Big Dog’s Backyard Ultra, the unofficial world championship of backyard ultras, included two Mainers who were among the final nine runners Oct. 16-19 in Bell Buckle, Tennessee.
Participants in backyard ultras are required to complete a 4.1667-mile loop each hour. Anyone who doesn’t finish the loop within an hour is eliminated, and the race continues until only one person remains.
Steve Slaby, 40, of Dresden was one of the last seven runners among a field of 35 but was eliminated after completing 53 laps – 220.8 miles.
Jason Bigonia, 44, of Walpole completed 50 laps, or 208.3 miles.
Harvey Lewis, 45, of Cincinnati won the race, completing 85 laps over the course of 31/2 days for a total distance of 354.1695 miles.
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