How Courtney Dauwalter and Harvey Lewis Pushed Each Other to a Big’s Record

Two of the strongest, nicest runners lasted 68 hours and 283.33 miles,
going head-to-head for nearly 20 hours.
By Andrew Dawson
Oct 26, 2020

courtney dauwalter at the us big’s backyard ultra in october 2020
Howie Stern

Hours into the third day of Big’s Backyard Ultra, in Bell Buckle,
Tennessee, only two runners remained: Courtney Dauwalter and Harvey
Lewis.

When the cow bell would sound, marking the start of a new lap, the two
ultrarunners would fist-bump before setting off, trying to outlast the
other while simultaneously pushing each other to keep going. They both
had their sights on going beyond the 68-yard record (283.33 miles),
set in 2018 by Johann Steene. They were also both trying to keep the
U.S. team alive in the international competition, an new element
added to the ultra this year when travel restrictions prompted by the
coronavirus pandemic prevented 75 percent of the field from making
it to Bell Buckle, Tennessee.

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“I wanted Harvey to stay in, and he wanted me to stay in so we could
see what was possible,” Dauwalter told Runner’s World. “We would chat
some laps, but we ended up falling into our own paces and routines. We
were both trying to keep our trains on the track.”

This was familiar territory for both. Dauwalter was the assist (the
second-place runner) at the 2018 record run, when she ended up going 67
hours before dropping out. In 2017, Lewis battled Guillaume Calmettes
through 58 loops before dropping. (In backyard ultras, the race ends
when one person has done one more loop than every other runner—so when
the second-place person drops, the race effectively ends.)

Only only one would get redemption though, so for the third day, they
did their best to stay alive.
courtney dauwalter at the us big’s backyard ultra in october 2020
This was Courtney Dauwalter’s second time at Big’s Backyard. Her first
time in 2018, she finished second, behind Johann Steene who ran a
record 68 hours to defeat Dauwalter.
Howie Stern

Dauwalter had not run a race in more than a year because of the
pandemic. She participated in the Quarantine Backyard Ultra in
April and attempted a fastest-known-time on the Colorado Trail (more
than 500 miles), but Big’s was her first time with a bib on in 2020.
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Through the first two days, she felt good. She was able to squeeze in
eight- to 10-minute naps while at camp in between loops, she was
getting her food down, and she was foam-rolling and using a
massage gun to prevent her legs from getting sore.

But it wasn’t all roses. She experienced some hallucinations, most
involving animals and a vivid one she remembers about a circus and
Mickey Mouse throwing out t-shirts to a crowd. There were also some
struggles with sleep on the second night along with the usual highs and
lows of an ultra.

“I just didn’t want to ruin the game,” she said. “I just wanted to keep
lining up. I don’t want someone else to stop running because I stopped.
After 2018 when Johann won, he just teases me, in a friendly way, not
at all rude, that I ruined the game for him and his race was over. The
only way I wanted to go out was if I timed out on a lap or I was
incapable of continuing.”
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Lewis felt similarly coming into the race. He had visions of winning
after an incredible year that included setting a fastest-known-time on
the Badwater to Whitney, a 146-mile route across a desert and
finishing up a mountain in California. The high-school teacher from
Cincinnati mixed up his paces, giving himself more time to rest and
sleep for a few loops and coming in with only a few minutes before the
bell on others.

In those short windows, he and his crew chief, Judd Poindexter, worked
to keep his body in racing shape. Little blunders make a world of
difference in these races, so limiting them kept Lewis out through the
third day.

That, and a tough, motivating competitor.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better competitor to face off against and
collaborate with,” Lewis told Runner’s World. “Courtney is extremely
dedicated and tenacious, but also extremely humble. She’s in it for the
right reasons, so running with her is easy. She has such a positive
energy and the right type of energy force that you need to sustain
miles and miles and miles.”
courtney dauwalter at the us big’s backyard ultra in october 2020
Howie Stern

Both were moving strong as the third night began. At night, the race
moves from the trail to a safer, out-and-back road route. Though the
miles are less technical, this is where many runners struggle to battle
mentally.

In the middle of the third night, Lewis began to lose this battle.

“I got to a point where my mind gave up but my body didn’t,” Lewis
said. “I started putting what I was doing into a map in my mind. It
really just knocked me back thinking about have to go five more laps to
get to 300 miles. It’s important to focus on a single lap, and not any
distance beyond that.”

At the start of the 68th yard, the one that would tie the existing
record in Bell Buckle, both competitors lined up. Before setting out on
the road, Lewis mentioned to Dauwalter that he was starting to
struggle. The bell sounded and Dauwalter went ahead.

A few hundred meters away from the start, Lewis made the call and
walked back to camp, finishing with 67 laps—nine more than his PR in
2017.
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“Finishing second is never a bad thing,” Lewis said. “I got to a point
where I was satisfied. I wanted to win. I had a mantra in my head that
was, ‘I want to win Big’s.’ Ultimately, I’m not sure I would be any
happier if I finished first or second. It was neat to push ourselves
and I’m satisfied overall.”

All Dauwalter had to do was finish the loop to be crowned the U.S.
champion. As she ran the out-and-back on the road, she was the only one
at the race who didn’t know that.

She kept her normal pace and at the turn around, she headed backing
thinking she’d see Lewis as they had all night. Neither wore
headlamps, so they often didn’t see the other until they were right
in front of them.

Even as she got close to camp, she hadn’t thought it was over. She
thought she might’ve just missed Lewis in the dark.

Yet, when she came back to camp, she was greeted by cheers and
congratulations, finishing her final yard, tying the record for most
loops, and becoming the second woman in a row to win Big’s Backyard.

“It was awesome,” Dauwalter said. “I love this format. I think it’s so
cool because everyone gets to push their limits and see what possible.
I was excited this was happening during such a crazy year, that I was
able to be part of it, and that I was able to share it with so many
fantastic people.”
courtney dauwalter at the us big’s backyard ultra in october 2020
Courtney Dauwalter hugs her husband, Kevin Schmidt, after winning Big’s
Backyard.
Howie Stern

All who were awake congratulated her and cheers some beers before
calling it a night. The finish would earn the U.S. second overall in
the battle of countries and make the second to last to team standing.

Only the Belgians, represented by Karel Sabbe and Merijn Geerts,
were left standing after 68 hours. They ended up making it 75 yards,
the first backyard athletes to ever go for more than three days. This
came after they had to move to a 1K looped course each night due to a
curfew in the country.

“I love that the Belgians crushed it,” Dauwalter said. “Makes me wonder
what number we could be pushing to next.”

It is unclear how Big’s will look moving forward. The race in Bell
Buckle will always be there, but it will be interested to see if Laz
comes up with some similar plans moving forward.

“I know Laz is dreaming up the next big thing,” Lewis said. “We’ll see
what creativeness he comes up with.”

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Andrew Dawson Gear & News Editor Drew covers a variety of subjects
for Runner’s World and Bicycling, and he specializes in writing and
editing human interest pieces while also covering health, wellness,
gear, and fitness for the brand.
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