Goeieman and Ivan Heigan recorded 17 loops each (114 km), while Jana van Dyk, Willem Silver and Elze Eigelaar each completed 16 loops, covering 107.30 km.
Karl Birkenstock completed 13 loops (87.18 km), while Ethan Snyders completed 10 loops (67.06 km).
The organisers reckon Verwey could have broken the national record had it not been that he was the only one left.
When asked how he managed to push through for 23 continuous hours, Verwey explained that his mind eventually entered a zone that allowed him to keep going.
Following the demanding event, Verwey is now looking ahead to the Nedbank Desert Dash at the end of the year, for which he has entered “as a very casual cyclist” in a two-person team. For now, however, he plans to give his body time to rest and recover from the gruelling workout.
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