Zac Mobius wasn’t sure what to expect in his first backyard ultra, which made his win at the Devil’s Racetrack Backyard Ultra in October even more special.
“This was my first backyard,” Mobius told TVO. “I’ve done two other ultras, a 50K and 50-mile, but this was the first time for me in the backyard format. I really enjoyed it and had fun.”
Mobius finished with 13 yards, or loops, of the 4.167-mile course at Wade Mountain Nature Preserve. Runners start each yard on the hour in the starting box. The must complete the yard and be in the starting box before the next yard begins. The last runner must complete the final yard solo within the hour to win.
This year’s race was the shortest since the inaugural event, won by Hayden Maples with 10 yards. The first race was in spring and unseasonably hot. Thirteen yards is nothing to sneeze at, though, at more than 51 miles. The race is put on by Fringe Events, which also does the spring Blue Heron Hundreds.
Lost and Found
Mobius, 22, originally is from Southhampton, New York, on Long Island. He ran track in high school and then got away from running for about two years during college. But the spark ignited as he found trail running in the Rockies.
“I was in the Air Force Academy and obviously there’s a huge trail community in Colorado,” he said, “and I did my first ultra in December 2024. Being lucky to live in a place with so many accessible trails, I fell in love with running again. I got back into it and have been taking it to new levels that I never thought about in high school.”
(Photo: Melissa Fritz)
Long Island has some varied terrain but nothing like the technical trails of Wade Mountain. Mobius is a second lieutenant stationed at Columbus AFB in Mississippi and training to become a pilot. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in May 2025. His backyard training consisted of online research and learning more about longevity instead of speed.
“I looked online to see how people were doing things for the backyards,” he said. “My intuition told me to spend more time on my feet with longer miles and slower miles. I found this particular race on UltraSignup and it was within a fairly easy driving distance for the weekend.”
Adapting Early
With no expecations, Mobius said he took the first few loops to get acclimated to the trails, pace and flow.
“I didn’t really have a firm strategy other than to have fun,” he said, “but ended up shaking things out the first few laps. There was a pack of us running together and I was able to connect with people, hear some stories and I think that’s one great thing about trail running.
“I spent the first few laps learning about the terrain, which was rocky and technical, and I was tripping all over the place. But as we went along, I began to feel more comfortable with the trails and running at that pace.”
Mary Helen Saunders-Otte, 33, of Owens Cross Roads, and Ryan Manning, 38, of Madison, were second with 12 yards.
See all of the results here.
