On Wednesday, October 19, two Belgian athletes, Merijn Geerts and Ivo Steyaert, went into probably the most weird pages of ultrarunning historical past, by concurrently recording a shared world file and a pair of DNFs (didn’t end). They did so on the Belgian version of the World Yard Group Championships, which happened concurrently in 55 completely different international locations all over the world. The pair ran for 101 hours — protecting greater than 420 miles — earlier than deciding collectively to retire.
Ivo Steyaert (left) and Merijn Geerts after breaking the yard extremely world file. All photographs courtesy of Frédérique Van Cauwelaert and Tim De Vriendt.
The format for the occasion sees runners full a 4.167-mile loop, beginning on the hour, each hour, till all however one runner has retired. The final one standing is awarded the win, whereas each different runner is taken into account a DNF. The ultimate runner should additionally full one final solo loop as a way to be deemed a “finisher.” For the workforce component, every nation might put ahead a workforce of 15 runners, with the overall variety of laps, or “yards,” accomplished by their mixed effort going to make up the ultimate workforce rankings.
Geerts had beforehand set the world file at 90 hours earlier in 2022, following a 16-hour head-to-head with Eire’s Keith Russell on the Yard Masters race, which happened in Rettert, Germany. This time it was his personal teammate and countryman, Ivo Steyaert, who grew to become his rival within the drawn-out warfare of attrition.
The final runner standing wherever else within the international occasion had completed after lap 86 — Japan’s Shibawaki Daiki, himself setting a nationwide file in his residence nation. From then on, all eyes have been on Belgium.
Third-place Belgian runner, Frank Gielen, had retired after lap 67, leaving simply Steyaert — whose earlier finest in a yard extremely was 50 laps — and Geerts out on the course.
Curiosity within the pair elevated as they approached, after which surpassed, Geerts’s 90-hour world file, and a livestream was broadcast exhibiting them break the 100-hour barrier. Having accomplished yet one more loop throughout the allotted time, the pair have been again initially for lap 102, however as an alternative of beginning the lap, they shared a hug and determined to name it a day — or 4 and a bit days, to be extra correct.
It was a type of shiny moments in sport, paying homage to high-jumpers Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi’s resolution to share the gold medal on the Tokyo Olympics final 12 months, and no matter what occurs with future yard information, this one received’t be forgotten for a while.
Within the workforce competitors, the USA got here out on high with a complete of 860 laps. Belgium took second with 788 and Australia rounded out the rostrum with 744 laps. As for the person 2022 Yard World Champion, the outcomes sheet states “no winner.”
Ivo Steyaert’s and Merijn Geerts’s wives embracing after greater than 100 hours of crewing.
