On October 25, Harvey Lewis was the final runner standing on the 2023 Massive Canine’s Yard Extremely, having lined 450 miles in 108 hours, surpassing the earlier yard world report alongside the way in which.
The race started at 7 a.m. native time on Saturday, October 21, in Tennessee. Runners tackle a 4.166667-mile loop, referred to as a “yard” in yard ultrarunning, beginning each hour. Athletes run two routes: a path loop throughout the day and a highway loop at night time. Runners are eradicated when they’re unable to complete the loop throughout the time restrict or they elect to cease. This continues till there’s one runner left standing.
A few weeks later, we caught up with Harvey to listen to how his restoration goes, what the expertise was like from his perspective, and his ideas on how for much longer he might have saved operating if wanted.
Harvey Lewis throughout the 2023 Massive Canine’s Yard Extremely. Photograph: Keith Knipling
iRunFar: Congratulations in your win! It’s a number of weeks later now, how has your restoration been?
Harvey Lewis: Thanks a lot. Truthfully, I simply really feel my ribs are a little bit bruised, however aside from that I really feel actually nice and mentally I’m actually excited in regards to the prospects that Massive’s opened up by way of pushing even additional limits. So, I’m feeling very nicely.
iRunFar: That’s nice to listen to. Did you’ve got a particular technique in thoughts going into the race — and did you keep on with it or did issues evolve otherwise?
Lewis: Yeah, I wished to be as relaxed as potential for so long as potential. It’s one in every of my mantras to constantly devour energy and I eat all vegan meals. I actually imagine it has a profit as a result of I hardly ever get sick, an upset abdomen, and I can devour a number of energy — consuming every kind of issues from cookies and chips to soups and noodles, pad Thai, and muffins — every kind of meals.
Then there’s a very nice camaraderie between the runners. Despite the fact that it was a really aggressive group, I imply simply an unbelievable subject, it was enjoyable to attach with totally different folks. I attempted to be low key about issues and laid again, but additionally get pleasure from chatting with folks when the chance got here up. Then additionally taking within the good setting. Tennessee in late October is a phenomenal fall. You’ve the altering leaves and the way in which that the daylight enters the forest, you get a number of golden shade.
It’s a must to be aware of each step. Not as a lot on the highway, for the 13 hours out and again — however within the path portion — I’m usually very aware of my environment and scanning in entrance of myself. Even when I’m chatting with somebody, I do my best to not take my thoughts and my eyes off of the path, as a result of then normally you’re on the bottom.
There was a snake in some unspecified time in the future. The Mexican runner in entrance of me jumped over the snake, after which I made this — I seemed like a cat or one thing — goofy transfer as a result of I didn’t know if it was a copperhead. The copperhead snake, they’re venomous they usually mix into the leaves. I did see a pleasant lime inexperienced snake, it was pleasant, it didn’t hassle me. However there are some rattlesnakes round Laz’s [Lazarus Lake/Gary Cantrell’s] property, so you must be a little bit cautious the place you’re stepping.
iRunFar: I’m positive that will get tough when sleep deprivation kicks in.
Lewis: Yeah.
iRunFar: Did you’ve got a sleep technique — or I suppose extra of a napping technique — and the way nicely did that work?
Lewis: Sure. Truly, I went to this Runningman pageant that was actually the Tuesday earlier than the race. I’m actually making an attempt to hone my sleeping technique, and I met Todd [Anderson], who owns an organization, Dream Restoration. He gave me a masks and earplugs, and he recommended that I take two deep breaths after which exhale and do this 10 occasions to calm the nervous system.
So, I attempted to put down throughout the night time loops. The primary night time, I used to be getting to put down for possibly 10 minutes, however I actually wasn’t falling asleep an excessive amount of. I used to be simply mendacity there with my eyes shut.
Truly, it wasn’t till the fourth night time that I actually obtained to the mode the place I might go to sleep for a minute or two, as a result of I used to be operating 55-minute loops, so it wasn’t a number of time to sleep. Then the fifth day as nicely, I used to be capable of say, ‘Hey, I’m going to take a one-minute nap,’ after which go to sleep.
iRunFar: The format of the race is difficult as a result of it’s straightforward, in a means. I’m positive the primary few laps for everybody should really feel straightforward, however was there a turning level the place you began to really feel the pinch?
Lewis: Yeah, it relies upon. You undergo waves of it feeling tougher. Truthfully on this race this yr, I used to be extra drained in day one and day two than I used to be in 2021.
The night time earlier than the race this yr, I had one of many three worst nights of sleep I’ve ever had earlier than a race. I might solely go to sleep for 3 hours, I used to be too wound up mentally. In order that was not a good way to enter the race.
There have been intervals the place I felt drained on the second night, the fourth night, and in day 5. However I all the time needed to work by means of these difficulties and set up the motivation and the vitality to proceed ahead.
Harvey Lewis pauses between yards within the late levels of the 2023 Massive Canine’s Yard Extremely. Photograph: Mike Trimpe
iRunFar: Once you obtained to the final half day, how did that really feel? There have been totally different milestones, like getting previous the prior world report, after which into the final three left standing and the final two.
Lewis: Yeah, I felt like a clock. I saved on transferring alongside. I felt like, I’ll simply carry on going, and finally each lap or two, it was a mathematic equation that another person would drop off.
It saved on going that means. But it surely was very attention-grabbing watching different runners and seeing how they reacted after which making an attempt to carry the road.
I had a extremely good crew chief, Judd Poindexter, and he was actually good at anticipating what I used to be going to wish to have by way of gasoline.
Additionally, there was heat climate, I feel the warmth index was about 80 [degrees Fahrenheit]. I might purposely simply come again and dump water over my head. I laid on ice. I’m actually good with sizzling climate races, I had publicity operating throughout the most popular locations on the planet with Badwater Ultramarathon 12 occasions, so I can anticipate the way to cool my physique, however I feel everybody thought I used to be useless.
iRunFar: It is a tough query, however how lengthy extra do you assume you’d have been keen and capable of keep going if Ihor Verys had stayed going as nicely?
Lewis: It’s a wild thought. It’s actually superb. I appeared to get into some kind of frequency on the fourth night time the place I might simply go perpetually, and it’s a extremely wild factor. I positively assume it was potential we might have gone by means of that complete night time.
However then once more, it’s laborious to know as a result of your mind will get right into a sure mode. It’s totally different from the traditional human mode. As quickly because the race was over, an hour later my physique had cooled down, and attending to the tent about 20 meters away was laborious. However if you’re into that mode of being, it attracts on this particular vitality that’s deep inside us. There are powers that exist to push us past what appears affordable.
I feel that it’s potential I might have saved on going throughout that subsequent night time. I used to be transferring very nicely, I didn’t have any accidents, I used to be constantly fueled by good vegan meals. Then it will’ve introduced us again to the path once more. The query would’ve been — how would now we have responded to the path the following day? Was that potential? Then into the sixth day, what was going to occur?
iRunFar: Issues might have gotten actually attention-grabbing.
Lewis: Very a lot. There was a time the place it was unfathomable that somebody might make it 4 days on Massive Canine’s Yard. In fact, even the concept of ending a 3rd day was as soon as thought unattainable. Right here there have been 22 runners that made it to 300 miles. It’s a phenomenal factor.
iRunFar: Yeah, it’s superb. Then lastly, what’s subsequent for you? Have you ever obtained some other targets in thoughts?
Lewis: Oh yeah, yeah. Properly, since I received Massive’s, I can form of get away with saying that whoever wins will get an automated entry into the Barkley Marathons. That may positively should be the factor that’s going to maintain me up some nights.
iRunFar: In fact. That may be so cool. Thanks a lot for taking the time to speak to us.
Lewis: Thanks.
