‘I’m not going to move for two weeks’: Belgian trio set ultramarathon world record
- Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen run 738km
- Belgium win Backyard Ultra world championship
The Belgian ultrarunners Merijn Geerts, Ivo Steyaert and Frank Gielen set a Backyard Ultra ultramarathon world record in the early hours of Thursday by running nearly 738km in four days and 14 hours in Retie, Belgium. The Backyard Ultra takes place on a looped track of around 6.7km (4.2 miles). Participants must complete one loop every hour, running about 100 miles each day. The race continues until one runner is left standing.
The bi-annual world championship allows national teams to field 15 runners and the country with most combined completed loops wins the competition. Races began around the world on Saturday, with 63 countries competing.