Hot bath or cold bath?

 Coimbatore Backyard Ultra 2.0

Cover a distance of 6.7k every hour, with no external help on the course. Support and crew are allowed before the flag off at each hour. Venue - Kumaraguru College of Technology. A beautiful campus. More than half the course had trees.

It is a sweet distance for a regular exercise for a day. So much so that a bunch of my friends, athlete or not, do this in a round robin, one person a day. Thanks to the initiatives of my classmate, Balakrishnan, my crew in the earlier backyard ultra.

The actual race has no end. It is played in a "Hunger Game" format. We don't kill each other. But we wait till everyone else dies. The last person still on the course is the winner. Everyone else is a DNF (Did Not Finish).

I haven't trained for this race at all. I ran a 20km easy pace exactly 10 days before the race. My fitness primarily comes from my recreational badminton games. 1 hour of singles game. Twice a week. Another 2 hours of doubles game on some of the weekends.

Backyard Ultra is truly a team event, not just in one way, but in two ways. First is the importance of crew members. As we become sleepless and tired, we don't want to spend any of my mind thinking of what to take care. The crew understands the needs of the runner and knows how to probe the runner and provide exactly what is needed.

Second team is the whole body itself. In a normal race, the individual parts of the body work to their best. In backyard ultra, every part of the body is crucial to the success. They need to work in absolute cooperation. A strong leg, for example, cannot just push without taking into account of breathing, heart rate, sweating and chafing. The ankles, toes, hips, shoulders, lower back, neck, stomach, mouth, taste of food, diaphragm - all of them have to watch each other. One goes wrong, the race is pretty much over.

The race was scheduled for 6 AM start on 31st January. 5 AM reporting time. Poor sleep that night and hardly any sleep the previous night due to work at the office. It did not augur well. But the past experiences gave the needed confidence and assurance.

Set up the tent, wore full pants and shirts to protect from the sun and heat of the day. Kalenji jogflow JF 100.1 shoes, 2 sizes larger than my actual size, just so that my toes have enough room to spread inside. Kept the goggles and hat and flashlight on a tray, along with a spare bottle. Spare clothes were in a bag in the tent. Ragi ladoos made with almond and cashew, with added salt and jaggery, green moong sprouts and boiled tapioca on the tray with additional bowls and spoons. Peeled almonds soaked in another small container. Rolled oats are kept as back up.

Flag off. Ramanathan (Ram), Velayutham (Vels) and myself are CIT'ians from the 1999 batch. We were participating under the banner of team Boisterous, Vels's running club, with a uniform shirt. We were a huge team, with many of them running the 15 hours, 8 hours and 4 hours categories too. With 100 plus runners, corral (where the runners are supposed to be inside at the flag off bell) was large. We had no plans of running at all. Either jog or walk. The thing with jogging is that it is just marginally faster than a fast walk. But the effort is significantly higher and even worse, various parts of the body get tensed up during jogging while we relax and loosen up entirely during the walk. We cannot walk the entire distance and finish under an hour of course. So, we still need to jog a significant portion of the distance. Two minutes slow jog at 7:30 pace and 1 minute walk at 10:30 worked beautifully for a target of about 55 minutes for the 6.7k. Mandatory walk for the last 250 meters to cool down the body and bring down the heart rate at the finish. This ensured that we could eat immediately after finishing the lap and also didn't sweat while eating. If we suddenly stop running, we would sweat more. This was a strategy we had discussed and tried out in the past. Someone with about the same lap time, but jogging the entire distance would spend a lot more energy and build up a lot more stress. An exception to this rule is to jog under hot sun and walk in the shade even if it is just for 10 seconds. Of course, some stretches were too open and long to jog all the way. But we still try to cover most of those open and hot stretches by jogging.

In 2025, we saw a lot of people running at their potential so as to get more resting time. After my strategy of conserving energy and muscles and aiming for longevity helped me complete 36 hours in the 2025 edition of the same event, many people were choosing to take it slow. For example, last year's winner, Santosh, used to finish each loop under 40 minutes. He was doing a much slower pace this time, more like just under 50 minutes for each loop.

The field had many great runners like Santosh (last year winner), Manoj (winner of Mumbai last year), Ankit Sharma (51 hours in world team championship), Sandeep Poojari Sirsi, Yerra Srinivas, Vels (28 loops last year) and many other strong runners who were new to me.

There was a prize of 25k announced for the winner. The winner of this event also will qualify to be part of team India (of 15 athletes) in the world team championship to be held in October 2026. So, we could expect a decent fight.

There are so many things that could go wrong in an ultra. Even the best plans could go out of the window in a matter of a few hours.

The weather was pleasant. We were hardly drinking for the first few hours. But I could see enthusiastic runners blazing down the road. I could also notice a guy with a hydration backpack and he was dripping with sweat. Was it his effort or due to the backpack? I imagined chafing in the next few hours if he continued the same way.

Ram and I finished the 3rd loop in under 53 minutes so as to have breakfast. Two idlis, with coconut chutney and yummy kara pongal. We couldn't resist and ate more than we had planned. We took out the caps and goggles.

The fourth hour saw last ditch effort from many who were in the 4 yards category. It was getting hotter, but still pleasant. The mind always plays tricks. To those in the 4 yards category, the last yard could still be agonizingly long before they could say "finally over". For the 8 yards category, it is a significant milestone, a consoling half, instead of counting 1, 2, 3,..., they will now count 4, 3, 2, 1. For the 15 and classic backyard ultra category, it is just the beginning.

I stayed with Ram all the time. We were able to do the distance in about 55 minutes. There were many first timers to backyard ultra I suppose, who were very strong, but probably didn't have much idea of the demands of the race. The nice thing about an out and back loop is that runners get to see how each one is doing. In a typical loop, the faster guys leave the slower ones behind and they don't get to see how much of a gap they eventually create in each loop though faster guys will be able to see when the slower guys cross the finish line. Here, I could see many of them, faces unknown to me, blazing down the course on their return from the U turn at halfway mark. A few of them were almost 2 km ahead of us and a good number of them were at least 1 km ahead of us. One km does not sound that much of a gap. But when we are, say, at the 2.85k mark (500m before the midpoint of 3.35k), they would be at the 3.85k mark (500m after the midpoint). That is a whopping 35% (= 1/2.85 * 100). As I saw the recorded timings of the runners later, I saw many names who did the loop in 40 to 50 minutes. For example:

 Ankit Sharma did his loops under 45 minutes all the time. DNF on 20th loop.

 Anoop Shankar: 42, 40, 40, 41, 47... DNF on 13th loop.

 Jayakumar: 44, 44, 42, 48, 42, 44... DNF on 13th.

 Kandeepan: 42, 41, 41, 41, 42, 42, 42... DNF on 26th.

 Periyakaruppan: 42, 42, 45, 54, DNF on 5th.

 Pradeep: 45, 44, 47, 49, 49, DNF on 6th.

 Prakash: 39, 39, 40, 40, 40, 40, 40, 34, 41, 41, 41, 43, 41, 41, 48. DNF on 16th.

 Rajan: 44, 44, 43, 44, 44, 45, 46... DNF on 15th.

 Ramki: I will come to his young bullet later.

 Sandeep: 38, 36, 39, 39, 40, 39... DNF on 25th.

 Sathiskumar: 40, 39, 38, 39, 36, 36, 35, 34, 36, 38... DNF on 20th.

 Suresh M: 40, 40, 40, 40, 39, 40, 40... DNF on 16th.

 Thangapandian: 43, 47, 43, 44, 42, 42, 41... DNF on 16th.

 Tharanidivya: 40, 41, 41, 41, 42... DNF on 9th.

 Nagaraj: 40, 40, 39, 50. DNF on 5th.

 Ravishankar: 49, 51, 49, 49, 46, 49... DNF on 16th.

 

Our own Vels was supposed to do a 55 minute loop with us. But he had a tight hamstring before the race. So, he wanted to go to physio after every loop. So, he did his 3rd yard in 51 followed by 50, 47, 47, 51, 52. It seemed to be working well for him until he suddenly slowed down too much and became 57+ minutes from the 9th lap. I felt that he has not been fueling right since he was spending more time at the physio and also not enough crew support to hand him the right stuff at every hour. Our boisterous team was the planned crew support for the guys who would stay longer on the course. But the initial hours were largely neglected. He was gradually paying the price for this. He was also unable to eat for some reason. Nauseating feeling. 57 minutes soon became 58, and a few more loops, it became 59.

 

Meanwhile, Ram was still with me. As the day progressed, his breathing became laborious. His sandals started hurting. No backup shoes. By around evening, he was also unable to eat, or rather, unable to swallow. Had signs of stiffening or cramping. Took some salt. Around the 15th yard, I wasn't sure who to go with - Vels or Ram. It came to such a state for Vels that he didn't even have time to tell the support what he wanted. So, he would tell me on the course, I would move a few minutes ahead towards the end and fill his bottle with whatever he wanted. I would carry his bottle. I didn't need to drink on the course as the weather was still well within my limit. I would drink before the flagoff and then carry his bottle. After 3 such loops, it became agonizingly tough for Vels. I had given up on him and decided to go with Ram. Ram himself wanted to cross his earlier record of 16 yards and see how it would go from there. He wanted to go as far as possible.

 

This race was an individual cum team race. Meaning, 3 runners can form a team and the highest total number of yards of all 3 runners in the team will be the winning team. Dhanasekhar (Dhana), Vels and Myself formed the Boisterous Titans. Dhanasekhar is a young and strong runner. He joined Ram and me around 14th yard I guess. When the 15th yard was over, I was expecting the crowd to be much less. But no. It seemed like just one or two runners from the 15 yards category survived till 15th yard. So, the field still had more or less the same number into the 16th yard. About 19 runners. But the 16th lap had a heavy casualty. 4 of them DNFed.

 

Remember the guy I talked about, with a hydration backpack, dripping with sweat from early on. His loop timings were apparently around our loop timing, around 55 mins. He had been paying attention to our group. But he had jogged most of his distance and was pretty much exhausted. He introduced himself as Nagarathinam (Naga) and asked if he could join us. We gladly accepted the additional company.

 

The course was well lit. We didn't need the headlight. But I always carried as per the rule. I removed goggles, cap, and changed to shorts and half sleeve shirts for the night.

 

As exhaustion set in, it became even difficult to follow 2:1 of jog:walk. A 2 minute jog felt like 5 minutes. A 1 minute walk felt like just 30 seconds. Also, seeing the watch to maintain time became another task. Since I was more or less fresh, I took up that task. As we jogged for 2 minutes, I would say, "Ok" and start walking. That word "Ok" became the soothing balm for my tired companions.

 

Dhana called it quits at the end of 16th yard.

 

Ram was finding it harder to go on. He didn't want to hold me any more. So, myself and Naga continued. Ram finished the 19th lap over time. So, he is out of the race. Vels was still rushing to the finish just before the next hour flag off. His last 7 yards were 58+ and last two were 59:47. What a grit my friend! He was still going to continue when he started puking very badly just after the flagoff of 20th yard and couldn't move. This 20th yard had another large casualty. Four people DNFed. They included Santhosh, the winner of last year's edition and Satishkumar who had been running at sub 40 mins lap time. This was a huge shock to many of us. Santhosh was running with a good plan and I was quite sure that he was going to stay till 3rd day. Alas! He had to call it a day due to health concerns, his last 3 yards being 31, 32 and 39 minutes. He had so much left on his legs.

I had not needed much support so far. But I was feeling the pressure of not having a perfect crew that I had enjoyed in Bengaluru backyard ultras where I had won all the editions so far. Just as Ram and Vels had quit, I started getting the perfect crew support. Both are experienced runners and crew. Uma, Vels' wife, brought in fresh boiled tapioca and it felt good. I just needed a couple of minutes at the finish before I could get ready for the next flagoff, because my crew started taking care of everything very smoothly. I carried a few mouths of food every time on the course and I kept nibbling.

 

Only 5 runners on the course for the 21st yard. It was then Naga and myself, still continuing with 56 to 57 minutes. Kandeepan, Ramki and Sandeep were the other three. I was drowsy pretty early in the night and it became pretty bad by the wee hours. But, I'm capable of closing my eyes, zone out now and then while still walking or jogging along. Walking is more ideal as the heart rate stays lower. I had to speed up a couple of loops here and there to go to the washroom or to eat. This put pressure on Naga. His mom had been awake the whole night to crew him. She must be proud of what her son had achieved. Naga profusely thanked me for the company and many valuable tips that I shared from my past experiences. He finished his 24th yard very strong in 50 minutes and called it a race. He wished me well for a win. Sandeep who has been doing sub 40 was another casualty. He still did sub-40 most of his last yards, even after 20 hours. He did 39, 39, 36, 37, 39 for his 18th to 22nd yards. That is a very expensive strategy. Even the world's top backyard runners don't do that kind of lap time. He did his 23rd and 24th yards in 45 and 48 minutes and he called it a day.

It was just Kandeepan, Ramki and myself. Kandeepan who started most yards as sub-40 started taking 45 minutes for most of the nights. Slowly coming closer to 50 minutes in the wee hours. 50+ by the day break. He finished his 25th yard in 57 minutes. I could say, he was done. He DNFed in the 26th yard.

So, it was just Ramki and myself. He is an ultra light, diminutive, skinny lad. Apparently groomed by Santhosh to win this race after Santhosh himself had to quit due to the health issue. Just like Santhosh, Ramki is a fast runner. But Santhosh kept dissuading him from making that mistake. He still ran a few loops in 35 minutes. Otherwise, he was doing 45 to 48 minutes for most of the loops. As the second day progressed, it was getting hotter. Or, we were just getting more prone to heat and exhaustion. I changed into full pants and shirts before 8 AM. Ramki was still finishing under 45 minutes. But he started walking for a significant amount of time. Santhosh was still yelling at him to go slow.

I could now feel the effect of poor sleep before the race. Thankfully, I was still able to doze off now and then and still continue jogging. Another interesting thing I noticed was that I didn't feel the heat even at noon under the open sun on the hot tarmac if I dozed off while jogging. I didn't feel thirsty, my throat didn't feel dry and my breathing slowed down significantly. My heart rate remained under 120 for most part and under 110 while walking. At this rate, I didn't feel the need to eat. So, I skipped food for 3 laps around noon. Ramki started walking the initial distances and hence we caught up chatting for sometime before he would eventually push off ahead of me. He was promising me a long inning and particularly mentioned that he was trained in the hot sun to prepare for this event and was doing well. He also mentioned that he had applied for leave from work for the third day, which was Monday.

It was only at 1 PM, I ate a decent amount of curd rice with fried potatoes from the lunch served. I was rejuvenated and ready for another long inning.

Ramki and I set out for the 32nd lap at 1 PM. Just 100 meters from the start, I saw him sitting on the side, probably adjusting shoes, I thought. I told him that I just ate a good amount of curd rice and I would take it slow. He was also taking it slower than usual. But eventually, he disappeared ahead of me after a km. At about 2.2 km, where the stretch is hot and open, I didn't see him ahead and I assumed he had gone far ahead. I closed my eyes and zoned out and was jogging slowly in the peak heat. Suddenly, something pounced on my back, with full weight on my head, hands heavily over my goggles, frames hurting my face. I was in shock, but calmly tried to get rid of the weight. It didn't go off for a good few seconds. When it went off, it was Ramki. I don't know how he fell behind. He definitely didn't look like he would need a break or a stretch. We chatted a bit and then I jogged off as I didn't want to put myself under the pressure of time towards the end. He was still walking saying that it was too hot to run. I knew that he could cover the remaining distance in a much shorter time at his pace. So, I can't spend too much of my time chatting with him.

As I took the U turn at mid point, it is a reasonably long straight road. I didn't see him coming in sight. I wasn't early either at the U turn. It was about 28 minutes. There is a washroom facility at about 2.8k mark. He probably went there and he would catch up later. So, I continued my jog and walk. I had about 15 minutes for the last 1.2 km or so of the 32nd yard. Still no Ramki behind. He would have caught me up by now. Just then, the cameramen announced that it was the last victory lap for me. I was shocked to hear that. I was not really happy that the race was ending just when I was feeling all good. Nevertheless, I wanted to rush as fast as I could for the remaining 1.2 km. I finished the lap in 49 minutes, my fastest. It was finally over, happy in a way and very unsatisfied with a 4th attempt to set a decent record for myself. I was happy though to know that I was still fresh and raring to go further when compared to my previous innings.

The Boisterous Titans also won the team title.

My in-laws had been there since morning, giving support in whatever way they could. They took me home and fed me well for a quick recovery.