A year ago, Michael Wall and Kyle Wagner kept going and going and going … until Wall had 17 loops and Wagner 16 in the Devils Racetrack Backyard Ultra at Wade Mountain Nature Preserve.
The format is a last-runner-standing deal, in which everyone continues a 4.1-mile loop within an hour until one person remains. That person must then complete one more loop within an hour, to be the official winner. Wall outlasted Wagner last year in a record-setting performance for both runners and the event. Eleven records were set in the men’s and women’s divisions last year.
Among other things, doing multiple loops requires fitness, mental focus (or levity, or both), nutrition throughout the day and night, and no bad miles. You can’t have six great loops and then have a blowout mile or two in the seventh. Playing catchup against time is a fool’s game. Consistency is critical, as maintaining a per-mile and per-loop pace provides time to refuel, change socks or shoes, and relax a bit before the next loop.
Wall, 38, and Wagner, 37, both of Huntsville, repeated their Devils dance Saturday, with Wall coming out on top again. It was a true repeat, with Wall finishing 17 loops (70.833 miles) and Wagner finishing 16 (66.667 miles).
From the field of 34 that started at 7 a.m., Wall and Wagner saw competitors slip away one by one from early on. Two at 9 a.m., missing the third loop. More at 11 a.m., as the heat began to crank up. More in the afternoon after the sixth loop when it was hotter, with no moisture or wind. Highs climbed to the mid-70s. Forest canopy offered little, albeit appreciated, shade on the Devils Racetrack and Shovelton trails.
Runners shift from trail to a road route, for safety, at dusk. By that time, five runners remained. Attrition is natural, like a Nascar superspeedway race after a couple of “big ones” take out much of the field. Saturday’s heat was nothing like in 2022, when the inaugural field of 16 battled higher temperatures than this weekend. The 2023 event saw sloppier trails, thanks to rain the few days prior, along with diminishing clouds and wind during the event.
Spring weather is unpredictable, of course. Yet it seems Wall and Wagner are as predictable as the weather’s unpredictability. Neither wavered Saturday, maintaining the consistency needed to be there at the end.
Sponsors of the event were the Land Trust of North Alabama and Yellowhammer Brewing, which provided tasty refreshments including Cheatin’ Heart IPA, T-Minus Tangerine Kolsch, Rebellion Red Lager and Pineapple Punch,
MAIN PHOTO: Devils Racetrack winner Michael Wall of Huntsville returns through the timing area on an early lap Saturday morning at Wade Mountain Preserve. Wall finished 17 loops of 4.1 miles to defend his 2023 title. (Photo by Alan Clemons / TVO)
